Cllrs in heated debate over motion to rename Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway

The two names Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway and The Columban Way may slip easily off the tongue but already a fierce debate is underway as to which of them should be attached to the 30km greenway in the lush countryside of North Meath.

Meath county councillor, Eugene Cassidy says the name Boyne Valley to Lakelands name is already fixed in people’s minds and shouldn’t be altered but Fianna Fail Cllr, Padraig Fitzsimons is flying the flag for The Columban Way. He tabled a notice of motion to have that official name put on the new public amenity when councillors debated the issue on Monday.

The Discover Boyne Valley website describes the project as a "walkers’ and cyclists’ paradise” along the route of the old railway line from Navan to Kingscourt, Co Cavan, passing closely to Kilberry, Wilkinstown, Castletown Kilpatrick, Nobber and Kilmainhamwood.

Setting out his pitch for the name, Columban Way, Cllr Fitzsimons said that Navan was twinned with Bobbio in Northern Italy. An abbey there was established by Saint Columbanus in 614. It was one of the great routes to travel of its time and Columbanus was one of a great monastic group. He also said that the name Camino was also well known throughout the world and many people from throughout Europe went to Spain and Portugal to “do the Camino”. The name Columban was embodied in the Camino pilgrimage or walkway.

“It is a place for personal meditation, or a place where we want to be and any town on the Camino benefited hugely from tourism – it is a brand as such”. The Columban Way was also a brand and it was part of a European walkway. Part of the route stretches from Carlow to Bangor in Co Down and Navan was on that route.

“If you look at any successful walkways or routes throughout Ireland – like the Wild Atlantic Way – you will see that people go and travel that because of the brand”. He said he had been in Clonakilty during the Summer there and had spoken to people who said the benefit of the Wild Atlantic Way to them was “just incredible”.

Cllr Cassidy said he would like to inform Cllr Fitzsimons that “the greenway already has a name – it’s called the Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway” and only two weeks ago the Cathaoirleach had officially opened a segment of it. Meath Tourism advertised the greenway as the Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway. There was a map showing the Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway. “It is called the Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway because that is the name. It is a long time since this thing started, 12 years ago”. Cllr Fitzsimons had been a councillor for the last nine years and he wondered “where the councillor was for the past eight”.

He quoted former Meath Co Council official Brendan McGrath [now Chief Executive of Galway City Council] as saying that if the Meath greenway was to “be sold” it would have to be given a name of regional importance.

“We looked at it to see what we would call it. We ruled out the Boyne Greenway, we ruled out the Royal Greenway. We called it the Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway because we had to sell it to the TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland). It wasn’t an easy sell to TII”.

The cllr said that no one wanted to know when the project was started.

“Numerous applications for funding were made to TII but all were refused”.

“We met four ministers, two of them twice – none of them were interested. For years there has been thousands of phone calls and thousands of letters as regards this greenway. “Leave the name as it is. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it”.

Council official Des Foley said that there was a group set up in Ireland looking at the Columban Way from Carlow to Bangor. The route would run from Carlow to Bangor but part of it would go through Meath starting at Clonard. Cllr Fitzsimons said he would withdraw his motion for the moment.