Senator Aisling Dolan - Strong Voice, New Vision.
Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors is a strategy developed together with Comhairle na Tuaithe.
This significant boost of over 1 million for four projects in County Galway is part of the Our Rural Future strategy to promote investment in our region.
In Galway 200,000 in funding for Creggs Mountain Walk which will be developed to expand the Suck Valley Way as part of the Beara Breifne - a national waymarked trail.
We have volunteers that work on the Suck Valley WAy group and also a national team in Cork that manage the promotion of the Beara Breifne Trail a 500km trail from Beara peninsula in Cork through to Blacklion in Leitrim & Cavan through East Galway and Roscommon.
This is fantastic funding especially when we see how Creggs Rural Development launched the Creggs Village Plan after 3 years preparation and consultation with wider community earlier this year. Great team with Chair Sean Beirne and this funding builds on investment in Creggs Rugby Club. This investment under Outdoor Recreation will really have an impact for communities on both sides of the River Suck in Galway and Roscommon.
We also see funding in Galway for Loughrea, Western WAlkway and Kilrainey walks.
This is a tribute to community groups developing these initiatives to encourage all of us to enjoy all the outdoor activities on our doorstep. Especially in winter time, great to get out for a morning walk can really set us up for the day so do take time with your family to discover hiking and adventure trails on walkways, greenways and blueways in Galway and neighbouring counties”
To thank the Rural Recreational Officer and Galway County Council for working with community groups. There is so much opportunity to develop our region for outdoor activity and bring investment into our towns and villages. This will be of great benefit for families living in the area and really showcases all the reasons to live and work in Galway!”
Launching Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, Minister Humphreys said:
“The pandemic awakened a new discovery to explore amongst the Irish public. When we were confined to our counties or we could only meet friends and family outdoors, we gained a new found appreciation for the unique amenities we have on our doorstep whether it’s our forest parks, our mountain trails, our rivers, our greenways or our stunning beaches.
“Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors is about building on this momentum. It is about the strategic development of Ireland’s Outdoor Recreation sector so we can deliver maximum benefits to communities across the country.
“Those benefits are huge. Spending time outdoors supports our mental and physical health and it improves our quality of life. There also huge economic benefits, particularly for rural communities, with over 2.7m overseas visitors taking part in outdoor activities every year in Ireland. Through this Strategy – I believe we can make Ireland the destination of choice internationally for outdoor recreation and adventure tourism.
Building on this ground-up, locally led approach, the Minister is today announcing €14m for the development of 59 outdoor recreation amenities and to support outdoor pursuits such as hiking, mountaineering, kayaking, and cycling.
Among the projects being funded today include:
