Greenway has lots to offer
WHILE many of the walks we highlight in this column are available to enjoy at present, this week we feature a walk that has yet to be created, the Sligo Greenway.
Very often these routes are seen primarily as cycling paths but of course they are much more than that. The well-finished paths are also ideal for walkers, wheelchair users and buggies.
The idea of converting the disused railway running between Collooney and Bellaghy into a Greenway has been discussed for a few years now. Talk of a returning train service during the boom competed with the Greenway idea for a few years but that idea is off the table for now. In the meantime, the greenway proposal has grown to the stage where it is now being seen as a viable alternative, and where the land could be turned into a valuable local outdoor amenity. The recent announcement by Government of a €53 million fund for the development of a national greenway network has only added to the possibility of Sligo joining the greenways which have been established in places like Waterford, Mayo and Westmeath.
Returned Tubbercurry native, Martin Brennan loves the idea of the greenway and can’t wait to see it developed: “This is a win-win concept. We will put together a greenway from Bellaghy to Collooney that’s going to be a model for greenways throughout the country. We’re not simply looking at a bicycle and walking path, we’re looking at an entity that’s going to be a living, breathing part of our community, that people will see an opportunity on that path to highlight cultural, historical, artistic & traditional aspects of life in Sligo.”
In addition to Sligo Greenway Co-op and the community lobby group, a new business lobby group is currently being formed to push for the economic and tourism potential of the greenway. Tubbercurry hotelier Paul Murphy said: “I welcome the greenway as a new tourism link for the town. I see it as a very positive departure. The greenway offers so much at this time - a local amenity, a chance for people to work on their physical and mental health and of course it will bring extra custom and jobs to a region that is hard pressed. The walking element of the greenway will be something new for Tubbercurry. Now with spur walks and loop walks off the new greenway, we can offer a new product to a new type of customer. This will be a new attraction for tourists that can operate year-round.”
The deadline for a funding application to Government is November 2018. If everything is in place by then, Sligo will be firmly in the running. We then need everything and everyone to pull together. If the application is successful, we could be working on the creation of the greenway as soon as 2019 and walking on it within a few short years, providing south Sligo and the region in general with an outstanding opportunity to develop a unique walking resource for all to enjoy.