The Department of Rural and Community Development has today (21st February) published details of projects to be funded under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme in collaboration with Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority. The Scheme provides funding for the development and maintenance of outdoor amenities such as trails, walkways, cycleways and blueways.
A total of €8.4 million has been allocated to 44 projects, on foot of applications made in 2019 under Measures 2 and 3 of the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme. The investment was approved by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring TD.
The funding will benefit 35 medium-sized projects with funding of up to €200,000 each (Measure 2 projects), and 9 larger projects with funding of up to €500,000 each (Measure 3 projects). This investment is in addition to €1.8 million approved for 109 smaller Measure 1 projects last November.
The investment is a collaborative initiative between the Department of Rural and Community Development and Fáilte Ireland, with the Department providing €4.4 million of the total, complemented by €4 million from Fáilte Ireland.
In 2018, 2.6 million overseas tourists to Ireland engaged in hiking or cross-country walking, spending an estimated €1.4 billion during their stay here. A further 504,000 tourists took part in cycling activities. The projects announced under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme will contribute further to Ireland’s tourism offering, and will encourage visitors to extend their holidays in rural areas and explore the many attractions the regions have to offer.
The projects approved for funding include:
· Spike Island Costal Walking route – Co Cork
· Mid-Shannon Wilderness Park – Co. Longford
· River Suir Blueway infrastructure – Co. Tipperary
· Phase 1 of the Foxford to Pontoon Greenway – Co Mayo
· Sustainable Access and Habitat Restoration on Errigal Mountain – Co. Donegal
· Rossmore Forest Park Family Cycle Route – Co. Monaghan
Details of all the projects being funded are available here.
ENDS
Contact:
The Department of Rural and Community Development Press Office
076-1006993 / 086-791 2704
Notes for editors:
The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme provides funding for the development of new outdoor recreational infrastructure and for the maintenance, enhancement or promotion of existing outdoor recreational infrastructure in rural areas across Ireland.
The Scheme provides funding under three separate measures:
· Measure 1: Small maintenance/promotion of existing infrastructure (max grant €20,000)
· Measure 2: Medium Scale repair/upgrade and development of new small/medium infrastructure (max grant €200,000)
· Measure 3: Repair/upgrade and development of larger more strategic projects (max grant €500,000)
This announcement of 44 project approvals under Measures 2 and 3 follows on from the announcement in November 2019 of the allocation of €1.83 million to 109 projects under Measure 1. The grants will support a mix of projects including new developments, the upgrade and repair of existing recreational trails in rural areas, and the delivery of quality visitor experiences.
Almost €45 million has now been approved under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme since 2017.