Five local outdoor recreation projects to receive government funding of almost €150k
Five local outdoor recreation projects will receive a total of €147,000 in funding under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) which was announced today (Thursday) by Minister Heather Humphreys.
Nationwide, funding of €4.1 million has been granted to develop and enhance over 150 outdoor recreation projects.
Westmeath County Council has been allocated €30,000 each for the following projects; the enhancement of Walking Trails and Bridleway at Portlick to reinstate and improve route sections in the Portlick Amenity Area, Portaneena Amenity Enhancement to further develop the Portaneena Amenity and Wayfinding in Portlick Woodlands for the provision of signage for orientation and interpretation at Portlick amenity woodlands.
The council will also receive €27,000 for Marketing Westmeath’s Greenway to deliver a high impact PR and Marketing campaign for the local greenways.
Longford County Council has been allocated €30,000 in funding for upgrade works to the car park at Newcastle Woods.
Announcing the funding, Minister Humphreys said:
“With summer just a couple of months away, I’m really pleased to announce over €4.1 million to develop over 150 outdoor recreation projects right across Rural Ireland.
“The investment I’m announcing today will greatly enhance the natural amenities right on our doorstep, from our walkways, mountain trails and forest walks, to our cycleways, beaches and rivers. I believe the projects receiving funding today will play an important role in attracting more visitors to our rural towns and villages.
“So my big message as Minister today is to get out and explore those hidden gems in your community. The clocks are going forward this weekend, a perfect reason to go on that hike or cycle and enjoy the great outdoors.”
Minister Humphreys continued:
“The Government’s Rural Development policy, ‘Our Rural Future’ and the new National Outdoor Recreation Strategy, ‘Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors’, have together set the stage to strengthen and support the sustainable development of the outdoor recreation sector in Ireland for years to come.
“I look forward to making further announcement for larger scale investment in this sector in the coming weeks.”
The investment, under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS), will be key to enhancing our mountain trails, forest walks, cycleways, rivers, lakes and beaches and will also provide a boost to local economies by attracting more visitors to our rural communities.
These projects, under Measure 1, are to receive funding of up to €30,000 and will be delivered by September 2025. Further announcements of successful projects under Measures 2 and 3 of ORIS 2023 will be made in the coming weeks.