Exceptional new project officially opened in Lough Boora

A NEW trailhead and a new cycle and walking link route was officially opened by Minister Jerry Buttimer at Lough Boora Visitor Centre on Monday morning, July the 7th.
The Minister of State at the Department of Transport got a warm welcome to the Park from local politicians, members of the Council Executive, staff of Bord na Móna, Waterways Ireland and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, and a number of locals.
The new trailhead is located beside the Visitor Centre. The new cycle and walking link route is beautifully and expertly done. It runs for 1.4 kilometres along a road which has been widened for the purpose. This new link route means that cyclists and walkers can now access the nearby Grand Canal Way.
Offaly County Council has in recent years upgraded all of the Grand Canal Way from Shannon Harbour to Edenderry, a distance of 70 kilometres. The eventual aim is to completely upgrade all of the Grand Canal Way from Dublin to the Shannon. From Dublin to Sallins has been upgraded but work still needs to be done on a significant section in Kildare.
The Chief Executive of Offaly County Council Anna Marie Delaney told Monday morning's official opening that Offaly is playing a very impressive and growing role in Ireland’s national trail network. 20% of Ireland’s walking and cycling trails are now located in Offaly. Local politicians said this statistic highlights the county’s “leadership in green infrastructure and tourism development.”
Cllr John Leahy, Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council, said today they were seeing the fruits of a considerable amount of excellent work by the Council over the last couple of years. He said the Councillors have often criticised Bord na Móna in recent years but during today's opening they only had good to say about the company because of its work on cycling and walking trails in tandem with the County Council.
Cllr Leahy said it was great to see locals present. “Boora is a small, fabulous community of people. They also have a lovely community centre here which many people are not aware of.”
Anna Marie Delaney welcomed the representatives from TII, Waterways Ireland and Bord na Móna. “This important new link route now links the Grand Canal Way with Lough Boora, which means that people cycling the Way can divert off it to visit this fabulous Park. It will have knock-on effects. It means more income for local accommodation and food providers. It means tourists are encouraged to stay longer in the county. Offaly Tourism pinpoints Lough Boora as being one of the six major tourism attractions in Offaly; cyclists and walkers will therefore often be strongly attracted to it.”
Paul McLoughlin, Director of Services, pointed out that collaboration is a very important thing and this project had involved collaboration between the Department of Transport in Dublin, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, and the Transport section in Offaly County Council. “Today's opening is linking two major tourism attractions in Offaly, namely the Grand Canal Way and Lough Boora.”
Minister Buttimer said it was great to be in Offaly. He thanked everyone for their “hard work and advocacy on behalf of this great county.”
He praised Deputies John Clendennen and Tony McCormack, new members in Dáil Éireann, who are “making a huge, positive impact on behalf of the people of Offaly. I am sure they have bright, successful careers in front of them. They have also given me a list the length of my arm of projects to do in Offaly!”
The Minister said projects such as the Lough Boora trailhead take patience, vision and hard work.
He acknowledged that the decarbonisation programme hit Offaly hard but schemes such as this were providing some compensation. “This scheme is about improving the public realm; but it is above all about people. It is about improving things for the benefit of people, which is the essence of what politics is about. It also shows that we are putting taxpayers' money to good use. This project is also a model for other counties as to how these things should be done.”
Deputy Clendennen pointed out that new trailheads such as this “are about more than just recreation, they represent smart investment in rural communities, in sustainable tourism, and in Offaly’s future. It’s about improving quality of life, drawing visitors to our towns and villages, and protecting our natural heritage.”
Deputies Clendennen and McCormack said projects like this show the government's ongoing commitment to delivering for rural Ireland.

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