One of Ireland’s leading illustrators Fuchsia MacAree has created this wonderful map of the Wild Atlantic Way for Cara, the Aer Lingus in flight magazine.
Of course Fuchsia chose to place a bicycle where the planned Tralee to Fenit Greenway and the Great Southern Trail will be located !
You can check out more of Fuchsia’s work on her website.
Kerry County Council have been in the news recently regarding two controversial projects both of which involve the development of cycleways and compulsory purchase orders.
These are the South Kerry greenway in which KCC plan to buy back the railway in South Kerry (which was sold off after it was abandoned decades ago) and the other is the N86 development which also involves buying land for a widened road and a cycleway, ironically parts of this land was also once part the Tralee to Dingle Railway alignment.
So essential your tax money is going to buy back the two abandoned railways, which once were in state ownership, but no longer due to either been sold off or lost due to neglect.
At the same time there are two other railways in Kerry which are still in public ownership and lying idle, (the Tralee – Fenit and Tralee – Limerick) and which could easily be converted to greenways (as per the objectives of the county development)
Wouldn’t would be great to see these routes developed, wouldn’t this be much cheaper and in so better value for the taxpayer !
But maybe an Irish solution to this Irish problem is that we all sit on the fence for a few more years by which time we will have to buy back this land too ?
Happy New Year !
It is great that we can bring such good news in the first post of the year. Following negotiations CIE have given Kerry County Council the authority to act on their behalf in dealing with the redevelopment of the line and any issues that may arise.
As you may be aware clearance work on the line began in late 2010 but later stalled. These works were required to allow Kerry County Council’s engineers to survey the line in order to prepare plans for the line.
Since then Kerry County Council were awaiting permission from CIE to act on their behalf.
We have been informed that Kerry County Council staff are now progressing plans for the line.
Hopefully it will not be long before we see this amenity come to fruition !
