Funding is being granted to Carlow county council to examine the feasibility of creating a fully connected walking route between North and South.
Carlow is the project lead on the proposed All-Ireland Columban Way which is based on a pilgrim route connected to the life of St. Columbanus who was born and raised in Myshall.
It will work with local authorities in Fermanagh, Omagh, Newry, Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon in the North aswell as Wexford, Laois, Kilkdare and Meath County councils to develop a feasability study for the route.
The €250,000 awarded comes under the Shared Island Local Authority Development Funding Scheme.
Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Malcolm Noonan welcomed the announcement:
“I am very pleased to see Carlow County Council playing such a key role in the Shared Island initiative. Local Authorities have vital knowledge and experience in delivering for their communities, towns and villages. Through this scheme, they have identified opportunities to meet regional development goals and challenges – like climate change, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable tourism – and will now work on a pipeline of new, ambitious and collaborative projects with their Local Authority partners in Northern Ireland,” he said. “This development funding is a central catalyst in taking existing partnerships to the next level and instigating new ones, encouraging Local Authorities, not just in the border region, but right across this island to work together for a shared future”.
