Access to the countryside
Sir, – Keep Ireland Open, which campaigns for legally protected access to the countryside for walkers and other recreational users, welcomes the article by Diarmaid Ferriter (“In Ireland, we are obsessed with the land – owning it, not roaming it”, Opinion, May 2nd) .
It is time the Oireachtas addressed this matter with appropriate legislation. Keep Ireland Open has compiled a long list of places where access has been blocked. Two that stand out are the Cliffs of Moher pathways and the Bray to Greystones cliff walk, which have been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people annually. There are many more places where access has been blocked and people have been deprived of what should be their right to enjoy the Irish countryside.
It’s time we, the public, insisted this issue be addressed by legislation. That’s how progress was made on our neighbouring island, while good access for walkers is also a feature of European mainland countries.
Responsible access has so many benefits for people’s physical and mental health, it is also good for tourism and the rural economy. When are we going to wake up to this? – Yours, etc,
ROBERT DOWDS,
Chairman,
Keep Ireland Open.
Clondalkin,
Dublin.