Excitement grows for "ambitious" Glenfarne Wood project

Jobs will be created thanks to an ambitious Recreation and Tourism Development Strategic Plan, a joint venture in partnership between Coillte and Leitrim County Council, that was launched for Glenfarne Wood, said Cllr Sean McDermott at the latest Manorhamilton MD meeting.

It's hoped the project will be brought over the line by early February and the next step will be securing funding.

Local Fine Gael Councillor Seán McDermott, who has long campaigned for development at the wood, said: "I have been after this for a good many years. Heather Humphreys TD was appointed Minister of Justice, Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and came down last year and launched the project and now we are in the process of going to planning for a Part 8 and we will be looking for money from her department next year."

Paul Jordan, Business Area Unit Manager at Coillte gave a presentation on the project to councillors during which he spoke about the 215 hectare Coillte forest on the banks of Lough MacNean in north Leitrim which already provides a series of walking and family cycling trails (6.5km) as well as water access and angling stands. 

An initial Glenfarne Wood Options report in 2020 identified the potential of Glenfarne Wood for a range of nature-based activities  with three themes, the first of which is an immersive natural visitor activity hub for family fun and people of all abilities. 
The second theme aims to support self-led, event and programme driven positive outdoor experiences and the third is around unlocking slow adventure and activity experiences in the wood and lough for locals and visitors with additional infrastructure including land and water trails, activity nodes and opportunities to read the landscape and relive the heritage. 

These themes will be achieved through five development stage starting with initiating the statutory environmental and planning requirements. 
The second stage will enhance the site through improved parking, small-scale play and sensory areas and capturing and telling the historic, local and contemporary stories of the wood via interpretive signage while the three final stages will look at developing destination scale facilities, animating the woods with small scale commercial activity and linking the woods with the nearby Sligo, Leitrim, Northern Counties railway (SLNCR). 

Cllr McDermott continued, "The fact that the greenway is going to be passing by there and there are other tourism projects in the area, including the Shannon Pot, where around €6m will be spent, and you also have the Cuilcagh Boardwalk and the Marble Arch Caves - there will be a hub of tourism in that area within 15 minutes of one another. 
"The fact that it is a cross border lake is fantastic. One of the proposals is to have a canoe trail from the shoreline in upper Lough Macnean that will take you all the way down into Black Lion so you are going to link up the upper Lough Macnean to the Shannon-Erne Waterway  by canoe trail."

Part 8 planning on the project is expected to be approved shortly.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr McDermott said that the project was his "dream" and commended the co-operation between Coillte and the council and said that he always wanted to join up the tourism sites in Leitrim including The Shannon Pot which is not far from Glenfarne. 
The Stairway to Heaven, Seán MacDiarmada's house, Fowley's  Falls, Manorhamilton Castle and many many others are all within 15 minutes of the iconic Rainbow Ballroom of Romance which is in Glenfarne. 

He described the project as a "gamechanger".

Cllr Mary Bohan paid tribute to Cllr McDermott for his "perseverance" and said it will be "a fantastic development" with many places of "historical interest" nearby and also praised Coillte for their efforts as well as Leitrim County Council. 
"We have to be grateful for the quality of staff we have preparing these projects and the interest they have in it as well as Sean's long contribution to this project,"  she said.

Cllr Padraig Fallon said the project is "an excellent example of collaboration" adding that "we live in a magnificent part of the country" and said he hoped the projects would lead "to economic benefit for the county soon". 

Cllr Frank Dolan thanked Cllr McDermott for his "commitment" with Cllr Felim Gurn saying "these are the good news stories that happen when Coillte gets involved in community projects."