‘Baffling’ to not link West with heavily trafficked

by Páraic McMahon @clareecho.ie

ly input into the process,” Cllr Garrihy explained. He added, “Illustrate for them where the benefit is going to be, we’ve ran into trouble where we didn’t engage with the public to the fullest extent”.

The Lisdoonvarna native said, “It has blown up in our face with some of our biggest strategies and wrongly so because the engagement and community piece not done to the nth degree”.

North Clare needs to see an economic benefit from the Cliffs, Cllr Grant stated, “it is lacking at times as to the economic benefit from the Cliffs of Moher, transport was touched on before at the last meeting and access to the Cliffs, we need to be improving roads and cycleways, people want to see not just what is happening inside the gates but that surrounding areas benefitting”.

Addressing the meeting, Cleary noted that the first two rounds of consultation presented “very positive” and “some challenging” feedback. “We took time to reshape the strategy and take on board some of the feedback,” he said.

He referenced the sudden death of Chris Smith who was the project lead for Haley Sharpe on the strategy and was “a familiar voice in the towns and villages” of the area. “In advance of putting the draft strategy on display, we felt it was important to meet with landowners on coastal walks, we met with two of them to look at priority issues they raised and are now moving forward with a management plan for the coastal walk”.

Director Cleary was hopeful of reverting back in early Autumn with a view to adopting the piece of work. “It is a 20 year strategy but it must be organic and flexible to adapt.

“I have asked for a specific element on the cost benefit of the Cliffs of Moher to surrounding areas”.

He added that a park and ride scheme which will service the Cliffs, the Burren and Doolin is also planned.

NORTH Clare representatives have criticised the lack of energy applied to linking the planned West Clare Greenway with the UNESCO Global Geo Park in the Burren.

Two sections of the West Clare Railway Greenway are part of the development plans, the first is from Kilrush to Kilkee with two rounds of public consultation completed for this. Options assessment for the second section from Ennis to Ennistymon are being progressed by Clare County Council.

Commencing construction in early 2026 is the planned target for section two which has an estimated cost of €25m and a four year schedule to complete.

At the July meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) sought proposals on how the Greenway will integrate “with the most trafficked, visited and popular area of the county north of Ennistymon and to the towns of villages of Doolin, Liscannor, Lisdoonvarna, Corofin, Kilfenora, Fanore and Ballyvaughan and on throughout the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geo Park”.

He stressed, “the integration of one of the most visited and marketed environmentally sensitive areas of our county with the Greenway plans is critical and should be actioned as a priority”.

In a written response, senior engineer in the project management office of Clare County Council, Seán Lenihan flagged that the current proposed route “doesn’t go north of Ennistymon but southwards to Lahinch, Miltown, Quilty and Doonbeg where it will join up with the Kilrush to Kilkee section at Moyasta. That being said, the longer-term strategy is that our Greenways would link up with those in neighbouring counties such as Limerick, Kerry and Galway so we will certainly consider the possibilities”.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is now the approving authority for Greenways. Lenihan confirmed that he would raise the request with the TII regional manager at the next steering group meeting.

This opportunity must be grasped, Cllr Garrihy stated. “It is critical that we seize the opportunity to underpin that UNESCO globally recognised destination to add mobility through walking and cycling connections down to the Greenway. This is one of the most trafficked and visited places in the country, it is an opportunity for us, we talk about sustainable tourism, regenerative tourism and part of the future of sustainable communities, we need to invest and focus in it, we need to make sure there are cycling and walking options connecting with the greenway”.

He continued, “I’m disappointed we haven’t started already, the right time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the right time to start this was 20 years ago but the next best time is today, prioritise this piece of work which should have started 20 years ago. Make people stay and have slow tourism, sell their cups of coffee and have their camper van sites. I am disappointed with the response, to me this is at the core of UNESCO global geo park”. Public consultation gives the chance to finalise the route, Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) observed. He pointed out, “there are lots of green roads in North Clare, the roads are already in place”.

Integrating with the communities is vital, Cllr Shane Talty (FF) believed. “It is not necessarily a network of greenways, Seán is trying to fall under national criteria to get the project funded and delivered, we’ve slow routes and roads which could be prioritised for pedestrians over vehicles”.

All old bog roads in the Loop Head Peninsula were mapped to create the Loop Head Trails, Cllr Cillian Murphy (FF) advised the meeting. “They’re basically trafficked by a tractor and a handful of cows,” he remarked when giving an example of what could be achieved, “they’ve connected it and it is trying to connect them to greenway and to each other, it is not about building 100km of greenways”.

Cathaoirleach of the West Clare

MD, Cllr accused the of only “goB and not of the box”. we know to achieve Municipal won’t know it”. Director of ard Cleary back up his leaves the doesn’t in A stark fiwas then