Draft Ballyragget Masterplan

Dear Kilkenny County Council,

Firstly, very well done on commissioning and preparing the above draft masterplan for Ballyragget. It contains many very interesting historical reviews and suggestions and proposals for the advancement and future development and prosperity of the town.

One of the suggestions includes possible public amenities such as walkways and cycle routes etc. Brief reference is also made in the draft plan to the former railway line which served Ballyragget from Kilkenny which was finally closed in 1962. This railway line ultimately reached Portlaoise (formerly known as Maryborough).

You may be aware of a recent excellent article researched by Mr. Donie Butler on the history of this railway line was published in the 'Kilkenny People' newspaper just some weeks ago on the 5th April last. I attach a copy of this article for your attention. As you will note from this article the Kilkenny to Portlaoise (Maryborough) railway line, passing through Ballyragget, first opened in the 1860s and ran for almost a century along this route until it was ultimately closed in 1962. 

You may be aware that in recent months that in the neighbouring County Laois it is now proposed that a section of this same former disused railway line that ran from Abbeyleix to Portlaoise, would be re-fashioned as a 'Greenway'. I attach also an article from 'Laois Live' dated the 22nd February last, in which you will see that it has been announced that government has allocated funding towards the planning stages for such a Greenway.

I believe the re-purposing of part of the same disused railway line out from Kilkenny to Ballyragget could add in time immensely to the future prosperity of Ballyragget, as well as all the places in between from Kilkenny to Ballyragget. This future Greenway could bring countless visitors, walkers, cyclists and tourists directly into Ballyragget and help to restore prosperity to the north Kilkenny town and all the amenities it has to offer. Indeed it could in time possibly extend further along the former line into Attanagh in county Laois and perhaps link up with the proposed new Greenway from Abbeyleix to Portlaoise.

Kilkenny County Council has in recent times carried out tremendous work to date in creating a Greenway in south Kilkenny on the former Waterford (Kilkenny) to New Ross railway line to be known as the South East Greenway. Could the same success not be repeated in time in north Kilkenny, both for Ballyragget and Kilkenny City itself? Such Greenway could be a future engine for prosperity, particularly given that both Kilkenny City and County is now such a successful tourist destination. I believe such a proposal has been raised in the past but perhaps it might now be time to revisit this topic.

Would Kilkenny County Council give consideration to including such a Greenway proposal on the old railway line from Ballyragget to Kilkenny in its intended masterplan and strategic vision for that town and indeed both for Kilkenny city and county itself. I certainly hope so.

Thank you for your time.

Yours faithfully,

John Fitzgerald.