New 'Greenway' plan for Laois gathers steam

A MEETING is to be sought between officials from Bord na Móna, the interim Executive Officer of Laois County Council, Portlaoise councillors and a local committee to examine the possibility of opening up the old railway lines linking Cashel and Ross Bogs and Cul Na Móna to develop a cycle and walkway.

Councillors at the Portlaoise Municipal District Council meeting in October agreed to such a meeting after the district council’s Cathaoirleach cllr Willie Aird proposed such a motion.

Cathaoirleach Aird said: “Bord na Mona will not meet with any group without the backing of Laois County Council and without council officials being present and that’s been made very clear to me.

“I want to thank the Clonkeen group who started this originally under the leadership of Val Hennessy, John Seale, Helen Bonham and one or two others. It’s a great project.

“I had to call it something when I was writing to the minister about it and I called it The O’Moore Way. They can call it whatever they come up with afterwards. We can’t call it after any bog, because if we do people on the different bogs won’t be happy with us for that.” 

Cathaoirleach Aird was at pains to point out when he said: “I want to make this crystal clear. We will not be touching or having hand, act or part to do with any of the banks that are there that are being cut by people at the moment. That is not the agenda. The agenda is on the old railway line that Bord na Móna built when they were extracting the peat off the bogs which are now complete and finished. Whether they re-wet them or whatever, that is not our remit.

“Our remit is to start on the Abbeyleix Road or come in from Cashel onto the old railway line under the Abbeyleix Road. Go across and pass down by the Cul na Móna factory, then onto the side of Togher Woods and on down then to cross Clonkeen Road. You then go onto the old Limerick Road onto the underpass on the new Motorway.” 

He said: “This is a very exciting project and a huge opportunity to do it in conjunction with Bord na Móna when they are lifting the lines. You could be back-filling at the same time and it could be opened up relatively quickly.” 

Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald said: “This has been ongoing for just a year. There’s a very active committee working on it. The council is very positive about this project as well. Laois Partnership are now getting involved with the committee. It’s a very exciting project not just for locals but for Laois and for tourists. So far Bord na Mona have been very positive in response to it. When you put the three areas together it’d be the biggest bog in Ireland.” 

Cllr Fitzgerald said that the committee is also trying to purchase the last working locomotive from Bord na Móna.

“It’s a huge opportunity for tourism in the county and a huge opportunity for both Ballyroan and Abbeyleix,” said cllr Barry Walsh.

Cllr John Joe Fennelly said: “All you have to do is look at the success of the Abbeyleix Bog Project and the amount of people using it on a daily basis. 25-years ago, next year, we had to have a bit of a protest to stop Bord na Móna cultivating it. After a couple of years they saw the light and now have an agreement with the bog project in Abbeyleix for a 50-year lease. There’s nothing only positives out of this.” 

Cllrs Caroline Dwane Stanley and Tommy Mulligan also lent their support to the project.