Irish Greenways

What is a Greenway ?

Irish Greenways refers to a track for walkers and cyclists. These types of tracks are repurposed surfaces for non-motorized transport in Ireland. You are not allowed to take your vehicles on these off-the-beaten tracks. If you want to see and experience the beauty and charm of many unspoiled areas in Ireland while enjoying the impeccable outdoors, you can choose to walk through the greenways. Apart from pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorists can also use greenways. Many of these trails have been made or repurposed from abandoned Irish rail networks. Here are the best and most popular greenways in Ireland:

Limerick Greenway

The Limerick Greenway offers you a unique opportunity to explore the magnificent countryside and scenic landscape of West Limerick and North Kerry. This 55-km route offers you a fulfilling and rewarding experience. Starting from Rathkeale, this trail goes all the way to Listowel, covering many beautiful places such as Ardagh, Newcastle West, Barnagh and Templeglantine. If you prefer to walk, you may need more than 10 hours to cover the entire trail. Cyclists may need more than three hours to reach the final destination. The Limerick Greenway contains five distinct sections, Rathkeale to Ardagh (9km), Ardagh to New Castle West (4km), Newcastle West to Barnagh (10km), Barnagh to Templeglantine (4km), and Templeglantine to Abbeyfeale (9km),Abbeyfeale to Listowel (16km).

The Limerick Greenway offers you a unique opportunity to explore the magnificent countryside and scenic landscape of West Limerick and North Kerry. This 39-km route offers you a fulfilling and rewarding experience. Starting from Rathkeale, this trail goes all the way to Listowel, covering many beautiful places such as Ardagh, Newcastle West, Barnagh and Templeglantine. If you prefer to walk, you may need more than 9 hours to cover the entire trail. Cyclists may need more than three hours to reach the final destination. The Limerick Greenway contains five distinct sections, Rathkeale to Ardagh (9km), Ardagh to New Castle West (4km), Newcastle West to Barnagh (10km), Barnagh to Templeglantine (4km), and Templeglantine to Abbeyfeale (9km). Abbeyfeale to Listowel (16km).

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Great Western Greenway

Launched in 2011, this 42-km greenway offers a perfectly natural environment with panoramic views. It is hard to find a more appealing greenway than this one in Ireland. The number of annual users is more than a quarter of a million nowadays. Starting from Westport, this trail goes through different beautiful access points to reach Achill Island. The Great Western Greenway trail can be divided into three sections, Westport to Newport (11km), Newport to Mulranny (18km), and Mulranny to Achill (13km). If you use a cycle, you need around 5.5 hours to reach Achill Island. Pedestrians have to walk around 11.5 hours to get to the final destination.

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Waterford Greenway

Stretching between Waterford and Dungarvan, Waterford Greenway is a beautiful route for hikers and cyclists. It is a 46-km greenway that offers breathtaking views of the countryside. This route is a perfect choice for people of all fitness levels. You don’t need to walk through rugged terrains or difficult paths. You can come across many amazing places to stop as you go through the Waterford Greenway. Some of them include the spectacular Mount Congreve Gardens, majestic 800-year-old fortified castle, beautiful River Suir and its valley, mysterious Ice Age Rock, and the stunningly appealing Kilmeaden Village. This beautiful trail never makes you feel tired. Launched in 2017, this route has been a favourite option for numerous cyclists, walkers, and runners. Many families also keep exploring this stunningly beautiful trail with great enthusiasm. Six different sections constitute Waterford Greenway, Waterford to Killoteran (7.5km), Killoteran to Kilmeaden (3km), Kilmeaden to Kilmacthomas (13.5km), Kilmacthomas to Durrow (12 km), Durrow to Clonea Road (6km), Clonea Road to Dungarvan (4km).

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Athlone Greenway (Old Rail Trail Westmeath)

The Old Rail Trail Greenway is a 42-km cycle path that runs through the rural Irish midlands. The starting point of this trail is Athlone. Mullingar is the endpoint of this beautiful greenway with unparalleled scenic beauty. As you go through this route, you can find areas of unique biodiversity and heritage. This greenway is divided into three sections, Athlone to Moate (14.5km), Moate to Castletown (16.3km), and Castletown to Mullingar (11.4 km). The first two sections contain only flat surfaces to make them ideal tracks for people of all ages and fitness levels. Even the third section is mostly flat with a few gentle slopes. As you cycle from Athlone to Mullingar, you can find 16 access points. This trail offers a serene ambience to make you feel relaxed and rejuvenated. The most prominent attractions along the route include Athlone Castle, Dun Na Sí Amenity & Heritage Park, Streamstown Bridges, Castletown Station, Hill of Uisneach, and Royal Canal.

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Royal Canal Greenway

The longest greenway in Ireland is the Royal Canal Greenway

The alluring Royal Canal Greenway is a 130-km track, ideally suited for cyclists, runners, and walkers. It is not a track with the highest difficulty levels. People of all ages and fitness levels can use this greenway. Running along the towpath of the 200-year-old Royal Canal, this track offers a wide range of attractions and sites for explorers. From the starting point Maynooth to Cloondara in Longford County, this greenway offers a perfect feast to your senses. You may need four to five days to complete the entire route. Many people divide the greenway into small sections of their preferences to avoid the strain of walking or cycling the complete trail at a stretch. It is known as the longest greenway in Ireland.

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Cork Harbour Greenway

This greenway is built on the trackbed of The Cork, Blackrock and Passage West Railway, which opened on 18th June 1850 and closed on 10th Sep 1932. First opened as Irish standard gauge (5ft 3in) railway between Cork and Passage West. When the line was extended to Crosshaven in the 1900’s they converted it to narrow gauge (3ft) this was completed in 1904. The greenway is broken into two sections from Blackrock Castle to Passage West and Carrigaline to Crosshaven.

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Great Eastern Greenway

Welcome to the Great Eastern Greenway, a new use of a historic route. From here you can travel to Omeath, mostly along the trackbed of the former Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway this greenway resumes in Northern Ireland at Victoria Lough and will take you to Newry.

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In recent years the old rail lines that were closed, have been repurposed for walking or cycling, this is a car-free experiance, and is ideal for a family day out. They have many car parks along the way to make it a hop-on hop-off experience, as walking over 40km in one day is not for all. The great news is the Irish Government is spending money to join up and create new Greenways such as the South East Greenway from New Ross to Waterford, and established Greenways are adding bits on, such as the Great Southern Greenway with plans to push further into County Kerry and the Barnagh Tunnel is now accessible from this Greenway.
But you don’t have to be a rail line to become a Greenway, the Blessington Greenway is in development, phase one is open and the plan to loop the lakes will progess this year. The selection below will hopefully encourage you to explore these wonderful car-free trails.