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Great Southern Trail

Hiking and cycling trail in Ireland

Hiking and cycling trail in Ireland

FieldValue
nameGreat Southern Trail
photoGreenway-5847, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick, Ireland.jpg
captionTrail signage at Newcastle West, County Limerick
locationCounties Limerick & Kerry, Ireland
length_km85
trailheadsLimerick, Tralee
useCycling and walking
seasonAny
surfaceTarmacadam (Limerick Greenway), Mud track (North Kerry Greenway)
website
route_statecollapsed
route{{routemapinline=1navbar pos=2
legendfootpath

\fexKBHFa(proposed Limerick connection) \fexSTR PARKING\fKXBHFxa-L Rathkeale (connects to Eurovelo 1) \fSTR PARKING\fHSTArdagh \fSTR PARKING\fHSTNewcastle West \fhSTRae… (Fergusons viaduct) fSTR+l\fTEEr~~ fLSTR\fSTR(Barnagh viewpoint fCONTf\fSTRvia Barnagh tunnel) PARKING\fSTR \fSTR PARKING\fHSTTempleglantine \fSTR PARKING\fHSTAbbeyfeale \fSTR \fSTR+GRZq(Kerry/Limerick border) \fSTR PARKING\fKBHFxeListowel \fexSTR \fexBHF~~ (proposed Tralee connection) \fexLSTR \fexLCONTf~~(Tralee-Fenit Greenway) }} The Great Southern Trail, comprising the Limerick Greenway and North Kerry Greenway, is a greenway rail trail under development in County Limerick and County Kerry in Ireland. As of October 2022, 40 km of the Limerick Greenway and 10.5 km of the North Kerry Greenway were completed. When fully completed, the route is intended to be 85 km long and run from Limerick to Tralee. It is an off-road trail intended for use by cyclists and walkers along the route of the Limerick-Tralee line, formerly operated by the Great Southern and Western Railway, which opened between 1867 and 1880 and was closed in 1977.

Sections

Limerick Greenway

A 40 km section of the trail within County Limerick, known as the Limerick Greenway, was completed in June 2021, funded by Fáilte Ireland and the Departments of Transport and Rural and Community Development. The 115 metre-long Barnagh tunnel was renovated for the greenway and is now accessible via a dedicated underpass. Car parking, children's playground, 'crazy golf', bathrooms, bike hire, and a small restaurant are all available in the Barnagh Greenway Hub. The cast-iron Ferguson's Viaduct also comprises a section of the greenway. The greenway stretches from Rathkeale to Abbeyfeale. It forms part of the EuroVelo Atlantic Coast Route (EV 1). In the 10 months following its May 2021 reopening, the Limerick Greenway received 500,000 visitors.

North Kerry Greenway

The North Kerry Greenway is due to form the western section of the Great Southern trail. As of May 2022, sections of the greenway were expected to be opened in phases during 2022. A 10.5 km stretch of the route, between Listowel and the border between counties Kerry and Limerick, was opened by October 2022. At the time of its opening, "temporary" carparking was opened at the Listowel trailhead. When completed, the southern end of the North Kerry Greenway is due to link to the Tralee-Fenit Greenway close to Tralee, forming a network known as the "Kingdom of Kerry Greenways".

Development

Set up in 1991, the Great Southern Trail Ltd voluntary group was involved in developing the trail for 20 years, at an estimated cost of €1 million (as of 2011). They were awarded a special jury prize by the European Greenways Association at the 2011 European Greenways Awards in recognition of their efforts to develop the greenway. Limerick City and County Council assumed responsibility for the management and maintenance of the Great Southern Trail in November 2015.

Development of the trail ran into several difficulties, including questions of public land ownership, and the expectations of some other local landowners and householders. In early 2013, a group of walkers commemorating the 50th anniversary of the last passenger train between Limerick and Tralee, were blocked at the Kerry border by a group of local landowners opposing the continued development of the trail into County Kerry. It was subsequently established that CIÉ (the Irish transport authority) owned the line and that the landowners had no claim to the trail. From 2016, CIÉ transferred ownership of the line to Kerry County Council for further development of the trail towards Listowel, pending future funding becoming available.

By 2019, Limerick council had completed the incorporation of the Barnagh Tunnel into the route, including the construction of an underpass under the N21 Limerick to Tralee road. As of 2021, approximately 25 mi of the route between Rathkeale and Abbeyfeale had been developed. This section of the trail passes through Ardagh, Newcastle West and Barnagh. By October 2022, 40 km of the Limerick Greenway and 10.5 km of the North Kerry Greenway had been completed.

References

References

  1. (11 October 2022). "North Kerry charts a route to health and prosperity as greenway finally opens".
  2. "Home".
  3. "Limerick Greenway".
  4. (28 January 2021). "Repurposed 40km greenway set to open after €5m works, marketing blitz planned".
  5. O'Brien, Tim. "Former west Limerick railway line reopens as 40km greenway". The Irish Times.
  6. Scully, Meghann. (30 June 2021). "€10 million Limerick Greenway opens to the public".
  7. (23 June 2021). "Ministers put their rivalries aside to try out new Limerick Greenway".
  8. "Barnagh Greenway Hub".
  9. Halloran, Cathy. (1 July 2021). "€10m Limerick greenway opens today". [[RTÉ News]].
  10. "Republic of Ireland".
  11. "About Newcastle West".
  12. Scully, Meghann. (31 May 2022). "Limerick Greenway a peddling success with over 500,000 visits".
  13. (June 2018). "Part VIII – North Kerry Greenway".
  14. (17 November 2020). "Co Kerry's 19.8-mile Greenway gets go ahead in major tourism boost".
  15. (10 May 2022). "North Kerry greenway to be completed by end of August".
  16. "Kingdom of Kerry Greenways - Listowel to Limerick".
  17. (7 October 2022). "North Kerry Greenway opens to the public".
  18. (20 September 2022). "Listowel Greenway trailhead approved for 'temporary' car-park and toilets".
  19. (September 2024). "Tralee - Listowel Greenway - Public Consultation - Proposed Options".
  20. Lucey, Anne. (2025-03-24). "Focus on greenways in north and south Kerry leaves other areas 'by the wayside', council told". [[IrishExaminer.com]].
  21. "Council to seek public's input again on preferred route for Tralee to Listowel Greenway". RadioKerry.ie.
  22. (2025). "Tralee - Listowel Greenway - Public Consultation - Preferred Option". [[Kerry County Council]].
  23. (20 January 2026). "Kerry Greenways set to expand after fresh investment boost". [[The Kerryman]].
  24. "KerryGreenways.ie". Discover Kerry.
  25. (11 October 2022). "North Kerry charts a route to health and prosperity as greenway finally opens".
  26. (11 April 2022). "County's greenways to be marketed as the Kingdom of Kerry Greenways".
  27. (3 August 2022). "Over €350,000 in funding for outdoor amenities in Kerry".
  28. (2025-05-31). "Community Biodiversity Action Plan launched for Kingdom of Kerry Greenway". [[The Kerryman]].
  29. McDonald, Frank. (18 August 2011). "Minister urged to act over CIÉ land row". [[The Irish Times]].
  30. Reidy, Marisa. (14 September 2011). "Leaving a trail of honours at awards in France". [[The Kerryman]].
  31. (9 November 2015). "Limerick council to assume management of Great Southern Trail". [[Limerick Leader]].
  32. Prendiville, Norma. (17 September 2011). "Great Southern Trail Wins Special Jury Prize in European Greenways Association Award Scheme". [[Limerick Leader]].
  33. "Walkers blocked from entering Kerry on old rail line".
  34. "CIE says it owns north Kerry rail line".
  35. (2016-12-15). "Cllr. Kennelly welcomes the official update on the North Kerry Greenway Line". TheAdvertiser.ie.
  36. (25 September 2019). "Barnagh Tunnel is now part of Great Southern Greenway". [[Limerick Leader]].
  37. "Great Southern Trail Map".
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