Dear KIO Members & Friends
The KIO AGM took place on Saturday. The agenda included presentations and Q&A from journalist Peter Murtagh and former TD Steven Matthews. The discussion focussed on the factors preventing reopening the Bray to Graystones Cliff Walk which has been closed for four years as well as other similar cases across the country. The main inhibitor is lack of legal protection for paths, trails and rights of way that people have always used for recreational walking.
Part of the solution is to raise public awareness about how these closures affect their quality of life and to highlight the nonchalance of our legislators to address the issue.
As it transpired opportunity for action arrived on Monday with Andrew Hamilton’s article in the Irish Times describing exactly the issues we discussed on Saturday at the AGM. Some of the Cliffs of Moher Walking Trails are indefinitely closed because Clare County Council cannot commence construction of safety measures.
Letters in the paper are powerful tools in focussing public opinion on our cause. They also prompt new activists to join KIO. So one objective in getting a letter published is to stimulate a reaction & follow up discussion. Nominating a “Letter of the Day” is also a device that editors use to prompt feedback.
If you see an opportunity to expand on any points in the letter or to highlight an associated local issue please put a few words together, referencing the letter & email to lettersed@irishtimes.com.
The IT requires writers to supply a postal address and telephone number. Include the text in the body of the email. Attachments are deleted automatically by the editorial publishing system.
Irish Times Letter of the Day – 26th February 2025
Access to the Countryside
Sir, – The prospect of walking trails along the iconic Clare coast remaining closed to the public for the entire 2025 season (“Cliffs of Moher trail reopening in doubt”, News, February 24th) is yet another symptom of the deficiencies in Irish laws that protect access to the countryside for citizens and visitors. Despite having been granted funding from the public purse, Clare County Council has to negotiate with 38 local farmers for permission to implement safety improvements before the trails can be reopened.
This is because in Ireland legislation permitting access to the countryside is practically non-existent. Where access is allowed it is almost always “permissive”, which means it is time-bound, has to be negotiated and can be withdrawn. Even access to Croagh Patrick is not a right of way.
The recent Planning and Development Bill (2024) has removed an obligation for local authorities to “include objectives for the preservation of public rights of way which give access to seashore, mountain, lakeshore, riverbank, cemetery, monument or other places of natural beauty or recreational utility” in their development plans.
Unfortunately, Clare County Council is not the only one negotiating in the public interest without sufficient legal backup. County councils in Kerry (Fenit Island and Listowel), Wicklow (Bray-Greystones cliff walk, Arklow Beach, Wicklow Head lighthouses), Kildare (Castletown Demesne), Donegal (Castlegoland Beach, Pollet Sea Arch), Cork (Cobh Quay) are just a few examples.
The benefits of access to nature are well understood and undisputed. It is time for the people of Ireland to demand that our legislators protect our rights to enjoy these benefits. – Yours, etc,
Tony McDermott,
Director, Keep Ireland Open,
Harold’s Cross,
Dublin 6W.