New plan to harness potential of outdoor recreation in Mayo

Councillors in Mayo have approved a plan designed to harness the full potential the county has to offer outdoor sports enthusiasts. 

Head of Mayo Sports Partnership (MSP), Charlie Lambert, told councillors at their December meeting that Mayo is one of just six counties to have been approved for an outdoor recreation plan. He added that MSP is also devising a local sports plan for the county to address issues around demographics and participation in sports, as well as the need for more sporting facilities.

MSP's outdoor recreation officer Kieran O’Reilly explained that the new plan is being led by a steering committee in line with the guidelines from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht. The plan aims to include all land, air and water-based activities that can be enjoyed in Mayo, outside of those traditionally played on a confined pitch.

He said the goal is to have more people enjoying the great outdoors in a responsible way and to provide coordinated leadership through the plan.

“Outdoor recreation should be one of Mayo’s biggest assets, but we are not realising our full potential. It should be a reason why people want to visit Mayo and bring up their families here.” 

Welcoming the plan, Cllr Peter Flynn thanked Director of Services Joanne Grehan for her role in securing the Irish Association for Adventure Tourism conference for Westport in November, saying the event itself “was a real eye-opener in terms of the potential for outdoor tourism in this county, beyond traditional sports such as golf and football".

“We have so much potential in our county to deliver and Ireland is in the top ten for adventure tourism internationally, which shows we're going in the right direction.”

Cllr Flynn also requested that one or two local public representatives be included on the outdoor recreation steering committee and said it was critical that collaboration with landowners be at the forefront regarding proposed actions across Mayo, in order to work together in harmony, as had happened with the Western Way, the Great Western Greenway and Togher Padraig walk.

Cllr Brendan Mulroy praised MSP for all the work it does with clubs throughout the county and suggested it should be provided with more funding.

Cllr Michael Loftus also welcomed the plan and pointed out that with the longest coastline in Ireland, Mayo has huge potential to develop its water sports potential, and he was glad to note this has been recognised in the document, with activities such as scuba-diving included.

Cllr Blackie Gavin praised Charlie Lambert for having always been very passionate in promoting sport and activity as far back as his days as a teacher in Davitt College.

Cllr Ger Deere also welcomed the plan, noting that new activities such as mountain-biking and cycle cross events were gaining momentum in Mayo.

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.