Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)

This summer has been one of huge discontent and serious upset for farmers and landowners on the proposed greenway walk from Cork to Kinsale. I begin by saying that a walkway anywhere in our country has to be welcome, but with peaceful negotiations as was done in the world-renowned Sheep's Head and Beara Way. That is the model to do this, not the TII model with its sword over the head called CPO.

CPO has its used for infrastructural projects as a last resort, but to use CPO to grab land from farmers and landowners for recreational purposes is one step too far. This peaceful campaign in west Cork has opened up similar nightmares for landowners throughout the country who had or will have their lands taken from them from by TII with CPO for walkways in counties Mayo and Kerry and other parts of the country. Government policy is to mainly use State-owned land for greenway walks, but in the Cork to Kinsale case, 90% is being put on privately-owned farms and land, destroying in particular many farms, splitting them in two and making them unworkable. Will the Taoiseach stand with these landowners and force TII to drop CPO for any greenway negotiations going forward?

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