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Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, has today officially opened the Slieve Bloom Mountain Biking Trail in Kinnitty, Co. Offaly.
The Slieve Bloom Mountain Biking Trail is part of the International Mountain Biking Project which received an investment of roughly €10.3 million through the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.
The Trail is the most extensive one built to date in Ireland and the UK with more than 80kms of trail riding now available to domestic and overseas mountain bikers.
This project also positions Ireland as one of the best international destinations for trail riding.
With the development of another four mountain-bike trail centres at Ballyhoura (Limerick), Coolaney (Sligo), Ticknock (Dublin) and Ballinastoe (Wicklow), overseas riders will soon have access to enough high quality routes to make dedicated trips to Ireland.
Speaking in Kinnitty, Minister Humphreys said:
“One of my big priorities as Minister for Rural and Community Development is supporting our outdoor, natural amenities. That’s why we have put in unprecedented investment into our trails, cycleways, forests, lakes, and greenways under the likes of the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme. Here in Kinnitty, we now have one leg of the longest Mountain Biking Trail in Ireland. This project has delivered a transformational recreation and tourism amenity. I wish to congratulate Coillte, Offaly and Laois County Council on the completion of the trails here in the beautiful Slieve Bloom Mountains that will bring so many benefits to the communities in the region.”
Speaking about the importance of adventure tourism, the Minister said:
“The last two years have shown us how vital our outdoor amenities are for our mental and physical wellbeing. Investing in our natural amenities to benefit the health and wellbeing of our communities and to support the growth in local and international adventure tourism is a key goal of the government’s rural policy, Our Rural Future.”
Imelda Hurley, Chief Executive of Coillte said:
“As Ireland’s largest provider of outdoor recreation, Coillte is delighted to launch the Slieve Bloom MTB Trail Centre. This is one of our flagship recreation sites and forms part of the international mountain bike destination we are creating for Ireland. With more than 35,000 riders already using the Slieve Bloom trails in 2021, we are well on target to exceed expectations when our 5 national centres are completed in 2024. Forests for People’ is a central pillar of our new forestry strategic vision, and the Slieve Bloom MTB trail centre is an excellent example of how strategic partnerships can deliver so much for our residents and overseas visitors. I would like to commend the Department of Rural and Community Development, Fáilte Ireland, Offaly and Laois County Councils for working with us to deliver such an outstanding destination. Already recognised as a wonderful area for hiking and walking, and a valuable resource for the timber industry, our forests across the Slieve Blooms enable local business and services to establish and endure for many years to come, providing supporting facilities for our visitors."
The other four National MTB trail centres will be officially opened later this year and in 2023.
Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It represents a new milestone in the approach to rural development policy for Ireland and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund is a commitment of €1 billion by government to be invested in rural Ireland over the period 2019 to 2027.
In total the Fund has now provided over €278 million for 191 projects across the country worth a total of €376 million.
Coillte is the largest provider of outdoor recreation in Ireland and provides significant outdoor recreation infrastructure across its properties. Coillte manages over 300 recreation sites and thousands of individual forest properties throughout the country. Coillte also provides opportunities for businesses to operate from their facilities for example existing the bike hire businesses at Ballyhoura (Limerick), Ticknock (Dublin) and Ballinastoe (Wicklow) and cafés in Ards, Donegal and Donadea, Kildare. This supports the local economy in these areas.