There was been widespread welcome to the news that €500,000 has been allocated towards developing a Greenway between Lough Key Forest Park and Boyle.
The announcement was made by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring and has been welcomed by Senator Frank Feighan and Deputy Denis Naughten amongst others.
The application is to develop a cycleway from Lough Key Forest Park & Activity Centre to Boyle Town Centre. The funding has been allocated under the Minister’s Department’s Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme.
“This is fantastic news for Boyle and the development of this cycle corridor linking up Boyle to our wonderful amenity at Lough Key Forest Park is a huge boost not just for the town but for this whole region” said Senator Feighan.
“The ongoing development at Lough Key Forest Park & Activity Centre and its range of top class facilities continues to attract growing visitor numbers and the development of this cycleway will undoubtedly attract more and more of these people into the town of Boyle.
“Undoubtedly, the cycleway will have significant spin-offs for the local economy and today’s funding announcement will help drive the local tourism product forward in a very substantial way.
“As Minister Ring has said, figures available reveal that activity tourists spend in the region of €915m in the Irish economy during their stay. Similar statistics reveal that 286,000 visitors took part in cycling activities with a related spend of some €268m. These two sectors combined generated revenue for the Irish economy in the region of €1.2bn in 2014.
“Today’s funding is great news for Boyle and acknowledges the efforts of many people and stakeholders who are working so hard to enhance our local tourism offerings,” concluded Senator Feighan.
The news has also been welcomed by Deputy Denis Naughten:
“This is a huge boost to all those who have worked so hard to pull the Boyle 2040 plan together and I know that this announcement is one of a number in the pipeline as part of the development plan for the town.
“The allocation of this funding to Boyle is also a boost for Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands tourism brand and ties in with the allocation of €473,000 to link Longford Town with the Royal Canal Greenway.
“These projects are all part of a bigger jigsaw of developing a range of tourism activities throughout the Heartlands region of Ireland to encourage tourists to visit and stay in our local towns and villages,” said Deputy Naughten
The news has been welcomed by Boyle Town Team who led the application in association with Roscommon County Council.
Town Team Chairman Brian Nerney said “The Team are absolutely delighted at this morning’s announcement. A lot of hard work has gone into the application by Team members and personnel in Roscommon County Council”.
“We also wish to acknowledge the input of Senator Feighan and Deputy Naughten in securing the funding”
“The Greenway is an integral part of the Team’s plan to copperfasten the links between Boyle and Lough Key Forest Park so the town can capatalise on the growing number of visitors to the Park”.
“The rejuvenation of Boyle continues” he concluded.
