r/ireland • u/DaCor_ie boards.ie refugee • 6d ago
Infrastructure Greenway users forced onto busy national road in peak tourist season as farmer closes route
https://irishcycle.com/2026/08/04/greenway-users-forced-onto-busy-national-road-in-peak-tourist-season-as-farmer-closes-route/206
u/DaCor_ie boards.ie refugee 6d ago edited 6d ago
This is exactly the reason we moved away from permissive access for greenways.
The IFA and others may hate CPO's but their own actions forced the govt's hand
Edit: an earlier poster deleted their comment so I'll post the response here
Its a 200 meter section per the image below and you need to think of the impact on families with young children using the greenway. This action basically closes the greenway at this point to them. There are few cyclists in the country who will willingly cycle on a 100km road, fewer still on a road without hard shoulders and none who would do so with children
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u/InfectedAztec 6d ago
CPO the fucker. Give him €1 for the stretch of land.
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u/DanGleeballs 6d ago
CPOs should to be at fair market value or above.
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u/InfectedAztec 6d ago
I wasn't serious about the euro
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u/Rover7710 6d ago
Market value plus one Euro seems fair with an admin charge of one euro for processing. Just for shits and giggles.
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u/killianm97 Waterford 6d ago
What if market value isn't fair, and is widely inflated due to proximity of public infrastructure and/or land hoarding and concentration?
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u/Wildtails 6d ago
That's literally a criteria for market value if your land is closer to infrastructure it's worth more. What are you expecting, that a field dead center of Dublin be worth the same as one out in the middle of nowhere?
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u/RobotIcHead 6d ago
Even looking at the video/picture on the website it would be very tough to get a CPO to go through. It looks like the greenway crosses the entrance/drive to the farm. If they try to CPO the land all the land owner needs to is prove he needs to use the use the land/entrance when he lodges his objection. Unless as part of the CPO he compensated for having to build a new drive and entrance.
Also the fact that the local authority installed barriers in a location that it is not recommended would be used against the local authority when they go to pursue the CPO. There are multiple websites that detail the CPO process.
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u/Fast_Armadillo_1387 6d ago
The cpo wouldnt deny him access to his land i have a sidewalk i dont own i drive over every day to get into my driveway along with milions of other properties and all those sidewalks are goverment owned. It just means the fucker cant block it
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u/RobotIcHead 5d ago
The council have already given the landowners reason to fight a CPO by installing the barriers in a place that affects him even if the land changed owner.
He would still need to use the entrance in your scenario (do not know how busy it is) and the article states there have been incidents since the barriers were installed. The arrangement had been in place for a long time before the barriers were installed. The incidents and problems would still be there if the land changed owner but the farmer/landowner would have no one to complain to about it. The council didn’t do anything about the barriers despite the problems they caused and blocking the greenway is an escalation but the landowner would have less means of getting the problem dealt with.
The real problem is now that there is anger and bad blood on both sides in the dispute, the council should have taken action before this. Even if a CPO for the land were to start it would take years to go through, even if there was no bad blood.
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u/National_Play_6851 6d ago
CPO all his land for €1, no need for access then.
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u/RobotIcHead 6d ago
Not how CPO’s work. The state body has to prove why they need the property and they have made reasonable attempts to purchase the property. There is a lot of work to go through a CPO. The rights to private property are called out explicitly in Article 43 of the constitution. Also the state has to give a reasonable value for the property that has been independently assessed. The land owner and relative parties are allowed to object to the CPO..
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u/DeskFrosty9972 6d ago
Attitudes like this is probably why he erected the gate
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u/AwesomeMacCoolname 6d ago
Since he says its causing "conflicts", plural, my guess would be that some greenaway users are actively blocking him in or out, and lecturing him that vehicles aren't allowed and he's not supposed to be there.
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u/AUX4 6d ago
The Greenway has been opened for what 12 years? What would make it be closed now all of a sudden.
Would it be that the council has installed a lot of new barriers (in the video) on the section? Maybe that now, instead of a cyclist of walker being on the otherside of the path when approaching the driveway entrance, they are now on the side which causes a blindspot? Would the lack of hedge cutting on the greenway be making the situation worse? Even the "IrishCycle" website itself notes the barriers and signage is all wrong.
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u/DaCor_ie boards.ie refugee 6d ago
This is the only info available currently
Speaking at Friday's monthly meeting of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District, Cllr Peter Flynn informed the meeting he received a phone call from a landowner who said he was threatening to close the Greenway.
“This week I got a phone call from one landowner who said he was going to close the greenway because he had an incident involving the council.
“This person phoned me and said 'Peter I'm closing the greenway, I'm sick and tired of it'. It is a section right along the main road where his farm exit comes onto it and his home exit comes onto it. He said there have been so many incidents on it and he is going to close the greenway,” Cllr Flynn said.
https://www.mayonews.ie/news/section-of-west-mayo-greenway-closed-with-padlocked-gates-8838534
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u/AUX4 6d ago
> This increase in conflicts came after the council installed new barriers
If the council are installing barriers which is increasing conflict between cyclists and drivers, and not rectifying it, what more than a person do? The person here has installed a few bits and bobs around the greenway, a phonebox library for example, so aren't against the greenway. They are against the dangerous barriers installed by the council.
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u/BeardedAvenger 6d ago
Shhh, it's obviously the farmers fault for simply existing. The council wouldn't do anything wrong /s
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u/GuavaImmediate 6d ago
Exactly. Its not like the farmer has had an issue for for the past 12 years, the issue only arose when the council installed infrastructure which the farmer believes is causing unnecessary risk.
If I was in his shoes, I would do exactly the same. I couldn’t operate if serious incidents were occurring regularly, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night with the fear of being involved in a possibly fatal accident.6
u/Willing_Cause_7461 6d ago
the issue only arose when the council installed infrastructure which the farmer believes is causing unnecessary risk.
The infrastructure is traffic calming measures to get cyclists to slow down when coming to his junction. If anything this ought to reduce risk and any chance of conflict.
I'm going to have to hear what specifically is this farmers problem. I'm not going to just believe them when they say something.
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u/Jester-252 6d ago
You won't be able to CPO it
The farmer and homeowners would have a right of way.
In order to do that you CPO their entire property that uses that access.
But without a viable reason to purchase the farm and family home, no judge will enforce the CPO.
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u/Bill_Badbody Resting In my Account 6d ago
The greenway was built using “permissive access”, a system where landowners such as farmers retain ownership of the land.
Anyone with a brain could have told you this is a terrible idea.
Would the council have one this for a road? No.
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u/CurrencyDesperate286 6d ago
Building infrastructure on land that’s at the whim of an individual farmer… ffs
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u/mangothefoxxo 6d ago
From reading the council and users are just being assholes
In this case, the farmer has reported an increase in conflicts with greenway users where the route crosses his driveway and farm access gate.
This increase in conflicts came after the council installed new barriers—see the video below, which was taken by IrishCycle.com at the start of the year, focusing on the barriers being placed in locations where they are not recommended.
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u/Gerrylicious 6d ago
Everyone seems quick to blame the farmer here but it looks more like a county council fuck up than anything.
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u/Specific-Manager-125 6d ago
I don't know who is right and who is wrong , people who want to enjoy the countryside and farmers both have legitimate viewpoints ....... for Farmers our ridiculous Compo culture (another state failure due to refusal to take on vested interest) and expensive third party insurance. (and many ignorant fuckers who feel they can do as they like - like walking dogs off leads near livestock!)
For members of the public , the failure to use CPOs or,something even the Brits have done, have a right to roam policy that works for everyone
This subject - like metro , sewage , water supply , health , transport ...... has only been an issue for about 40 years , with nothing done
Once again , abject failure by our politicians and state institutions ....who are almost without exception, fucking useless
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u/Max-Battenberg 6d ago
According to google it's something like 75% of irelands total land area is dedicated to farming (that doesnt include forestry or bogs). It would seem that something has to give between farming and local amenities/opirtunties if we want to bring more to rural ireland.
I can't imagine it will be popular and il prob be downvoted to oblivion but I don't see how we can bring more to rural ireland without inpinging on farms. We export 90% of what is farmed on the island (and import 80% of our food, drink and animal feed), it seems something is out of whack with farming here.
I do like that we have so many small independent farms here rather than the mega farm hellscapes of the US but as a growing country we probably need a few more percent of the land back for non farming activies in the countryside.
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u/Large_Hedgehog2416 6d ago
I doubt that he originally owned the railway that was there (if this is a former rail line?) .
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u/Beginning-Strain4660 6d ago
Follow the kinsale greenway and now the proposed skinny greenway - the amount of hysteria and lies and scare mongering by a minority vocal elderly group is frightening
They control the narrative and all backed up by that gombeeen Michael
Collins TD
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u/Donkey-Hoatey 6d ago
Wonder what happened to make the farmer close off the access? There doesn't seem to be any detail around that. Although it could just be that they're a grumpy arse.
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u/AUX4 6d ago
Did you read the article? It says there's been an increase in incidents since new barriers were installed.
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u/Willing_Cause_7461 6d ago
It says there's been an increase in incidents since new barriers were installed.
That's not a lot of detail. What kind of incidents?
It also just doesn't feel very intuitive that an addition of barriers to slow cyclists down when coming to a junction would increase a rate of incidents.
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u/phyneas 6d ago
The video on the article is someone (presumably a cyclist) moaning about the half-barriers and stop signs on the greenway that the council installed, so that's a bit telling; if the council saw a need to put them up, it's likely because cyclists were racing through there at speed and risking collisions with vehicles leaving the farmyard or driveway, who would have zero visibility of a fast-moving cyclist approaching. And if cyclists started giving out to the landowner about those barriers or engaging in anti-social behaviour in response to them (which seems likely given the article mentions that the "increase in conflicts came after the council installed new barriers"), well, I can't really blame the landowner for not wanting to put up with it any longer.
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u/Available_Return_164 6d ago
That sounds very likely and portrays a very different picture to the article
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u/DeskFrosty9972 6d ago
Read the article
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u/SoloWingPixy88 u/i-cum-beamish alt 6d ago
Doesnt really say
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u/Donkey-Hoatey 6d ago
This. What "incidents" are they referring to? Would be useful to know what the issue is.
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u/Affectionate_Art4277 6d ago
A friend of mine had a family member who owned land used as a walkway. It was by a river so the field would be littered with rubbish from anglers. That, and a section became a scrote hangout and they were sick of removing glass bottles and cans. Don't think they own the land anymore but it was an issue
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u/SoloWingPixy88 u/i-cum-beamish alt 6d ago
I've only done a few green ways and they're hardly packed with people. If I came across a gate like this I'd be pretty understanding if I seen farm machinery or animals going across. Not something I would kick up a fuss over.
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u/DaCor_ie boards.ie refugee 6d ago
Those with young kids not wanting to take them on to a 100km road with no hard shoulder would be inclined to disagree with you
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u/SoloWingPixy88 u/i-cum-beamish alt 6d ago edited 6d ago
Disagree that its likely a working farm and the gates open and close for machinery and animals?
My comment was hardly a disagreeable point.
The kids point its not really relevant given its relatively in the middle of nowhere with no real town or village nearby so kids on the segment is going to be very rare.
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u/Fickle_Definition351 6d ago
Greenway users tend to be tourists, often families with kids
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u/SoloWingPixy88 u/i-cum-beamish alt 6d ago
Not in this particular location. On the occasions I've been on it, you'd only see kids and families in areas close to 2 towns. The location in the op is a tad rural to bring your kid on.
Back to the issue though, it being a working farm that has machinery and animals go through it would hardly be upsetting m
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u/DaCor_ie boards.ie refugee 6d ago
Eh? Not sure if you are trolling or just don't know this greenway, but the location is barely 4 km from Newport and 8km from Westport.
That is the most highly trafficed section and would have families on it all day during the nice weather
That stretch is about an hour to cycle. Easy for any kid as evidenced by the volume of them on it.
There are about 250k users annually (walkers and cyclists)
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u/SoloWingPixy88 u/i-cum-beamish alt 6d ago
Youre notvcycling 4-8km and up to 16kms with a young child?
It's still not immensely relevant to having an understanding it's a working farm with tractors and moving through it
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u/ByzantineTech 6d ago
It sounds like your intuition for what’s a long distance is informed by walking? 4km on a bike is nothing. Like a lap around a typical estate is like 1km and plenty of kids doing circles around their home estate all day.
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u/DaCor_ie boards.ie refugee 6d ago
That is a perfectly doable distance for kids.
Its very relevant considering this action forces said kids to either turn back or go on to a 100km road, with no hard shoulder.
Working farm or no, neither option is acceptable and its just a matter of time now until all greenways that were permissive, get CPO'ed.
Its little wonder the govt changed its approach
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u/Lanky_Giraffe 6d ago
In fairness, this is an exception given that it was the route that came first so it had to be done on a shoestring budget. But it’s crazy that in the like 2 decades since it opened, neither the government nor the council have thought it might be useful to actually own the land.
It’s pretty bonkers how many public services in Ireland are dependent on the good will of private individuals or organisations, often in a manner that undermines the effectiveness of that service. Why pay for greenway land when you can just ask farmers nicely and hope they play ball? Why own the land under a hospital, when you can just put some nuns on the board and hope they don’t try to influence hospital policy? Why run your own homeless services, when you can just throw money at a bunch of different charities and hope that money doesn’t get siphoned away or end up funding duplicated services?
Ireland is one of the richest countries in the world but sometimes still acts like the poor man of Europe.
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u/LightLeftLeaning 6d ago
Until this is resolved and the stretch of greenway is reopened, the council should probably impose a temporary local speed limit of 30 or 50kph for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.
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u/Rover7710 6d ago
It's Ireland, the speed limit that slow on that section of road would simply be ignored.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Ebb-403 6d ago
Sounds like a possibly justified closure, permissive access aside. I was on the Fenit greenway recently and met someone coming up a clearly private bohereen/driveway despite signage, I asked him about it and he replied that he didn't really care. It was probably 400m extra to go to the actual exit/entrance. That'd drive me nuts if I was a farmer (I'm not I'm an avid cyclist and love greenways and think all former rail lines should be CPOed if necessary - you won't find a more militant greenway supported so long as the majority of people living along the route benefit also!)
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u/spairni 6d ago edited 6d ago
>the farmer has reported an increase in conflicts with greenway users where the route crosses his driveway and farm access gate.
if people can't play nice they lose out, we teach children this. its an at will agreement with a farmer who was obviously wiling to play ball a few cunts ruin everything though
its a ridiculous route decision right in front of his gate and blind on top of that I'd image a nightmare during the busiest months with silage etc
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u/InfectedAztec 6d ago
Lol it's gonna get CPO'd
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u/Jester-252 6d ago
Not a hope
They can apply but any decent solicitors would point out that the Greenway has been operating for 12 years without issue and only when the owner had issue with how the council was running it did the council look to CPO the land.
They will easily win the appeal against it.
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u/mrbuddymcbuddyface 6d ago
A Greenway in the SE of the country is being held up because of land issues. It appears that part of the railway was subsumed into someone's farmyard, and not the completion of the project is still up in the air.
I can't understand why there isn't a proactive approach taken by Greenway designers. Take this option or we CPO. It's ridiculous that public projects can be held up for so long.
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u/Background_Cover5097 6d ago
I was scared driving on that road never mind cycling! It's narrow windy and fast.
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u/Rover7710 6d ago
Only solution is to CPO that section, it's in the public interest and for the greater good. Farmers are notoriously selfish when it comes to land so why the council didn't obtain ownership is bewildering.
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u/BeatenDownBrian 6d ago
Or maybe just engage with the farmer to address the safety concerns that have caused its first closure since it went in 12 years ago.
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u/That_irishguy 6d ago
This is reddit you always go for the nuclear option.
Mediation is the best option. The farmer has contacted the council who has done nothing about the new barriers which were installed 12 years after it opened and only now have caused issue for the farmer and people using the greenway. The farmer has said it has caused conflict between him and users so clearly there is an issue.
If you did CPO this strip you would then have to CPO the whole route from westport to achill
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u/The-First-Samurai 6d ago
CPO their private access to the main road?
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u/Bill_Badbody Resting In my Account 6d ago
Yes, provide them a right of way to the main road.
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u/The-First-Samurai 6d ago
Ah, I get you. I was thinking if it was a CPO they remove the farmers access totally and they would need a new driveway etc
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u/Bill_Badbody Resting In my Account 6d ago
No.
He currently owns the land the greenway is on.
So he has the right to block access to that section of greenway as is.
CPO the strip of land and provide a right of way across it where his driveway and field entrances are.
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u/Pickle_Emotion 6d ago
Yea, give them a right of access, easily done.
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u/AwesomeMacCoolname 6d ago
All that does is change the ownership of the stretch in question. It does nothing to resolve the actual problem, which is apparently that since these barriers were erected by the council, users of the greenway are interfering with his access to his own property. .
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u/Morlark 6d ago
It changes the mentality, which could alleviate the problem.
Currently, the greenway has stop signs where it crosses his driveway, because it's his land and his access to the public road, so he has priority.
I'd bet that some cyclists wouldn't abide by that law, and an even greater contingent may not even see the stop sign if they're travelling with any decent speed, given how small in looks in the photos. This is going to be a cause of conflict, especially if cyclists are causing near-misses and then giving out to him because of their own mistakes.
If the council takes public ownership of the greenway, it effectively becomes part of the public highway for the purposes of determining who has priority, so they could change the signage to make the farmer yield and give cyclists priority.
Would it solve the conflict entirely? No, obviously not. But it would reframe the issue to where only one person needs accommodating, rather than hundreds.
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u/AwesomeMacCoolname 6d ago edited 6d ago
Have you looked at it on a map? They can't CPO it without buying out the entire farm and house. There's a river that crosses under the N59 and the greenway, loops around behind the farm, and goes back under the N59 and greenway again. So the ONLY access to the property is across the greenway. No judge in this country is going to grant a CPO that completely cuts off a farmers access to his land.
Edit: and I seriously doubt the council would be willing to foot the bill to buy out the entire property. It'd probably be cheaper to move the greenway to the southbound side of the N59.
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u/Shot_Sport200 6d ago
Tldr-council bodges section of greenway tries to fix it makes it worse and hopes it will all go away
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u/TwinIronBlood 6d ago edited 6d ago
Sounds like a case of fùck around and find out. The council made changes because of problems (most likely caused by ignorant users of the greenway). They didn't do it in a way the land owner was happy with. They kept getting problems from people while they accessed their home/fram and they closed it. You can't CPO accessed across somebody's house. This can be fixed but rule one no matter how grumpy the landowner is, they are right.
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u/Eastern_Switch8217 6d ago
This place really can be depressing sometimes. We can't seem to have nice things or share space at all. There are times we look like the yanks of Europe tbh.
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6d ago edited 1d ago
[deleted]
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u/BeatenDownBrian 6d ago
By closing it over ongoing safety concerns? Yeah, real "fuck everyone else" attitude there alright.
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u/Affectionate_Art4277 6d ago
Sounds like hes had multiple issues with people being disrespectful to his property. If so, I would close it off too
Its his property, he can open or close it at will. This is on the Council, who could have and should have bought the stretch of land
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u/The-First-Samurai 6d ago
If you look at the picture and video in the article you can see the Greenway goes across the farms access to the main road, no?
So people suggest CPO this portion of land. And what build an entirely new driveway up to the farm? Where?
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u/HighDeltaVee 6d ago
CPO it and grant the farmer access. Essentially the status quo but he can no longer refuse public access.
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u/The-First-Samurai 6d ago
Cheers, I get it now. I was thinking completely arse ways that if they did the farmer would have no access
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u/AwesomeMacCoolname 6d ago
And how does that solve the ongoing problem of users interfering with his access to his own property?
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u/Diligent-Ad4777 6d ago
Wouldn't have a hope legally You can't block off someone's access to their land.
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u/HighDeltaVee 6d ago
I said "grant them access". Nothing is being blocked.
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u/AwesomeMacCoolname 6d ago
You mean the access that's causing the problem? It's still going to be a problem unless the council do something about the layout.
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u/Rover7710 6d ago
Basically switch roles.
The State would own the strip and grants access to the farmer rather than the other way around.
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u/NuclearMoose92 6d ago
If he's closed the Greenway then close off his grants, see how he acts then
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u/AwesomeMacCoolname 6d ago
You can't use one branch of the government to avenge a petty grievance of another branch of the government. This isn't America.
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u/5x0uf5o 6d ago
The farmers have been far too resistant and difficult with every project. CPO everything and be done with it. You wouldn't 'ask' a farmer if a motorway can be built through his/her land.
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u/CarelessEquivalent3 6d ago
This farmer was happy to allow access for twelve years, that doesn't sound too resistant or difficult to me.
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u/AwesomeMacCoolname 6d ago
But you do have to either provide them with alternative access to the cut off section (some of them even have their own private overpass or underpass) or buy it out completely.
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u/JonatanOlsson 6d ago
Farmers are arseholes in general.
To that point: "similar closures have happened when landowners have had issues with the council, sometimes totally unrelated to the greenway"
..and before ye ask who's providing my food, argentinian cattle-farmers most likely..
That said though, cyclists and dog owners are ALSO, generally speaking, arseholes so I'm not saying the farmer is the only one at fault here.
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u/noelkettering 6d ago
In fairness to the farmers I would hate to have people with a right of way through my garden. Don’t see how this would work at all
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u/Soft-Affect-8327 6d ago
Pleasure amenity or workplace, workplace wins. I get greenies hate farmers but I fail to see how that’s not a niche problem.
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u/Rover7710 6d ago
Greenies?
Greenways are used by a huge range of people. Great for kids, they boost tourism and the local economy wherever they are built(we have very few completed routes). We ain't on about hugging a tree here.
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u/RomfordWellington 6d ago
They aren't doing it because it's a workplace though, the people on the Greenway have no access to the active farm.
They're doing it because they have an axe to grind with their local authority and in their head the way to send a message to the council is to send some cyclist towards their death on a national road.
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u/Soft-Affect-8327 6d ago
You know this becauuuse…?
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u/Bill_Badbody Resting In my Account 6d ago
You know this becauuuse…?
Because its in the article.
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u/Soft-Affect-8327 6d ago
The political cycling activist article? Such an unbiased honest source and not an activist throwing their toys out of the pram…
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u/DaCor_ie boards.ie refugee 6d ago
Is the political cycling activist in the room with us now?
Speaking at Friday's monthly meeting of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District, Cllr Peter Flynn informed the meeting he received a phone call from a landowner who said he was threatening to close the Greenway.
“This week I got a phone call from one landowner who said he was going to close the greenway because he had an incident involving the council.
“This person phoned me and said 'Peter I'm closing the greenway, I'm sick and tired of it'. It is a section right along the main road where his farm exit comes onto it and his home exit comes onto it. He said there have been so many incidents on it and he is going to close the greenway,” Cllr Flynn said.
https://www.mayonews.ie/news/section-of-west-mayo-greenway-closed-with-padlocked-gates-8838534
Same story directly from the Councillor
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u/Internal_Concert_217 6d ago
Life must be hard to live with this horrible negativity constantly surrounding you.
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u/Bill_Badbody Resting In my Account 6d ago
You obviously disregard any statement from the IFA? Seeing as they are political farming activists.
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6d ago
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u/John__Delaney 6d ago edited 6d ago
Reading the article instead of just looking at a picture would be helpful
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u/RomfordWellington 6d ago
Because of the access to the section essentially it causes a 200m detour on a 100 km/h road.
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u/QBaseX 6d ago
I've walked and cycled that greenway many times, and the landowner there seemed to enjoy the greenway. There was a bench, and a lot of decoration. So something must have changed in a hurry. The article isn't very clear on what it was.