Plans to spend almost €2 million on walking trails in Connemara National Park have been approved by Galway county council.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has been given permission with nine conditions to create new trails at Letterfrack and six routes at Mweelin, near Kylemore Abbey, with a 144-space car park and toilets. The conditions include archaeological monitoring and mitigating measures during construction to minimise impact on protected habitats.
The NPWS runs the 2,000-hectare site as one of six national parks. The park draws in 250,000 people annually, while Kylemore Abbey and gardens, which is close by and run by Benedictine nuns, attracts 600,000 visitors a year.
Fáilte Ireland, the tourism development authority, supported the planning application, along with the Connemara Chamber of
