The Great Southern Trail, comprising the Limerick Greenway and North Kerry Greenway, is a greenway

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

under development in County Limerick and

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. As of October 2022, of the Limerick Greenway and of the North Kerry Greenway were completed. When fully completed, the route is intended to be long and run from

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

to Tralee. It is an off-road trail intended for use by cyclists and walkers along the route of the Limerick-Tralee line, formerly operated by the

Great Southern and Western Railway The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) was an Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland from 1844 until 1924. The GS&WR grew by building lines and making a series of takeovers, until in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was the ...

, which opened between 1867 and 1880 and was closed in 1977.

Sections

Limerick Greenway

A section of the trail within County Limerick, known as the Limerick Greenway, was completed in June 2021, funded by

Fáilte Ireland Fáilte Ireland is the operating name of the National Tourism Development Authority of the Republic of Ireland. This authority was established under the National Tourism Development Authority Act of 2003 and replaces and builds upon the functions ...

and the Departments of

Transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...

and Rural and Community Development. The 115 metre-long Barnagh tunnel was renovated for the greenway and is now accessible via a dedicated underpass. Car parking, children's playground, 'crazy golf', bathrooms, bike hire, and a small restaurant are all available in the Barnagh Greenway Hub. The cast-iron Ferguson's Viaduct also comprises a section of the greenway. The greenway stretches from

Rathkeale Rathkeale () is a town in west County Limerick, in Ireland. It is 30 km (18 mi) southwest of Limerick city on the N21 road to Tralee, County Kerry, and lies on the River Deel. Rathkeale has a significant Irish Traveller population, and ...

Abbeyfeale Abbeyfeale (; ) is a historic market town in County Limerick, Ireland, near the border with County Kerry. The town is on the N21 road (Ireland), N21 road from Limerick to Tralee, some south-west of Newcastle West and south-east of Listowel and ...

. It forms part of the

EuroVelo ''EuroVelo'' is a network of currently 17 long-distance cycling routes criss-crossing Europe, in various stages of completion. When completed, the EuroVelo network's total length will almost be . more than were in place. EuroVelo is a project of ...

Atlantic Coast Route (EV 1). In the 10 months following its May 2021 reopening, the Limerick Greenway received 500,000 visitors.

North Kerry Greenway

The North Kerry Greenway is due to form the western section of the Great Southern trail. As of May 2022, sections of the greenway were expected to be opened in phases during 2022. A 10.5 km stretch of the route, between

Listowel Listowel ( ; , IPA: �lʲɪsˠˈt̪ˠuəhəlʲ is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,820 according to the Central Statistics Of ...

and the border between counties Kerry and Limerick, was opened by October 2022. At the time of its opening, "temporary" carparking was opened at the Listowel trailhead. When completed, the southern end of the North Kerry Greenway is due to link to the

Tralee-Fenit Greenway The Tralee-Fenit Greenway is a greenway and rail trail in Ireland, which is due to form part of EuroVelo EV1 and the Great Southern Trail. The 14km route was planned to be completed by 2021, but delayed due to the COVID pandemic, with a resched ...

close to Tralee, forming a network known as the "Kingdom of Kerry Greenways".

Development

Set up in 1991, the Great Southern Trail Ltd voluntary group was involved in developing the trail for 20 years, at an estimated cost of €1 million (as of 2011). They were awarded a special jury prize by the

European Greenways Association In May 1997, the first ''European Conference on Soft Traffic and Railways Paths'' (held at Val-Dieu Abbey, Belgium) voted to set up the European Greenways Association (EGWA). This association was created by many local, regional and national associa ...

at the 2011 European Greenways Awards in recognition of their efforts to develop the greenway. Limerick City and County Council assumed responsibility for the management and maintenance of the Great Southern Trail in November 2015. Development of the trail ran into several difficulties, including questions of public land ownership, and the expectations of some other local landowners and householders. In early 2013, a group of walkers commemorating the 50th anniversary of the last passenger train between Limerick and Tralee, were blocked at the Kerry border by a group of local landowners opposing the continued development of the trail into County Kerry. It was subsequently established that CIÉ (the Irish transport authority) owned the line and that the landowners had no claim to the trail. From 2016, CIÉ transferred ownership of the line to

Kerry County Council Kerry County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Chiarraí) is the authority responsible for local government in County Kerry, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and c ...

for further development of the trail towards

, pending future funding becoming available. By 2019, Limerick council had completed the incorporation of the Barnagh Tunnel into the route, including the construction of an underpass under the N21 Limerick to Tralee road. As of 2021, approximately of the route between

and

had been developed. This section of the trail passes through Ardagh,

Newcastle West Newcastle West () or simply Newcastle (''An Caisleán Nua'', formerly anglicized Castlenoe) is a town in west County Limerick, Ireland. It is the largest town in the county, excluding Limerick city, It is also the county town, and sits on the ...

and Barnagh. By October 2022, of the Limerick Greenway and of the North Kerry Greenway had been completed.

References

External links