Great Southern Trail
The Great Southern Trail, comprising the Limerick Greenway and North Kerry Greenway, is a greenway rail trail under development in County Limerick and County Kerry in Ireland. It is intended to be long when completed and run from Limerick to Tralee. It is an off-road trail intended for use by cyclists and walkers along the route of the Limerick-Tralee line, formerly operated by the Great Southern and Western Railway, which opened between 1867 and 1880 and was closed in 1977. As of 2021, approximately of the route between Rathkeale and Abbeyfeale had been developed. The  developed section of the trail passes through Ardagh, Newcastle West and Barnagh. The voluntary group Great Southern Trail Ltd has developed the trail for 20 years, at an estimated cost of €1 million (as of 2011). They were awarded a special jury prize by the European Greenways Association at the 2011 European Greenways Awards in recognition of their efforts to develop the greenway between 1991 and 2011. Development of the trail has run into some difficulties, particularly in keeping the land (which was owned by the Irish transport authority CIÉ) in public ownership, and addressing the expectations of some  local landowners and householders - who feared crime and lack of use for it. In early 2013, a group of walkers commemorating the 50th anniversary of the last passenger train between Limerick and Tralee, were blocked at the Kerry border by a group of local landowners opposing the continued development of this trail into County Kerry. It was subsequently established that CIE owns the line and that the landowners have no claim to the trail. From 2016, CIÉ transferred ownership of the line to Kerry County Council for further development of the trail towards Listowel, pending future funding becoming available. Limerick  City and County Council assumed responsibility for the management and maintenance of the Great Southern Trail in November 2015 and in 2019 completed the incorporation of the Barnagh Tunnel into the route. This involved the construction of an underpass under the N21 Limerick to Tralee road. Limerick Greenway. The section of the trail within County Limerick, known as the Limerick Greenway, was completed in June 2021, funded by Fáilte Ireland and the Departments of Transport and Rural and Community Development. The 115 metre-long Barnagh tunnel was renovated for the greenway. The Garryduff viaduct also comprises a section of the  greenway. The greenway stretches from Rathkeale to Abbeyfeale. It forms part of the EuroVelo Atlantic Coast Route (EV 1). North Kerry Greenway. The North Kerry Greenway is due to form the western section of the Great Southern trail. As of January 2022, it was expected to be completed by . It is due to link to the Tralee-Fenit Greenway close to Tralee.