Minister Ann Phelan today (22nd December 2015) showcased two Carlow County Council led projects developed under CEDRA and funded in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The first project called South Carlow REDZ Pilot Project aimed to create the story and support the economic development of South Carlow which is aimed to exploit this potential and position South County Carlow as a destination of choice for domestic and international visitors and in turn, stimulate economic activity the benefit of all.
The second project was the Carlow Food Trail project which aimed at building connections and developing a brand for County Carlow Indigenous food producers which links their message to the already developed brand of County Carlow’s Tourism Marketing & Product Offering.
Speaking at the event , Kathleen Holohan , Chief Executive of Carlow County Council said “We in Carlow County Council see the CEDRA report as a framework for the potential of rural communities and our role in Carlow County Council is as leaders in driving the agenda forward for all communities across our County”, Holohan continued to say “Going into 2016 and beyond , Rural Investment is strategically important to us in Carlow County Council and we are working in partnership with the Local Community Development Committee to ensure the effective and timely roll out of the LEADER Programme which will result in 6.4 million euro investment in Rural Development over the next number of years” Holohan concluded by saying “During 2016, we will also be investing over 1m euros in Economic Development & Business Support and 2016 will see the introduction of our new Festivals & Events Scheme which will result in the investment of €100,000 in events, festivals and tourism venues which have the potential to attract external visitors to our County”.
Speaking at the launch, Cllr John Murphy – Chairperson of Carlow Tourism said “The Food Trail is a very welcome development given the strong natural resources in the South Carlow area which makes the region ideal for activity tourism. From an economic perspective adventure tourism including soft adventure such as walking and cycling is one of the fastest growing areas of the travel industry, with year on year growth rates of 65% since 2009. South Carlow offers amongst the best and most varied range of river and countryside activity and adventure in Ireland with two national walking routes, both offering very different walking options, canoeing, hang gliding, mountain biking and cycling and is perfectly placed to benefit from this trend”
Two participants on the projects were Robert White of Clashganny House & Patrick McCormack of Pureadventure.ie. Speaking about the project Robert said “The REDZ initiative is an excellent project which aims to bring tourists to the area. In turn, this will highlight to the public the real beauty of South Carlow and will surely develop upon a treasured tourist and local attraction.”, Patrick commented that “The overall project is brilliant for the South Carlow Area. I walked the trail last week with a group of adults from around the area, they were all fascinated by the stunning locations and views. It is amazing what you can find in your own local area; I have explored all areas of the woods and yet I always find something new. The project will be a massive boost to the whole area.”
Minister Phelan speaking about the projects said “I am delighted to be launching these projects today and I am confident that these type of projects will support the sustainable development of rural communities in County Carlow”, the Minister concluded by saying “These projects are designed to make a real difference in the lives of many rural communities”.
