Athlone to be 'visitor service hub' of Lough Ree tourism plan

Members of Roscommon County Council heard details this week of a major Midlands tourism initiative for Lough Ree which will see Athlone being the “key visitor service hub” and could bring enormous economic benefits to the region.
However, the ambitious project- which the meeting heard could ultimately be as succesful as the Wild Atlantic Way, and could cost up to €30 million in the long term - is still at the feasibility study stage and funding has yet to be put in place to bring it to fruition.
Details of the tourism initiative were unveiled to members at the January meeting of Roscommon County Council by Assistant Director of Services, Martin Lydon, who described the project as having the capacity to “bring Lough Ree to life, and provide tourists with a tourism product which is very different to what is currently on offer.”
Mr Lydon said the plan would offer tourists the opportunity “of escape” and he elaborated on this by outlining the peace and tranquility of Lough Ree and its surroundings and said a holiday exploring all that Lough Ree has to offer would provide “an escape from modern day worries and stresses” for both the domestic and international tourist market.
The plan which was outlined to the council, was prepared following lengthly consultation with various stakeholders such as Waterways Ireland, Bord na Mona, and local hotel accommodation providers. A Steering Committee was set up, and Mr Lydon said there was “very much a regional context” to the overall plan, and he added that Offaly had also got involved due to the huge popularity of Clonmacnois as a stand-alone tourism product.
Mr Lydon described Athlone as being “the key visitor service hub” for the proposed plan, and said the unique proposal will focus on the islands around Lough Ree. However, he warned that infrastructure would have to be “prioritised” and that the overall “tourism product” in the area around Lough Ree, such as hotel accommodation and catering facilities, will “need to be improved.”
“We are trying to bring Lough Ree to life, and our overall aim is to indentify a tourism product that Failte Ireland can latch onto and which will be a win, win for everyone involved,” concluded Martin Lydon, who added that Minister Denis Naughten is “heavily involved and fully supportive” of the project.
In welcoming the plan, Cllr John Naughten described it as being “long overdue” and added that he was “fully supportive” of all aspects of it. “I sincerely hope we can move this forward and that Failte Ireland will take it on board, as it is very much a step in the right direction.”
Cllr Tony Ward said he had spoken to the management team in the Hodson Bay Hotel and they are “wholly supportive” of any initiative to increase tourism to the region. He added that he would like to see a cycle route being put in place from Athlone to the Hodson Bay.
“We are sandwiched in between Ireland's Ancient East and the Wild Atlantic Way and its time we developed our own unique tourism product” said Cllr Laurence Fallon, who added that the status of Bord na Mona is about to “change drastically” in the coming years “and we need to move into that new existence.”
Cllrs Ivan Connaughton and Paddy Kilduff were also fully supportive of the plan, with the former saying that there is “huge potential” for a unique tourism experience on Lough Ree. “All we need now is the money and the weather, and I hope we will see action on this and that it doesn't become another report gathering dust on a shelf.”