Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the announcement made today by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, to expand the walks scheme. This is a fantastic way to support rural and regional development. Government investment in the regions is all part of our rural future. As there is now funding for 31 new trails in 13 counties, there will be a lot more places all around Ireland for people to explore. The Department is working with over 2,400 farmers and landowners. This is where farmers get reimbursed and paid for maintaining their land and these routes.In Roscommon we have the Lung-Lough Gara Way, which is included in this route, and I was able to work with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys on this. That would be the Beara-Breifne Way, the whole way from Cork to Cavan and all the way up to Blacklion. It is an amazing route going along by the River Suck in between Galway and Roscommon. It is absolutely fantastic and I thank the volunteers who have worked on this within the Suck Valley Way and within the Lung-Lough Gara committee. It is a great development. It will bring more people and more footfall into areas around Castlerea and Ballaghadereen. Ballaghadereen also has its new street enhancement fund, which comes from the rural regeneration and development fund. This is crucial to bring more people into our area.

This Friday we have the launch of the new Technological University of the Shannon, TUS, in Athlone, about which the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Simon Harris has spoken much this year. This will be an amazing development for the west. We want to see more campuses. It will bring more investment into our region, linking up industry with third level institutions, with academia and with excellence. I want to see our campuses expand also. This university is an amalgamation of Athlone and Limerick institutes of technology. It will be a phenomenal base in the Shannon area to bring investment west. I thank the Minister for that. I look forward to the development under the realm of Professor Vincent Cunnane and Professor Ciarán Ó Catháin. We look forward to bringing more campuses into areas such as Roscommon and Ballinasloe, and into the west.