Location Dublin-Galway, Ireland Length 276,000 m | Elevation gain/loss 0m gain approximately Uses Hiking, Cycling | |
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Trailheads Galway, Sheriff Street, Dublin | ||
The Dublin-Galway Greenway is a partially completed 'coast-to-coast' greenway and partial rail trail, in Ireland, funded by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, which will become the western section of EuroVelo EV2, a cycle route from Galway, Ireland, crossing Europe and ending in Moscow, Russia.The 276 km route is planned to be completed by 2020. It will be the third greenway in Ireland, after the Great Southern Trail and the Great Western Greenway.
Contents
Sections
The greenway connects existing pathways, redeveloped railtrails and newly created sections.
Royal Canal Way
Sections of the route follow the Royal Canal Way which links Dublin to Longford along the Royal Canal.
Westmeath Way
The Westmeath way stretches 28 km from the Meath-Westmeath border and will meet to the town of Ballinea, south-west of Mullingar.
Mullingar - Athlone
The section from Mullingar to Athlone is a rail-trail over the disused Mullingar-Athlone rail line, (with refurbished former stations in Moate and Castletown Geoghegan). A new bridge is planned for Athlone. The Moate-Garrycastle section was officially opened by Taioseach Enda Kenny in October 2015. In September 2015 the Westmeath Independent reported that the greenway could provide a "€15m boost" to the local economy.
Plans, by a community development organsisation in Kilbeggan, County Westmeath, are underway to connect the Greenway to the Offaly Cycleways at Kilbeggan with a greenway to Tullamore, County Offaly. Work is planned to begin by summer 2016.
Athlone - Galway
The planning of this route via Ballinasloe by the National Roads Authority was requested by Galway County Council in June 2014 and was in the planning stage in July 2015. There has been opposition from multiple stakeholders. The Galway Cycling Campaign which is objecting to the proposal to place the route near to the N6 national primary road. Teachta Dála for Galway East, Ciarán Cannon stated in September 2015 that significant numbers of local landowners have also expressed concern about the preferred route. In October 2015 Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohoe announced the withdrawal of funding for the section until the concerns of local landowners had been resolved. In January 2017, Minister Shane Ross announced a new consultation process, and 55 submissions were received by February.