Great Southern Trail

The Great Southern Trail, comprising the Limerick Greenway and North Kerry Greenway, is a greenway rail trail under development in County Limerick and County Kerry in Ireland. As of October 2022, 40 kilometres (25 miles) of the Limerick Greenway and 10.5 kilometres (6.5 miles) of the North Kerry Greenway were completed.[1] When fully completed, the route is intended to be 85 kilometres (53 miles) long and run from Limerick to Tralee.[2] It is an off-road trail intended for use by cyclists and walkers along the route of the Limerick-Tralee line, formerly operated by the Great Southern and Western Railway, which opened between 1867 and 1880 and was closed in 1977.[2]

Great Southern Trail
Trail signage at Newcastle West, County Limerick
Length85 km (53 mi)
LocationCounties Limerick & Kerry, Ireland
TrailheadsLimerick, Tralee
UseCycling and walking
SeasonAny
SurfaceTarmacadam (Limerick Greenway), Mud track (North Kerry Greenway)
Websitewww.southerntrail.net
Trail map

 (proposed Limerick connection)
Rathkeale (connects to Eurovelo 1)
Ardagh
Newcastle West
 … (Fergusons viaduct)
(Barnagh viewpoint
 via Barnagh tunnel)
Templeglantine
Abbeyfeale
(Kerry/Limerick border)
Listowel
(proposed Tralee connection)
(Tralee-Fenit Greenway)

Sections

Limerick Greenway

A 40 km (25 mi) section of the trail within County Limerick, known as the Limerick Greenway,[3][4] was completed in June 2021, funded by Fáilte Ireland and the Departments of Transport and Rural and Community Development.[5][6] The 115 metre-long Barnagh tunnel was renovated for the greenway and is now accessible via a dedicated underpass.[7] Car parking, children's playground, 'crazy golf', bathrooms, bike hire, and a small restaurant are all available in the Barnagh Greenway Hub.[8] The cast-iron Ferguson's Viaduct also comprises a section of the greenway.[7] The greenway stretches from Rathkeale to Abbeyfeale.[9] It forms part of the EuroVelo Atlantic Coast Route (EV 1).[10][11] In the 10 months following its May 2021 reopening, the Limerick Greenway received 500,000 visitors.[12]

North Kerry Greenway

The North Kerry Greenway is due to form the western section of the Great Southern trail.[13][14] As of May 2022, sections of the greenway were expected to be opened in phases during 2022.[15] A 10.5 km stretch of the route, between Listowel and the border between counties Kerry and Limerick, was opened by October 2022.[16] At the time of its opening, "temporary" carparking was opened at the Listowel trailhead.[17] When completed, the southern end of the North Kerry Greenway is due to link to the Tralee-Fenit Greenway close to Tralee, forming a network known as the "Kingdom of Kerry Greenways".[18][19][20][21]

Development

Set up in 1991,[22] the Great Southern Trail Ltd voluntary group was involved in developing the trail for 20 years, at an estimated cost of €1 million (as of 2011).[23] They were awarded a special jury prize by the European Greenways Association at the 2011 European Greenways Awards in recognition of their efforts to develop the greenway.[22] Limerick City and County Council assumed responsibility for the management and maintenance of the Great Southern Trail in November 2015.[24]

Development of the trail ran into several difficulties, including questions of public land ownership, and the expectations of some other local landowners and householders.[25] In early 2013, a group of walkers commemorating the 50th anniversary of the last passenger train between Limerick and Tralee, were blocked at the Kerry border by a group of local landowners opposing the continued development of the trail into County Kerry.[26] It was subsequently established that CIÉ (the Irish transport authority) owned the line and that the landowners had no claim to the trail.[27] From 2016,[28] CIÉ transferred ownership of the line to Kerry County Council for further development of the trail towards Listowel, pending future funding becoming available.[13]

By 2019, Limerick council had completed the incorporation of the Barnagh Tunnel into the route, including the construction of an underpass under the N21 Limerick to Tralee road.[29] As of 2021, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) of the route between Rathkeale and Abbeyfeale had been developed.[5] This section of the trail passes through Ardagh, Newcastle West and Barnagh.[30] By October 2022, 40 kilometres (25 miles) of the Limerick Greenway and 10.5 kilometres (6.5 miles) of the North Kerry Greenway had been completed.[1]

See also

References
  1. "North Kerry charts a route to health and prosperity as greenway finally opens". The Kerryman. 11 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022. The [10.5km] North Kerry Greenway has been developed along a disused railway line which will link up with the Great Southern Trail which extends from Abbeyfeale for 40km into County Limerick
  2. "Home". SouthernTrail.net. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  3. "Limerick Greenway". SouthernTrail.ie. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  4. "Repurposed 40km greenway set to open after €5m works, marketing blitz planned". stickybottle.com. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2022. The Limerick Greenway is the new name for the Limerick stretch of the Great Southern Greenway
  5. O'Brien, Tim. "Former west Limerick railway line reopens as 40km greenway". The Irish Times.
  6. Scully, Meghann (30 June 2021). "€10 million Limerick Greenway opens to the public". LimerickPost.ie.
  7. "Ministers put their rivalries aside to try out new Limerick Greenway". LimerickLeader.ie. 23 June 2021.
  8. "Limerick Country Council, Barnagh Greenway Hub". Limerick.ie.
  9. Halloran, Cathy (1 July 2021). "€10m Limerick greenway opens today". rte.ie. RTÉ News.
  10. "Republic of Ireland - EuroVelo". EuroVelo.
  11. "About Newcastle West". Limerick.ie.
  12. Scully, Meghann (31 May 2022). "Limerick Greenway a peddling success with over 500,000 visits". LimerickPost.ie.
  13. "Part VIII – North Kerry Greenway". KerryCoCo.ie. June 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  14. "Co Kerry's 19.8-mile Greenway gets go ahead in major tourism boost". IrishCentral.com. 17 November 2020.
  15. "North Kerry greenway to be completed by end of August". RadioKerry.ie. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  16. "North Kerry Greenway opens to the public". RadioKerry.ie. 7 October 2022.
  17. "Listowel Greenway trailhead approved for 'temporary' car-park and toilets". The Kerryman. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  18. "North Kerry charts a route to health and prosperity as greenway finally opens". The Kerryman.
  19. "County's greenways to be marketed as the Kingdom of Kerry Greenways". RadioKerry.ie.
  20. "Over €350,000 in funding for outdoor amenities in Kerry". RadioKerry.ie.
  21. "Around the Districts: Killorglin to Scartaglen". The Kerryman.
  22. Reidy, Marisa (14 September 2011). "Leaving a trail of honours at awards in France". The Kerryman. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012.
  23. McDonald, Frank (18 August 2011). "Minister urged to act over CIÉ land row". The Irish Times. Dublin. Archived from the original on 18 August 2011.
  24. "Limerick council to assume management of Great Southern Trail". Limerick Leader. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  25. Prendiville, Norma (17 September 2011). "Great Southern Trail Wins Special Jury Prize in European Greenways Association Award Scheme" (PDF). Limerick Leader. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  26. "Walkers blocked from entering Kerry on old rail line". Radio Kerry. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  27. "CIE says it owns north Kerry rail line". Radio Kerry. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  28. "Cllr. Kennelly welcomes the official update on the North Kerry Greenway Line". TheAdvertiser.ie. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  29. "Barnagh Tunnel is now part of Great Southern Greenway". Limerick Leader. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  30. "Great Southern Trail Map" (PDF). SouthernTrail.net. Retrieved 1 August 2011.

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