This article is from page 28 of the 2007-05-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 28 JPG
THE tourism stock of east Clare of- ficially soared this week, as one of the finest waterside walking routes in the country was formally opened in picturesque O’Briensbridge.
Some 16 km of walkway, and a number of shorter routes, were for- mally unveiled to the public at a joint celebration by the O’Briensbridge Community Group and Shannon De- velopment.
The route has been painstakingly and lovingly carved out by the lo- cal voluntary group over four years with the assistance of State, semi- State, local authority and voluntary financial support at a total cost of €222,000.
Many walkers and athletes alike have already grown to love the set- ting that begins and ends in the vil-
lage and in between meanders along the banks of the Shannon before joining the Errinagh Canal.
Speaking at a celebration dinner at the Old Mill Bar, O’Briensbridge fol- lowing the launch, chairman of the O’Briensbridge Community Group Michael Murtagh said that the fin- ished walk now formally unveiled has been a labour of love and well worth the many long hours dedicated by the band of local volunteers.
And he predicted that the walk will be one of the real gems of east Clare tourism over the coming years, par- ticularly with walking holidays now emerging as one of the growth areas of the tourism sector.
“There were times when we were banging on doors looking for fund- ing for this that we thought we would never see this day but now that we have, it has been more than worth
every bead of sweat,” said Michael.
“When you see what has been achieved here you really get a sense of a job well done and it is a tribute to all in our community, not just those in this official voluntary group. This 1s a diamond of a walk and you couldn’t have a better place to start and finish it than in what we believe is one of the prettiest villages in the country, O’ Briensbridge.
He added that without the help of the many volunteers and the sup- port from State and semi-State spon- sors, “this would not have happened and to one and all we say a big thank Wo) ae
The walks — all are colour coded with arrow sign-posts – vary from the longest Green Loop, which travels all the way from O’Briensbridge to Par- Korey mr-H OO mDy-1ee
There are shorter treks within the
system, including the Blue Loop, which links early with the Erri- nagh Canal and brings walkers back around to O’Briensbridge at a total distance of just 5 km The red loop, meanwhile, carries on to the village of Clonlara, returning to O’Briensbridge along the Errinagh Canal in an overall trek of 10 km.
Work on the ambitious project be- gan back in 2003 and has been fund- ed by Waterways Ireland, €27,000; Shannon Development, €11,000; Clare County Council €87,000, Leader Group, €26,000; Conserva- tion Volunteers, €2,000; Heritage Council, €26,000; ESB, <€18,000; O’Briensbridge Community Group, orm OOF