Walkway returns after 20 years

After 20 years of neglect, a scenic river walkway has re-emerged from the overgrown wilderness and has been transformed through a Quin Tidy Towns initiative.
Cormac McGuinness, who has been involved in the project, has explained how the initiative has revived the riverbank and the addition of a stone bench feature, being dubbed “the seat of serenity” has really helped improve the area.
The Tidy Towns committee, made up of 19 volunteers from the Quin community, took on the task of opening up a small stretch of the riverbank adjacent to Marlborough Cottage.
The project included tidying up the area around a derelict cottage and the planting of new hedges and flowers.
“Twenty years ago FÁS put in a riverside walk and put down gravel around this area. It fell into neglect and fell overgrown and no one really went down there. We decided, as one of our projects for the community, we would open up that stretch of bank,” Cormac said.
Having received a donation of a specially crafted stone bench, Cormac said it was decided to call the bench the seat of serenity because of where it is placed on the riverside. It is at a point where the water falls over stones and disappears off in under the trees.
It is also aimed to extend the river walk and remove large concrete slabs, which currently obstruct this.
The committee is looking into the possibility of getting grant assistance to carry out this work and it is hoped with the cooperation of the landowner and the assistance of the Inland Fisheries Ireland, the area could be opened up for angling.
A further aspiration of the committee is the provision of a footbridge, which could lead to the development of a looped walkway into the future, subject to funding.