Kilkee cliff walk in Co Clare and access to Galway’s Traught strand and Kerry’s Ballybunion beach are among projects awarded grants under the Government’s outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme.
A total of €4.1 million to develop and enhance over 150 outdoor recreation projects has been announced by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys this week.
The Traught beach accessibility upgrade has been awarded €29,700, while €30,000 has been approved for maintenance and repair works at Ballybunion South Blue Flag beach.
Improvement works to Kilkee Cliff Walk have been grant-aided by €27,000
The investment, under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS), will be “key to enhancing our mountain trails, forest walks, cycleways, rivers, lakes and beaches”, Humphreys’s department has said.
“It will also provide a boost to local economies by attracting more visitors to our rural communities,”her department said.
Up to €30,000 will be invested will in each project under the round of funding – with a focus being placed on small scale enhancements, upgrades and repairs.
Other projects being funded include:
- Slí Gaeltacht Mhuscrai, Co Cork: development of new 2.2 km section of Slí Gaeltacht Mhuscraí - €26,880
- Derryounce Lakes and Trails Trail Upgrade, Co Laois: Upgrade works at Derryounce Lakes and Trails paths - €30,000
- Outdoor Sensory Space, Lough Muckno Park, Co Monaghan: Development of an outdoor sensory space adjacent to the existing playpark in Lough Muckno Park. - €30,000
- Castleconnell Village Steps, Co Leitrim: Installation of steps to provide safe access into the Shannon
- Lusmagh Heritage Bog Walk, Co Offaly: Enhancement works at Lusmagh Heritage Bog Walk - €26,460
“The Government’s Rural Development policy, ‘Our Rural Future’ and the new National Outdoor Recreation Strategy, ‘Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors’, have together set the stage to strengthen and support the sustainable development of the outdoor recreation sector in Ireland for years to come,”Humphreys said.
“The health benefits from engaging in outdoor activity combined with the economic and social benefits that can be achieved by this investment for rural Ireland, will no doubt serve us well in to the future,”she said.
“I look forward to making further announcements for larger-scale investment in this sector in the coming weeks,”she added.
This funding will be invested in 151 outdoor recreation projects, bringing the total number of projects funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development, since its establishment in 2017, to almost 1,600 nationwide.
A full list of successful projects is available here
