Midland counties join up to fund marketing the Royal Canal Greenway

Four midland counties are to throw €35,000 apiece into a pot to provide a fund to ‘sell’ the Royal Canal Greenway both nationally and internationally.

Westmeath’s new tourist officer, Fiona Fitzgerald, told members of Westmeath County Council at their June monthly meeting, that Westmeath, Meath, Kildare and Longford have committed the funds as part of a memorandum of understanding drawn up between them and Waterways Ireland.

The greenway has had €1m already invested in “soft infrastructure” such as benches, signage, fences and improved pavement, she stated, adding that The Royal Canal Greenway Storyboard project is at draft content stage, and The National Famine Way is assisting on stories to tie it and the greenway together along the route.

Cllr Frankie Keena – who asked at the meeting that distance marker points be erected along the greenway – said there was some confusion over the greenway names, since there was The Old Rail trail as well as The Royal Canal Greenway.

Cllr Aoife Davitt suggested that signs be erected linking the greenway and the other tourist attractions around the county.

The council’s new cathaoirleach, Cllr Ken Glynn, also called for more promotion of the facility:

“I have felt for some time that it was under-utilised,” said Cllr Glynn, contrasting it with the rail trails in Mayo, and saying that more needed to be done to let people know about it.

Responding, council director of services Barry Kehoe said that work is almost complete on a project which will see storyboards signs erected at various locations in Westmeath. He also spoke of comprehensive plans for signage along the greenways, and said that the council is planning to spend €45,000 on the greenway.

Clearing up the confusion over the cycle trail names, he said: “We are fortunate in this county in that we have a number of these long distance cycling routes going through,” he began, explaining to Cllr Keena that the Dublin to Galway Greenway goes through Mullingar, using the Royal Canal as far as Mullingar and then the Old Rail Trail to Athlone. Cyclists have the option at Mullingar of branching off and following the Royal Canal on to the Shannon at Clondra, he added.