Offaly’s 70km Grand Canal greenway is officially opened

The full Grand Canal Greenway through Offaly, stretching from Edenderry to Shannon Harbour, has been officially opened.

The Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council, Cllr Tony McCormack, and Minister of State at the Department of Transport James Lawless carried out the official opening of the 70-kilometre Grand Canal Greenway on Thursday.

At the opening ceremony, Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council Cllr Tony McCormack expressed his pride in the Grand Canal Greenway’s inauguration. ‘It’s a fantastic day for the region. I often emphasize how much Offaly has to offer, now people can experience our warm welcome first hand.”

Minister James Lawless said: “Approximately €9 million has been spent delivering the scheme the Offaly section of the Grand Canal Greenway route. This route offers 70km of safe, accessible active travel infrastructure and will encourage greater levels of travel via cycling and walking rather than private car use amongst leisure users, tourists, and commuters”.

Chief Executive Anna Marie Delaney spoke of how this is an “exciting development for Offaly and enhances the tourism potential for the wider midlands region”, thanking “our funding partners, our elected members, who, along with Waterways Ireland, had the dedicated vision to delivery our 70kms of safe, accessible active travel infrastructure and will encourage greater levels of travel via cycling and walking.”

Ms Delaney commended the contractors involved in this project, including Tower Ltd, Lakeland Civil, Rathcabin, and the Council’s Roads Department, led by Director of Services Tom Shanahan, Senior Engineer Barry Lennon, District Engineers John Mitchell, John Connelly and Joe Harte and the Planning Department, led by Acting Director of Services Andrew Murray.

“Their dedication ensured the project’s successful completion, averaging at €128,000 per kilometre. This achievement highlights how local councils are delivering for their communities, promoting good governance, and serves as an exemplar to all funding partners that Offaly provides excellent value for money in project delivery,” concluded Ms Delaney.

Accompanying Minister Lawless and Cathaoirleach Cllr Tony McCormack for a cycle on the greenway were Darragh Jordan and Ella Henson, 5th-year students from Gallen Community School, Ferbane.

In addition to the greenway between Edenderry Harbour and the Greenway, a connection between Lough Boora Discovery Park and the Greenway is set for completion in 2024 with funding from Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

Additionally, the link from Ballycommon to Kilbeggan Harbour is designed to connect to the Old Rail Trail in County Westmeath at Streamstown, providing future connectivity to the Royal Canal.

Construction is also progressing on Offaly County Council’s first significant Trailhead amenity at Ballycommon, featuring 52 parking spaces and other facilities.