I was happy to receive broad support for my motion asking for Limerick City & County Council to develop a greenway from the city towards Cahir in Tipperary. The idea is that this would link up with the Suir Blueway, which runs from Cahir to Carrick-on-Suir. The “East Limerick Greenway” would play a major part in connecting Limerick with the Southeast of Ireland. Speakers enthusiastically in favor were Councillors Eddie Ryan (FF), Jerome Scanlan (FG), Martin Ryan (FF), Conor Sheehan (Lab), Olivia O’Sullivan (FG), and I hope to work with them in the coming months to develop the plan.
Greenways can be a very significant economic driver for rural areas. We can see this in Mayo and Waterford particularly, where hundreds of jobs have been created and many millions invested in the rural economy. The Great Southern Greenway, towards the west of County Limerick is a fantastic amenity, and it should be connected with Limerick City and with the large towns of County Kerry in time, but we should get the ball rolling on a route from Limerick City towards Tipperary too. The province of Munster has among the most picturesque rolling landscapes in Ireland and I have no doubt that if a route is developed that can enable cycling tourists, both from within Ireland and overseas visitors, to travel across the Golden Vale from Waterford to Clare, they will come in their tens of thousands and breathe new life into our rural towns and villages.