Close to €90,000 funding has been secured by Laois Partnership Company for improvement works throughout the county as part of the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS).
Public walkways in Cullahill, Erkina, Durrow and the Slieve Blooms will receive a cash injection through the scheme, which provides funding for the development of new outdoor recreational infrastructure.
It also provides support for the necessary repair, maintenance, enhancement or promotion of existing outdoor recreational infrastructure in rural areas across Ireland.
As Laois Partnership Company administers the Walks Scheme in counties Laois and Offaly on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDF), the funding will be used to improve a number of local walking trails.
Welcoming the news for County Laois, CEO of Laois Partnership Company Caroline Lydon said: “We are delighted to see this continued investment in our wonderful walkways throughout County Laois.
“Laois has some great trails that we have the privilege of developing in partnership with local landowners and community groups.”
€39,600 has been allocated to carry out upgrade works on Cullahill Mountain looped walks, including infrastructure improvements, environmental enhancements, and safety measures.
The same amount has been earmarked for maintenance and essential repair work on the Slieve Bloom Way and its ancillary loops, while €8,415 will go towards the upgrade of signage and the addition of an information board along the Erkina riverbank walking trail and Bishop’s Wood section of the Durrow Leafy Loop.
The funding is part of Government investment of €8.7 million to deliver 221 recreational based projects nationwide.
The 221 projects cover every county and include enhancement works on walking and cycling trails, improvements to signage, provision of parking and trail furniture, and support for the marketing and promotion of our outdoor recreational facilities.
Announcing the funding during a recent visit to the Warren Way trail in County Sligo, Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD said:
“Investment in the outdoors is so important to us all from a physical and mental health perspective.
“I am very happy to be making this announcement which will see over a wide range of capital projects developed and delivered all across the country, adding to our already impressive outdoor recreation offering.”
He explained that ORIS continues to deliver on the commitments in the Government’s Our Rural Future and the National Outdoor Recreation Strategy, ‘Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors’, which builds on unprecedented levels of investment in the sector in recent years.
“I want to congratulate the successful applicants and I look forward to announcing the larger scale projects under measures 2 and 3 of the 2024/25 Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme in the coming months,” Minister Calleary said.
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