THE new Ennistymon River Walk has been described as a “spectacular natural amenity” by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys.
During a visit to Clare last week, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, visited projects that are supporting the ongoing development and revitalisation of Clare’s rural towns and villages, including an extended DigiClare hub and two community and tourist amenities.
The projects in Ennistymon have received funding under the Rural Development Investment Programme, which includes a number of integrated funding interventions.
Contributions came from the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), the Connected Hubs Fund and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS).
Minister Humphreys officially opened the Ennistymon River Walk for which Ennistymon District Community Organisation (EDCO) was granted funding of €69,000 under the ORIS in 2018 to carry out works to the existing river walk.
The project, which cost around €94,000 overall, was delivered by EDCO with assistance from Clare County Council’s Rural Development Directorate.
It primarily involved resurfacing works on the existing trail along with repairs to bridges and the inclusion of safety rails and fencing along the trail. The trail is approximately three kilometres in length and follows a path alongside the River Inagh.
The walkway is an attractive amenity for both the local community and visitors to the town.
Speaking at the opening of the Ennistymon River Walk, Minister Humphreys said her visit is all about seeing first-hand the positive impact that funding from my Department is having in rural communities.
“But it’s also about saying ‘thank you’ to the communities, without whom, we wouldn’t be in a position to develop such wonderful projects like the Ennistymon River Walk.”
The Minister continued, “I really believe that by investing in our outdoor amenities – our rivers, our lakes, our walkways and cycleways – we can provide a real boost to communities and visitors alike to areas of rural Ireland.
“I want to commend the work of Clare County Council and EDCO who have worked closely together to deliver this project. Your dedication, and drive is truly commendable. This walkway is a credit to the local community.”
She praised EDCO chairman, Paddy Clarke, and his committee for achieving “loaves and fishes” by achieving the maximum outcome from minimum resources.
Mr Clarke, thanked the minister for allocating €69,000 towards the river walk and volunteers in the group for their hard work redeveloping this facility, particularly secretary, Caroline Hueston for her Trojan work completing this project.
He also thanked Ennistymon people for supporting church gate collections to allow this project to go ahead.
“I wish to thank Councillors Shane Talty, Councillor Joe Garrihy, Senator Roisín Garvey. Sincere thanks to Deputy Joe Carey who did Trojan work to smooth obstacles that were put in front of us. Thanks to Senator Martin Conway for all his help.
“We hope this walkway will benefit everyone in the town as well as tourists. I hope everyone keeps it clean and tidy.”
Ms Hueston presented a painting of the Cascades by Brendan Lynch of the local music shop.
Leonard Cleary, Director of Rural Development at Clare County Council, said the Ennistymon River Walk will contribute greatly to community wellbeing and tourism, “which is particularly welcome as we continue to deal with the ongoing challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Minister Humphreys also visited the recently completed Connected Hubs extension at the DigiClare Ennistymon Hub.
Opened in December 2019, the Ennistymon Hub was funded through the RRDF 2018, receiving €1.024 million in grant aid through this scheme, and was developed as a multi-service centre incorporating a social services space in one part of the building and a digital hub in the other.
The digital hub comprises 14 hot desks, seven business incubation units, privacy booths, training rooms and meeting rooms.
The recent refurbishment to another part of the building, funded through the Connected Hubs Fund 2021, has seen the addition of new facilities including a podcasting room, four flexible private workspace pods, shower facilities, a bicycle shelter and associated accessories. There are now 10 DigiClare hubs at locations across the county.
Mr Cleary said the projects visited by Minister Humphreys are proving to be very popular. The Ennistymon Hub is fully booked out on a regular basis and is a true success story for the community and town of Ennistymon.
East Clare correspondent, Dan Danaher is a journalism graduate of Rathmines and UL. He has won numerous awards for special investigations on health, justice, environment, and reports on news, agriculture, disability, mental health and community.