HOLY Island and the Ardnacrusha hydro-electric power station have been identified as catalysts for development across the East and South East Clare regions in a new masterplan developed for the promotion of tourism along the River Shannon. The Shannon Tourism Masterplan was launched on Tuesday, after being commissioned by Waterways Ireland and Fáilte Ireland, and supported by Clare County Council along with nine other local authorities. The document proposes an investment of over €76 million in visitor facilities, along the river, up to 2030. Clare features in a Lower Shannon Discovery Zone which runs from Portumna to Limerick. Among the ‘hero products’ of this zone is Inis Cealtra. According to the masterplan, the monastic island will “form a core element of the emerging Pilgrim Way, offering clusters of early Medieval monastic sites of exceptional interest… at Limerick, Killaloe, Tuamgraney, Inis Cealtra, Johnstown, Lorrha and Portunma”. The new masterplan also underlines the importance of the proposed Shannon Greenway which will link …
Read More »Waterways Ireland outline vision for Clare stretch of Shannon Greenway
CONSTRUCTION on a section of the proposed Shannon Greenway, which is set link Scariff to Limerick, could begin by 2023, bringing a welcome tourism and business boost to East Clare. An update on the greenway, which will run the length of the Shannon and originate in the Leitrim/Roscommon area, was given by Éanna Rowe, Regional Manager with Waterways Ireland at an active travel briefing last Thursday night, organised by Senator Róisín Garvey. Mr Rowe is responsible for the management, maintenance and development of the Shannon Navigation. He told the briefing that the greenway will form an integral element of a new tourism masterplan for the Shannon, which is due to be published shortly. “We’re working within [Fáilte Ireland’s] Hidden Heartlands brand and, to that end, we’ve just completed The Shannon Tourism Masterplan,” Mr Rowe outlined. “We hope to publish the plan in February. It’s the first time there has been single unitary plan for the Shannon, from any perspective. We’ve …
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