Mr. Paul Kelly:

The Burren loop is a very exciting initiative. It should be fully open by the time tourism gets up and running again. It is a fantastic part of the world. We were delighted to see the work of everyone involved in the ecotourism project recognised. The idea of looped drives off the Wild Atlantic Way will be key in helping people have an even better experience and helping to spread visitors in order that it is more sustainable and better managed. It will also share the benefit of tourism with a wider proportion of the community. The Burren loop is a great example of that and I believe it will lead to a lot more development and new small businesses, such as sustainable ecocraft businesses, setting up in that part of the world. It will be ten years' time before we really see the full benefits of the Burren loop.

We have a master plan for both the Beara Breifne Way and the Shannon navigation. These are in train at the moment. As for the Beara Breifne Way, it is really important to note that it is not just about the walk or the path itself but about how these paths and walks, when built, connect with businesses and communities along the way. How do we get people onto the Beara Breifne Way from a town that is 1 km or 2 km away from it? How do we get people off it and into local bed and breakfast accommodation, local cafes and so on? All of this tourism development is part of the master plan for the development of the Beara Breifne Way.

With regard to cycling on the Wild Atlantic Way, we were very disappointed that things went wrong with the first iteration of that but we are fully committed to, and believe massively in the potential of, the Wild Atlantic Way becoming globally famous as a cycling route or as a number of cycling routes. We are working with a range of stakeholders to try to bring that to life.