Cathaoirleach slammed for championing Greenway ‘pay-offs’

Anton McNulty

Keep Ireland Open has criticised the Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council for calling on Greenway landowners to be included in the National Walks Scheme.
At the last monthly meeting of Mayo County Council, the Cathaoirleach, Cllr Michael Holmes, called on Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring to ensure that landowners along the Great Western Greenway would be included in the National Walks Scheme.
Landowners involved in the Walks Scheme are given a renumeration for maintaining the walks for the public who use them.
In a letter to The Mayo News, Michael Murphy, Secretary of the western branch of Keep Ireland Open criticised Cllr Holmes for using his position to ‘create unreasonable expectations of pay-offs’.
He said that the vast majority of people living along the Greenway were delighted with it and derive the most pleasure from it, but that there was a minority who wanted ‘money for nothing’.
“In fairness, the vast majority of residents along it, to our certain knowledge, are delighted with the Greenway and how it has benefited their families. However, there will always be a minority who are susceptible to a suggestion, such as now put out by Mr Holmes, that they are in some way entitled to money for nothing – for ‘allowing’ something good to happen.
“Mr Holmes is being disingenuous if he believes that an expectation of cash, once created, doesn’t have a downside in the shape of negative action by a disgruntled minority if it is not forthcoming,” he wrote.
Mr Murphy also described as ‘ludicrous’ that €8.5 million ‘of public money’ has been spent on the Greenway, an amenity that is not in the ownership of the State. He also sharply criticised the fact that the Greenway’s ‘existence, future and integrity’ is contingent on ‘the renewal, every five years, of nearly 170 separate permissive agreements – any or all of which can be reneged on as each renewal comes round’.
Mr Murphy argued that as Cathoirleach, Cllr Holmes should be showing leadership rather than generating feelings of false entitlement.
“It now needs help with future and permanent arrangements guaranteeing the Greenway, and this is where Mr Holmes, as a responsible Chairman of the Council comes in. Instead of creating expectations of largesse that can not and will not be met, Mr Holmes should take up the opportunity which is his, as Council Chairman, to show real leadership. He must urge that everyone along the Greenway fully accept the worth the wonderful Greenway is to themselves and their families, a facility they enjoy above any others the whole year round.
“Because of that and because also of his position, it is his duty now to convince all those who are holding on to their perceived rights over any portions of the Greenway to cede these to Mayo County Council, unconditionally and in the public good.”

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