“It’s unique to have our rivers in their natural and wild state”
The words of Councillor Adrienne Wallace as the Barrow blueway came up in discussions on the Carlow county draft development plan last week.
There are mixed feelings among the elected members locally – while many believe the Barrow track needs work, they don’t necessarily want the blueway.
However, Bagenalstown Councillor Arthur McDonald believes the opportunity to have good walkways on the Barrow shouldn’t be passed up telling KCLR News “I haven’t discussed at the municipal district the fabulous development is going on in Graignamanagh and Tinnahinch which is going to be a walkway and it’ll support the people of St Mullins as well and they intend to go on with that Kilkenny do, it triggered in my mind the opportunities that we have missed, it may not have to be a blueway or a greenway but it most certainly be developing the River Barrow and the amenities along the River Barrow, along the path to the River Barrow”.
He adds “I would love to see Carlow County Council getting involved with the Waterways Ireland development from Kildare down to Bagenalstown, then after Bagenalstown an opportunity may have to be looked at but it all can’t be done at the one time so I think sectional is a way of doing it, everybody wants it that I have met of course there will be some people who say we’re spoiling everything; you can’t stay still, you have to move on and do things and when funding is there, and seemingly there’s plenty of funding, now is the time to do it”.
Meanwhile, see what the hopes are for the extension of the Greenway through Kilkenny are here