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access is allowed it is it is almost always “permissive”, which means it is time-bound, has to be negotiated and can be withdrawn.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.
Time and again, we can only stand idly by while our local authorities are stymied in their efforts to protect access to national assets that in almost every other democratic state is taken for granted. 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.
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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.
