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Roscommon to benefit from €350,000 fund for outdoor recreational trails

Roscommon to benefit from €350,000 fund for outdoor recreational trails

Irish Independent12 hours ago
This funding will help keep the trails in good condition and ensure they remain accessible to walkers and cyclists. The trails are part of a larger network being developed across the midlands under the EU's Just Transition Fund.
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The funding will also support a number of trails within the Lough Boora Discovery Park in County Offaly.
Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, said, 'We're excited to partner with BnM to support the maintenance of these new trails. This investment will help protect the trails and ensure they remain enjoyable for future generations.'
BnM CEO Tom Donnellan added: 'We're committed to creating long-term social and environmental value for communities in the Midlands. This partnership with the Department will help us deliver on that commitment."
The EU Just Transition Fund partly funds the Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme for Ireland's Midlands 2023-2026.
One of the programmes funded through this scheme is the Trail Network Development Scheme.
Under this scheme, BnM have been approved for €30 million of funding to support the development of 51kilometres of a midland trail network of universally accessible walking and cycling trails across BnM lands in Longford, Offaly, Roscommon, Tipperary and Westmeath.
The scheme includes trail development on suitable BnM lands, predominantly on former rail beds and bog headlands that were previously used for peat extraction.
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