Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this morning's announcement of €200,000 in funding for the Suir blueway. This is part of €4.5 million worth of funding from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment for 26 blueway and greenway projects throughout the country. The blueway in Tipperary, as Members will be aware, goes from Carrick-on-Suir to Clonmel. This extra funding will add 1 km to bring it farther into the town of Clonmel, which is very important. It connects the blueway to a car park in the centre of the town and brings the people who use it closer to the town centre. It is very important and very welcome.

The blueway opened last year and has been a real success, like many greenways throughout the country. It has been especially successful in recent months, when families have not been able to travel more than 5 km or 20 km from their homes due to Covid-19. We in south Tipperary have had the opportunity to use the greenways, both as individuals and as families. Does the Acting Leader agree that funding promised by the Government for projects like this in the coming years is vital for rural communities like Tipperary and the Acting Leader's own locality in Galway? As we encourage people to stay in Ireland during the summer months and take the opportunity to visit areas like Tipperary and Galway, greenways and blueways are vital for communities like ours.