Irish greenway gets injection of extra €5 million in cash for 40km route

Ardagh railway station has now been secured for the Limerick section of the Great Southern Greenway and will now been stabilised and preserved, along with Barnagh station house, as an attractive feature on the route. Some €5 million is being sent on the 40km Limerick greenway and by the time that work is completed over the next year, the connecting greenway to Listowel will be completed

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The Great Southern Greenway is getting an injection of €5 million to improve the facility and bring it up to the standard of the Waterford Greenway.

A major marketing drive is also planned to draw visitors
to the amenity after it has been improved, with those works set to get underway
next month.

Once the works are completed the 40km route from Rathkeale to the Kerry border near Abbeyfeale will be a 3-metre wide macadam surface; perfect for cycling.

The greenway forms half of the full Great Southern
Greenway, which will stretch some 84km from Limerick to Tralee.

At present, the Limerick section of the greenway – known as the Great Southern Trail - that has been allocated the additional €5 million involves four sections; Rathkeale to Ardagh (9km), Ardagh to Newcastle West (4km), Newcastle West to Barnagh (10km) and Barnagh to Templeglantine (4km).

For a full guide to the Great Southern Trail, the Limerick section of the Great Southern Greenway, please follow this link.

Lara Gillespie attacks Dolomite stage as Giro hits high mountains — The Great Southern Trail - which is effectively the Limerick section of the larger Great Southern Greenway - is already well worth a visit. But now an extra €5 million is being spent on it over the next 12 months. And by the times the works are completed, a new section of greenway, extending the existing one to Listowel, will be completed

Video - Italy's hero Balsamo mobbed mid-stage during Giro TT — The Great Southern Trail - which is effectively the Limerick section of the larger Great Southern Greenway - is already well worth a visit. But now an extra €5 million is being spent on it over the next 12 months. And by the times the works are completed, a new section of greenway, extending the existing one to Listowel, will be completed

The upgrading of the surface will take about one year. It is set for completion in June, 2021, by which time another section of greenway to Listowel, Co Kerry, will also be completed, making for a huge combined stretch.

Limerick City and County Council and the Rural Regeneration & Development Fund are providing the €5 million for the upgrade of the existing greenway through Limerick; in €3.4m and €1.6m tranches respectively.

As well as allocating the money, additional developments
have also occurred, including:

Limerick City and County Council has purchased the old Ardagh and Barnagh Station Houses, to preserve them and market them as part of the greenway experience.
The council, with CIE and landowners, has resolved a number of issues relating to the greenway crossing certain areas and towards ensuring the safety of greenway users, including an 800m diversion around a working farmyard in Coolybrown, Ardagh.
Funding has been sought for a feasibility report on extending the greenway from Rathkeale to Adare.
Cycle routes off the greenway to Askeaton, Foynes and Glin will also be developed in the near future.

Mayor of Limerick Cllr Michael Sheahan welcomed the €5 million investment and the developments around the greenway, as well as the coming extension into Co Kerry.

“The greenway passes through some of the most beautiful scenery in county Limerick and this investment will allow us to showcase it in the best possible way,” he said.

“We have the potential to have one of the best greenways in the country in Limerick and this latest investment is helping to achieve that. We also look forward to working with our friends in Kerry once the greenway extends to Listowel.”