More tourist trail signs for Athy needed on main roads

A Co Kildare businessman has highlighted the lack of tourist trail signage for Athy on main roads, citing a negative effect on the Heritage Town without such signs.

Speaking to KildareNow this week, local man Robert Redmond Senior has launched a campaign to get adequate signage for Athy on the M9 and N78 junctions.

Mr Redmond said: “There is not one tourist sign at the M9 junction to N78 to Athy that actually mentions Athy on any sign going north or south. And at the Kilcullen junction there’s no mention of it there either although it does list some small villages. Athy is a Heritage Town and there will be €2.5 million going into the redevelopment of the new Shackleton Museum and a new hotel, there’s the canal and plenty of tourist attractions. But the problem is the tourists aren’t even seeing Athy on the signs and it has been continuously ignored.”

Mr Redmond has raised the issue of signage for Athy town with Kildare County Council and local councillors for several years now.

Meanwhile, Labour Cllr Aoife Breslin previously chaired a motion back in September 2018 calling on Transport Infrastructure Ireland to erect adequate signage indicating the tourism trail.

“I recently had a meeting with Kildare County Council and the town manager Mr Niall Morrissey they all agreed that Athy has a lot to offer for tourism and that it’s a disgrace there is no proper signage,” said Mr Redmond.

Mr Redmond has lived in Athy for the past 40 years and he runs his own photography business.

He said: “I’ve seen the town develop over those years, but I’m certain that tourism is key to that and it shouldn’t be hindered, it’s a back-step that Athy isn’t even mentioned on the tourism trail signs.”