Onwards and upwards
The novel experience of an uplift service at family-run business Bike Park Ireland in Co Tipperary has helped to drive its growing popularity
“That is our unique selling point: it’s what many people come here for – the fun of getting the lift up in the army truck”
R iding the wave of mountain biking’s growing popularity in Ireland, Graham Kenny and his family opened Bike Park Ireland at their hilly 400-acre farm in Co Tipperary in 2014.
The park at Fairymount Farm now offers eight bike trails, as well as – crucially – an uplift service that delivers customers and their bikes back to the top after each run.
Branching out is nothing new for the family, according to Kenny. “We’ve always been thinking outside the box and moving away from conventional farming. My parents, John and Linda, started diversifying about 25 years ago with self-catering houses and walks and trails around the farm.”
They stumbled across mountain biking in 2012 when local man Gerry Grimes asked if they would consider developing a couple of trails on the farm.
“He told us people would pay to get a lift back up each time. With certain types of trail you need technical bikes and they’re quite heavy.”
Grimes developed a trail and people started arriving and paying €20 for the uplift service. Kenny found out that bike trails are big business in the UK and Europe. In France, for example, numerous trails have been developed in ski resorts to pick up the slack in the summer months.
With backing from the Leader programme, the Kennys decided to develop six graded trails from beginner to expert level. Instead of the chair lifts used in France, two army trucks were brought in to deal with the hilly terrain.
“Every 10 or 15 minutes the trucks go up and down. We take the hassle out of the climbing up and our visitors just enjoy the ride down.”
The focus at the park has been to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. “It’s a very exciting sport but it’s not just for extreme bikers. We also wanted to cater for families or people who just want to meander through the woods,” says Kenny.
The park has built up a following from all over the country, particularly Dublin and Northern Ireland, and last year had 13,000 visitors. “We’re only tipping the iceberg. We’re working to 30% capacity. We’ve put in two brand new trails this year and there’s scope for another four or five more,” Kenny explains.
“As more people arrive, we just need to buy more army trucks. And that is our unique selling point: it’s what many people come here for – the fun of getting the lift up in the army truck.”
Another attraction is the fact that visitors can rent high-end bikes – which cost up to €3,500 each – for the day. “We want everyone to have the experience and be able to have the ‘wow’ factor,” says Kenny.
The park has recently benefited from a €100,000 investment in showers and changing facilities, as well as the two additional trails. Other facilities on site include the Mucky Duck cafe, which is run by Kenny’s wife Cassandra.
Prices start at €10 per adult for park entry and €30 for a half day of the uplift service. “Everything is reasonably priced. We want people to be able to come back on a regular basis,” notes Kenny.