Cork North West Fine Gael General Election candidate Councillor John Paul O’Shea has reiterated his call for Cork Co. Council to proceed with a greenway for Duhallow, with the first phase consisting of an 8km route between Kanturk and Newmarket. Cllr. O’Shea initially made the call for Duhallow Greenway to Cork County Council in 2019, stating that it is “a project with enormous economic and tourism potential”. Despite best efforts by Cllr. O’Shea, no real action has been taken to date to bring this project forward.
Reiterating the call for movement on the Duhallow Greenway, Cllr. O’Shea said, “there is huge potential in developing a greenway in Duhallow. When you look at similar projects such as the Deise Greenway in Waterford and the Limerick Greenway, you can clearly see the enormous potential such a project has for the local region, particularly in terms of tourism. It also would have significant health benefits by providing a safe environment for all to enjoy walking and cycling facilities.”
The proposed Duhallow Greenway would be similar to other greenways in that it would follow the old railway line. The Kanturk-Newmarket Railway Line has been closed since 1963. A feasibility report on the development of a greenway between Kanturk and Newmarket has already been completed and this report has confirmed that, from an engineering and social viewpoint, the greenway would be feasible.
Cllr. O’Shea added “It is important the Council would take the lead on this and move this project forward. Discussions with landowners would be critical and I would like to see this happen as soon as possible. There is undoubtedly huge potential here to create a fantastic public amenity for Duhallow – something that would be of great value to locals as well as passing tourists. It would also be invaluable to continue linking both towns – Kanturk and Newmarket together as both towns are already intrinsically linked”.