Ireland Bets Big on Greenways: €360 Million to Turn Old Railways Into Cycling Trails
Ireland has committed 360 million euro in 2026 to active travel and greenways, funding almost 1,000 projects and around 200 km of new walking and cycling routes. New trails such as the South Kerry Greenway build on beloved routes in Waterford and the west.
Ireland is quietly reinventing the way people explore its countryside. In 2026, the government is pouring hundreds of millions of euro into greenways and active travel, betting that traffic-free trails will draw both locals and tourists into the landscape on foot and by bike.
A major funding boost
The scale of the commitment is substantial. Ministers have announced 360 million euro in capital funding for active travel and greenway projects in 2026, a sizeable investment in walking and cycling right across the country.
The money is being spread widely. Around 290 million euro has been allocated to walking and cycling infrastructure through the National Transport Authority, enough to allow almost 1,000 projects of varying scale to progress this year.
What a greenway is
At the heart of the plan sits a simple idea. Ireland's greenways are off-road cycling and walking trails, often carved out of disused railway lines, old canal towpaths and the country's quiet coastal corridors.
The appeal is easy to grasp. By keeping cyclists and walkers well away from traffic, the routes offer a safe, scenic and family-friendly way to travel through the countryside at a gentle and unhurried pace.
Building on proven routes
The new investment builds on trails that have already proved their worth. The Great Western Greenway, which runs 42 kilometres from Westport to Achill in the west, has become one of the country's best loved cycling routes.
Another has set the standard for scenery. The Waterford Greenway, stretching 46 kilometres from Waterford to Dungarvan, is often described as the most scenic of them all, winding past coastline, old viaducts and open countryside.
New trails on the way
The 2026 funding aims to add fresh routes to the growing network. Some 62 million euro has been set aside specifically for greenway projects, including the South Kerry Greenway and an extension of the Ulster Canal Greenway in Monaghan.
Towns and cities will see changes too. Active travel schemes are planned across the country, from the Tramore Ring Road project in Waterford to further work in Dublin, Cork and Limerick over the course of the year.
The overall target is ambitious for a single year. Officials expect around 200 kilometres of new walking and cycling infrastructure to be delivered in 2026, a meaningful extension of the country's active travel map.
Tourism and climate in one
The greenways serve two goals at once. For visitors, they open up a slower, greener way to see Ireland, while for the government they form part of a wider push to meet the country's own climate action targets.
That dual purpose is central to their appeal. A trail that draws tourists to rural towns while encouraging people out of their cars offers a rare combination of economic and environmental benefit in a single project.
A quiet transformation
Taken together, the plans point to a steady reshaping of Irish travel. As old railway lines and canal paths are reborn as trails, the country is turning its industrial past into a leisurely, low carbon future, one kilometre of greenway at a time.
