Mr. Brian Lucas:

I have visited the site at Carrownagappul, where the local community has some good ideas. There is a centre at Mountbellew that the community would like to develop in order that school or tour groups could visit it, hear a talk about the history of the bog, its flora and fauna and the tradition of turf-cutting there, and then arrange a visit to the bog. There is an area in the bog that seems very suitable for a boardwalk. As I saw when I visited, there is not peat underneath for some reason. Somebody once lived there and had some vegetables growing there. While it will have to be subject to planning permission, it appears that it will not interfere with the integrity of the site. If there was a boardwalk, the view across the bog would be amazing. The local community is highly involved in developing the project.

It is not just a boardwalk. There would also be a tour and some demonstration of turf cutting, perhaps provided by the local community, during which there would be some discussion of the history of turf cutting. I am less familiar with the project at Ferbane but I believe it is some kind of a bridge walkway, possibly building on a facility that is in place, but I am happy to convey details on the project to the committee.