The South East Greenway can breath life back into two south Kilkenny villages, but only if access links are built to tie them to it.
The work has started on clearing the old railway tracks for the walking and cycleway between Ferrybank and New Ross and it’s expected to be finished in early 2022.
But the route will pass more than a kilometre away from Slieverue and Glenmore.
Local Cllr Ger Frisby says it’s crucial that there’s access to the Greenway from both villages so they can benefit from the tourist attraction telling KCLR “The links to the villages I see as vitally important for everyone’s growth and, as I said at the meeting, I’m not going to rest until we get funding in place and I think it’s imperative on all of us to push for funding for these two links for Glenmore & Slieverue because without those these villages are going to die, they’re already dying, we’ve lost our post offices, we’re loosing services left, right & centre but this is an opportunity for these villages to grow & come back to some kind of normality”.
The area has also been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic as Cllr Frisby adds “Unfortunately that has been a huge impact, our village has lost its shop and probably the shop won’t open again as I said at the meeting and the same, likewise in Glenmore,so these links need to happen for these villages to have any chance going forward in the future to rejuvenate itself & to start growing again & breathing life back into the village and I think that’s what it’s all about”.