Re-Cycling Ireland's Disused Railways

In a rather cunning plan, tourism think-tanks have now recommended to reinvent Ireland as a travel destination for cyclists. With an eye on Ireland's late railways - late as in "gone and lamented", not as in reference to timekeeping.

When the optimistic second half of the 20th century came to be, many countries scrapped railway lines left, right and center. The future was the car. And words like "emissions" and "greenhouse effect" were the stuff of dystopian novels. Now that roads are clogged and you can hardly breathe within shouting distance of them we know how clever this was. Thanks very much!

Anyway ... the old embankments and cuttings scan still be found in the landscape, often overgrown, but always forming an old, straight track that connected towns in remote areas. Now Irish planners want to follow Continental examples where such tracks were reused as cycle tracks, instant attractions without the danger of speeding juggernauts. A viable plan?

When an old railway track near my (German) home town was reactivated in such a way during the late 1970s, it was said to be a folly. Today it is an attraction, especially for local families wanting a good and safe day out cycling. So go ahead, I say ...