What Are East Mayo Greenway About ?

The East Mayo Greenway Group was set up in 2019 to promote the creation of a walking/cycling greenway from the Sligo/Mayo border through to the Galway/Mayo border at Milltown on the route of the railway line which has been closed for more than 40 years. The group’s overall objective is that the proposed East Mayo Greenway would join up with the Enniskillen to Sligo and on to Charlestown. Our vision is to see the East Mayo Greenway connected to the Great Western Greenway via Swinford to Turlough. This opens up the whole of County Mayo. It would then be possible to cycle from Enniskillen to Achill Island all on a continuous Greenway!

The group accepts the idea that any greenway permission will be conditional that if the route is required in future as use for railway the construction of a railway will take precedence as an accepted norm off any licensed agreement to utilise the route as greenway with Irish Rail. Irish Rail have said, in their submission to the Mayo County Plan 2021-2027 as follows;

8. Greenway Development
Iarnród Éireann notes that the Council aim to support and facilitate the EuroVelo rail project on the Western Rail Corridor as an interim use for the rail line pending its reopening for passenger and rail freight. Iarnród Éireann will continue to provide conditional support for the development of a greenways in locations where the railway does not have a short to medium term viable business case for reintroduction of services. In terms of the Western Rail Corridor, this conditional support is subject to the section north of Claremorris. Greenways help to keep the asset in state ownership and keep the asset utilised, and then if there is a decision at some time in the future that it should go back to railway use, the licensing arrangement is such that it can do so.

East Mayo Greenway committee recognise the many benefits that greenways can deliver for the entire community and the many Government objectives which can be fulfilled, including:

• Make better use of an existing, disused transport corridor
• Create a first class walking and cycling facility for local communities
• Create a tourist attraction which can contribute to the economic development of the local communities and the wider region
• Encourage use of a sustainable mode of transport which interlinks with local amenities, services and existing public transport
• Promote the National Cycle Policy Framework and support the National Recreation Strategy
• Help tackle obesity and promote activity
• Raise the profile of cycling and encourage people to cycle