Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway explained

Boyne Valley to Lakelands greenway
Photo Alt:monochrome map of former Midland Great Western railway including the Navan-Kingscourt branch
Length:30km[1]
Trailheads:Blackwater Park, Navan,
Dún na Rí Forest Park[2]

The Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway is a greenway and rail trail, in Ireland. The route has been completed in sections.[3] Completed in May 2024, it links Navan, County Meath to Kingscourt, County Cavan, along the defunct Navan and Kingscourt Railway.[4]

Sections

The completed sections link Navan's Blackwater Park to Kilmainhamwood,[5] [6] through Kilberry,[7] Wilkinstown, Castletown KP,[8] [9] and Nobber.

History

The branch line that the greenway was built on was authorised for construction by the Navan and Kingscourt Railway Co. on 5 July 1865,[10] and would reach as far as Kilmainhamwood on 1 November 1872. It would open to its final terminus at Kingscourt on 1 November 1875,[11] but it was hoped the line could be extended further north. The Kingscourt, Keady and Armagh Railway Co. was incorporated in 1900 to extend the railway,[12] but the section between Kingscourt and Castleblayney was abandoned in 1902.[13] The Midland Great Western Railway (who had acquired the line in 1888) would be authorised to complete the line to Castleblayney on 11 August 1903,[14] but it would ultimately never occur.

The line would find its primary source of traffic with the opening of a siding in 1939 at Kingscourt to allow trains to haul Kingscourt Gypsum.[15] Passenger service on the line would be discontinued during the harsh winter of 1947 on 27 January and never reopen. The line would stop seeing non-gypsum traffic in 1975 and would ultimately close on 30 October 2001 after a driver's strike as gypsum switched to road haulage.[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway | Discover Boyne Valley Meath, Ireland . DiscoverBoyneValley.ie.
  2. Web site: 25 October 2023 . Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway . DiscoverBoyneValley.ie.
  3. Web site: 31 October 2023 . Official Opening of the Boyne to Lakelands Greenway between Nobber and Kilmainhamwood . Meath.ie.
  4. News: Hogan . Laura . 12 May 2024 . 30km greenway connecting Meath and Cavan completed . RTÉ News.
  5. Web site: 1 December 2023 . 24km of Boyne to Lakelands Greenway is now open . Meath Chronicle.
  6. Web site: 13 May 2024 . "A true delight": Opening of 30km Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway welcomed . IrishCycle.com.
  7. Web site: 17 November 2020 . Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway . Navan Cycling Initiative.
  8. News: Finegan . Noelle . Could Navan-Kingscourt Greenway attract 150,000 visitors a year? . 3 November 2021 . Meath Chronicle.
  9. Web site: December 2021 . Works now underway on Ireland's newest greenway as €500,000 also allocated . StickyBottle.ie.
  10. Web site: Navan and Kingscourt Railway Act 1865. 5 July 1865. 1 July 2024. vLex.co.uk.
  11. Web site: Irish railways. 1 July 2024. RAILSCOT.co.uk.
  12. Web site: Kingscourt, Keady and Armagh Railway Act 1900. 1900. 1 July 2024. vLex.co.uk.
  13. Web site: Castleblayney Keady and Armagh Railway Act 1902. 22 July 1922. 1 July 2024. vLex.co.uk.
  14. Web site: Midland Great Western Railway of I Act 1903. 11 August 1903. 1 July 2024. vLex.co.uk.
  15. Web site: Railway and Railway Stations. 10 July 2024. navanhistory.ie.
  16. Web site: Kingscourt Line . Irish Railway Record Society . 10 July 2024 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150414113558/http://www.irrs.ie/Journal%20150/Journal%20147/147%20Kingscourt.htm . 14 April 2015 .

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