Ireland is almost unique in having virtually no off-road rights of way, according to an article published this week in the latest issue of History Ireland.
The Keep Ireland Open campaign seeks to end the reliance on landowner permission for countryside access, as exemplified by cases like Enniskerry Walking Association’s Supreme Court loss in 2019.
The lobby group keep Ireland Open says local groups struggle to access key sites like the Cliffs of Moher, Murrisk Greenway, Castletown, county Kildare and Wicklow Head due to the absence of legal protections for walking paths across the country.
In Scotland, right to roam legislation was introduced in 2003, with England and Wales securing legislation to preserve footpaths and bridleways in 2000.
Dowds states that despite the health benefits of accessing the countryside, Irish governments have not taken steps to re-establish public right of way.
Robert Dowds of Keep Ireland Open shared “No Irish government has made any effort to re-establish a right to walk the land. Visitors are astonished there are no public footpaths or bridleways across all of Ireland. Without legislation, Irish Courts won’t support anyone’s right to walk the last few existing paths,. Enniskerry Walking Association members went to the Supreme Court in 2019 to appeal their right to walk an old coach road in Co. Wicklow. They lost and two Irish pensioners Niall Leonach and Noel Barry have ended up with a bill of approximately €39,000.’
