Improving access to the Irish countryside

Sir, – Tim Hannigan wrote a fine essay in the Weekend section (“Searching for Ireland’s huge network of vanished footpaths”, October 24th). He mentioned the wide network of paths, including “mass paths”, that appeared in Ordnance Survey maps in the 1880s. They have mainly disappeared and been taken over as private property in the 20th and 21st centuries. The lack of rights of way along many field edges in the countryside, which are everywhere in other countries, is chilling. I am a committee member of Keep Ireland Open, which is campaigning for decent access to the Irish countryside via legislation.

I was on a cycling holiday in north Wales this summer and was astounded at the number of walk signs that pointed you into a field and was accompanied by a stile to get you over the boundary hedgerow. Previously, I was on holiday in Norfolk in England and got off a bus in a rural area. There was a stile to walk off the road within 300m of the bus stop. This does not happen in Ireland. You are forced to walk on busy tarmac roads with no entry to the farmland.

We badly need legislation to improve access to the countryside in Ireland. This will improve the tourist potential in rural parts, help keep citizens fit and healthy, and foster care for the natural environment. – Yours, etc,

ERIC CONROY,

Dublin 12.

Sir, – I have just finished reading Tim Hannigan’s excellent piece on public access to the countryside in Ireland. My wife and I are fond of our daily walks and have a number of walkways that we frequent such as Newcastle Wood near Center Parcs in Co Longford, Portumna forest walks in Co Galway and Mote Park, Co Roscommon.

We recently discovered a nice walk in Kildare, which includes a graveyard and stile that I take great joy in climbing over to enter and exit the graveyard. Access to lots of areas is severely restricted, unlike in the UK, but we are happy to have a vast number of walks that we can use throughout the country.

We are now in our 80th years but we will carry on with our walks so long as we have our strength. – Yours, etc,

DENIS O’DONOGHUE,

Moate,

Co Westmeath.