Prolonged greenway project connecting heritage towns enters public consultation phase

A greenway linking the heritage towns of Cahir and Cashel has been under discussion for several years.

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Conceived as a walking and cycling corridor between two of county Tipperary’s most recognisable destinations, the scheme promises improved connectivity, safer active travel and a stronger tourism offering. Yet despite steady allocations of public funding, it remains at an early stage of development.

Declan Burgess, Fine Gael Councillor for Cashel has been one of the project’s most vocal advocates. Speaking to the Tipperary Star the greenway, he notes, was first flagged in 2020 and aims to connect the two towns while ultimately linking into the Suir Blueway.

That connection would allow cyclists to travel onward to Clonmel, Kilsheelan and Carrick-on-Suir, with efforts under way there to connect to the Waterford Greenway. In terms of connectivity and tourism value, he argues, the potential is considerable.
Funding has arrived incrementally.

In August 2020, €20,000 was allocated for a feasibility study. A further €90,000 followed in December 2021. February 2023 brought €100,000, February 2024 €80,000, and in January 2026 another €100,000. In total, €390,000 has been allocated nationally to the project.

For Cllr Burgess, the difficulty is not the absence of funding but the pace of progress. At a recent meeting of the Tipperary-Cahir-Cashel Municipal District, he voiced frustration that there is still no selected route, no completed public consultation process and no planning permission or detailed design.

He acknowledged that revised guidelines from the National Transport Authority have required adjustments, but said it remains essential that allocated funds deliver visible advancement.

The project is currently at Phase 2, Options Selection, under the Transport Infrastructure Ireland project management guidelines for greenways.

The council and its consultant, Fehily Timoney, are assessing route options ranging from 18 to 24 kilometres. The previous public consultation in January 2024 presented only the broader study area. The forthcoming consultation will, for the first time, display specific route options.

Tipperary County Council has now confirmed details of Public Consultation. Two in person consultation events have been scheduled.

The first will take place on Wednesday, February 25 at the Cahir House Hotel, The Square, Cahir, from 3pm to 7pm. The second will be held on Thursday, February 26 at Halla na Féile, Canopy Street, Cashel, also from 3pm to 7pm.

An online consultation will open on Wednesday, February 25 and remain available until Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at cahir2cashelgreenway.ie.

This consultation is non statutory. Feedback received will inform the identification of a Preferred Route, which the council expects to present at a third public consultation, estimated for late 2026 or early 2027.

Only after that stage will the project proceed, subject to funding, through detailed design and environmental evaluation, the statutory process to An Coimisiún Pleanála, procurement, construction and close out.

Cllr Burgess maintains that the scheme is deliverable. “This project is not about acquiring and CPOing plots of land,” he said, arguing that the old strategic main road from Cahir to Cashel via New Inn offers adequate space in places for a viable alignment.

He believes New Inn would particularly benefit, describing it as “a great community” where a greenway could support local economic activity.

Cllr Burgess also linked the proposal to wider efforts in Cashel, including the development of the town park, aimed at broadening the visitor experience beyond the Rock of Cashel.

In his view, connecting two designated heritage towns can only be positive for both communities.

For now, the greenway remains a proposal with defined dates attached. Whether those dates mark the beginning of momentum or merely another stage in a prolonged gestation will become clearer after March 25, when submissions close and the next phase of this begins.

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