Sligo Greenway are holding their third Annual General Meeting this Wednesday in the Yeats County Inn, Curry at 8.30 on May 23rd. The Co-op is now a firmly established community group working continuously for the establishment of a greenway on the route of the disused railway running between Collooney and Belaghy (Charlestown).

Speaking in advance of the AGM, Chairperson of the group, Pat McCarrick said, “For the greenway to progress, a few things need to happen. Sligo Co.Co will require to enter a license agreement with Irish Rail. This will of course provide that the line will revert to Irish Rail if and when required to reinstate a rail service. The project will then require planning and funding from the Government. The good thing is, the case for Sligo Greenway is very compelling; Irish Rail are well disposed to granting such a licence. Additionally, Sligo’s new County Development Plan provides for the development of the greenway and finally, this project as an ideal candidate for funding under the new National Greenway Strategy due to be published shortly by the Minister for Transport Tourism & Sport.”

The statement continues, “A number of key documents are required together with a planning process before the funding application can be submitted. While an Economic Study and a Technical Feasibility Study have been completed on the proposed greenway project, new requirements will demand Tourism Impact Assessments and the previously mentioned planning application.

McCarrick goes on to say, “Our priority now, as a community group, is to keep working closely with Sligo Co.Co in an effort to proceed the project with a view to ensuring that this game changing amenity and tourist attraction for Co. Sligo.  Our goal now is to have both the funding and planning applications underway in this current year.”

The AGM of Sligo Greenway Co-op takes place at the Yeats County Inn, Curry, Co. Sligo on this Wednesday, 23rd May at 8.30. All local shareholders are asked to attend and new members are welcome on the night.
 
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Contact – Pat McCarrick
Phone – 087 2512030 or sligogreenwaycoop@gmail.com

Tourism network South and West Sligo has launched a new tourism brochure “Sligo’s Hidden Gems” for the 2018 tourist season. The attractive A5 publication is part of an ongoing programme promoting the rural areas of Sligo. A video, media visits and a sustained social media campaign are all part of the plans for the coming year.

“Sligo’s Hidden Gems” is a fabulous tool for any visitor and is bigger and better than the 2017 publication. It include details of tourist businesses in the area - everything from surfing, seaweed baths, horse riding, rock climbing and golfing to attractions, walking trails and festivals. It also includes a comprehensive calendar of events and a very useful map of the area with details of heritage and historic sites. It is ideal for visitors and for people living in Sligo who are planning a day out.

Over 40 businesses including Sligo Greenway Co-op are part of the fledgling network, including signature festivals, adventure and activity providers as well as essentials such as accommodation and eateries. “Sligo’s Hidden Gems” will be distributed through members, tourist offices and tourism related festivals and events.

Speaking at the launch which took place in the Ocean Sands Hotel, Enniscrone, Chairman Paul Taylor said, “We are delighted to present this comprehensive tourism guide for our area. Now tourists can easily find out about all the hidden gems and less known parts of the county”. He went on to compliment the energy and enthusiasm of the network, saying, “I’m delighted to be part of a vibrant organisation, full of committed and enthusiastic people who wish to showcase their region. With this vision and commitment to working together, we will soon be firmly on the tourism map.”

As is common outside urban areas, the tourism businesses have tended to operate alone rather than in conjunction with one another. Through the network, businesses will come together, building a stronger tourism product through collaboration, which will benefit the entire region.
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Contact info:@southandwestsligo.ie for further information or visit the website www.southandwestsligo.ie

​Now that the train is gone, we must remember that we still have the rail corridor itself; its landscape and its infrastructure. We also still have the towns and villages, but their needs are no longer being met. Business growth and tourists are seldom to be seen. The generation of a greenway on the route solves this problem. Employment, tourism and the health and mental benefits of a local amenity follows as sure as day follows night.


Another potential benefit of greenways in local communities is the option to create loop walks and cycleways to parishes and villages not directly on the route of the greenway. In the case of South Sligo, loops taking in rural laneways and village pubs in places such as Rockfield (Coolaney), Cloonacool and Curry can be easily created. This new activity has proven results and show great gains for hard-pressed rural businesses. Very rural communities and landscapes in Co Sligo will then have the opportunity to display their many charms to visitors from all over the world.


The further development of this disused line (Coolooney to Athenry) will provide the opportunity to develop such life giving arterial loops bringing revitalisation to Easy Mayo, and North Galway. The infrastructure is there, the climate is right and the need is great!

​There can be a tendency to dismiss greenways as just creating routes for tourists that have no value to communities, but in fact the main beneficiaries of trails are the communities through which they pass.

Greenways deliver obvious benefits, a place to walk and cycle away from traffic, a place to push a buggy and let small children run and play, a safe commuting route to school and work, the value of healthy exercise. But there are other advantages to having a national trail on your doorstep.

Greenways create jobs; this has been the experience everywhere. From cycle hire to service jobs in the food and construction sectors, the invigoration of an area by developing a trail through it results in a lot of extra work, and somebody has to be paid to so it. These jobs are sustainable too; they don’t disappear to a low-wage economy when taxes change.

Greenways improve the quality of life for everyone. In the case of old railways or canal towpaths, cleaning them up and making them accessible gets rid of dereliction, fly-tipping of waste and antisocial behaviour. Making an area a nice place to visit makes it a nice place to live.

Greenways create business opportunities. The increase in economic activity that a greenway brings will create opportunities for enterprising people. Hotels reopen, and guesthouse accommodation is revived. Farmers in Northumberland were some of the biggest beneficiaries of the Hadrians’s Wall Path; many of them turned old stone sheds into camping barns and are earning significant income from these enterprises. The same trail spawned a number of baggage-carrying companies that move bags from one hotel or guesthouse to the next each day, leaving walkers to travel unencumbered. These same companies also provide a courier service along the route that supports other small enterprises.

Greenways keep existing businesses open for the benefit of local people. We complain when key local businesses close, but additional visitors to an area can keep them open. In Waterford the Deise Greenway now supports a number of thriving businesses that were headed for closure before the development took place. Newly created businesses also serve the local population.
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Greenways increase property values. The experience everywhere has been that property values tend to increase when a greenway is developed, and it is common to see property advertised in relation to its distance from such infrastructure.
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Greenways attract other jobs. One of the key factors used by companies in deciding on a location is the quality of life in the area, essential to retain staff. A region with no ‘quality of life’ attractions will be quickly dismissed by an industry seeking a base in Ireland.