As one of the county’s six nominees in this year’s LAMA (Local Authority Members Association) awards, the North Roscommon Accessible for all project in Boyle is both visionary and imaginative in its scope, justifying its inclusion as one of the nominees in the ‘Most Inclusive’ award category.

The project objectives are to provide easier access for water enthusiasts with mobility issues and to encourage greater use by visitors staying in the area who wish to explore the water from Lough Key to Boyle to Doon Shore as well as nearby Carrick on Shannon.

The Lough Key Forest and Activity Park Masterplan identified the need to accommodate kayaking from Lough Key to Boyle Harbour and River. This provides an alternative water based link to Boyle town – an identified objective of Boyle 2040. Doon Shore on Lough Key is also linked by water to various islands on Lough Key and Lough Key Forest and Amenity Park.

This project serves to link Lough Key Forest Park, Doon Shore and Boyle Canal/River by water and provides connections to the newly constructed Boyle to Lough Key Cycleway. This project also enhances the existing amenity offer in one of Roscommon’s leading tourist destinations, namely Lough Key Forest Park.

The installation of measures accessible for all canoe/kayak launch systems will also provide an opportunity for all users to participate in either self-guided or guide-led biodiversity tours on the waters from Doon Shore to Boyle to Lough Key.

The easy launch systems are modern, accessible and available for free to use for recreation, fitness and in the pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. The initiative promotes wellbeing, both physical and mental and are suitable for people to access/egress the water for fishing and boating.

The project complements and enhances works previously carried out which included an enhanced pedestrian trail along the shoreline, landscaped natural mounding and picnic area, pull-in bays and the segregation of parking for different users and signage.

An additional element is the need for longer disabled parking bays near the access point to allow for the trailer system used by people with mobility issues to bring their kayak/canoe to the water access point.

The works at Lough Key to date included the instillation of an easy launch system and gangway adjacent to the existing shoreline and carpark and the conversion of three car parking spaces into disabled bays suitable for cars and trailers. Further works included the construction of a new two metre wide footpath from the disabled bays to the kayak launch gangway.

Works at Doon Shore comprised the instillation of an easy launch system and gangway adjacent to the existing shoreline and the connection of two of the existing piers that extend out into the lake with docking sections.

Related works at the Boyle Canal and River included the provision of an easy launch system and gangway on the bank of the Boyle River and adjacent to the access of the Boyle Canal, an upgrade to the existing walking trail and the instillation of two disabled parking bays and provide suitable wheelchair access from these bays to the gangway.

Speaking ahead of the awards ceremony, Lisa Joy, Tourism Officer of Roscommon County Council said the project greatly enhanced tourism amenities at Lough Key: “This project demonstrates the importance of providing accessible tourist amenities, connecting the area to Boyle in a new and exciting way, utilising the natural amenities Lough Key and Doon Shore have to offer”, said Ms. Joy.