New walking trails being developed in Mayo
Pictured at the launch of the Masterplan for Moorehall were, Cllr Al McDonnell, Cathaoirleach, Castlebar Municipal District; Cllr Sean Carey, Cathaoirleach, Mayo County Council; Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Dara Calleary; Chief Executive of Mayo County Council, Kevin Kelly, and Alan Dillon, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Picture: Tom Quinn
As 2025 comes to a close, new walking trails mean that Mayo has lots to offer those who enjoy the outdoors, with plenty more to come in 2026.
Mayo County Council's executive engineer David O'Malley told a recent meeting of the council's Economic and Enterprise Development Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) that a series of walking trails are currently being worked on in Mayo. These include a walkway from Cong to Lisloughrey Pier, with hopes to start development during 2026; the Carrowtigue Loop Walks in Erris, which cover 26km and where sustainable infrastructure is currently being installed; the Breaffy Loop Walk in Ballina, which entails creating a looped walk around the forest area in Kincon; Tom’s Lane, Brickens, which recently had further surface drainage works carried out and a number of roadside amenities added for people to stop and visit; and the the Old Head Trail in Louisburgh, where drainage and surface works have been carried out to improve accessibility.
Other works focused on "renewing" existing facilities include the Castlebar to Turlough Greenway section, which is now flood-free thanks to a drainage project by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) that cost €675,000 and included re-surfacing and fencing works; new changing facilities for Carramore and Achill beaches, due to be delivered by June 2026; and finally, the launch of the Moore Hall Master Plan, which was performed earlier this year by Minister Dara Calleary and will see the area turned into a national nature reserve with a series of new walking trails and amenities.
Mr O’Malley said the council was successful in winning a European greenway award for sustainability on aspects of the Great Western Greenway in relation to shelters, seating, fencing etc, and pointed out that the council continues to engage with funding streams such as the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS), TII and Fáilte Ireland.
- Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
