New Nenagh walkway almost complete
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View of where the walkway starts on the St Conlon’s Road side of MacDonagh Park.Image 2 of 4
Gateway to the new playing pitch, where the walkway leads to between the Coille Bheithe and Monaree housing estates.Image 3 of 4
Picture shows how the walkway circumnavigates the pitch on the St Conlon’s Road side of the complex.Image 4 of 4
The new playing pitch, looking towards the Dark Road, which was seeded earlier this year.Great progress is being made with the development of a 2.5km walkway in Nenagh that will be made available to all in the community.
Connecting Nenagh Éire Óg's MacDonagh Park complex on St Conlon's Road with the Dark Road, the walkway is part of a multi-phase expansion of the GAA club's premises. The project has also seen the development of a new playing pitch on a 10-acre site adjacent to Éire Óg's existing complex.
The facilities are linked up by the walkway, development of which has made great pace this year. It is on schedule to be complete by January 2025.
Welcoming this progress, Éire Óg Vice Chairperson and Development Manager John Tooher took the opportunity to thank everyone that has supported the club's expansion project to date. He particularly wanted to thank Specsavers, which Mr Tooher said gave the club the freedom to start its capital projects with generous sponsorship.
Arrabawn Co-op has also provided valued sponsorship towards the club's expansion, while Mr Tooher spoke of a “brilliant response” from the local community in donations. Nenagh's business community has also provided much appreciated support by way of signage sponsorship around the ground, which supports the club's current overheads.
Éire Óg has furthermore benefited from a number of grants, including the Sports Capital Grant in 2022; a further allocation under the 2024 SCG was confirmed earlier this month.
The Nenagh club successfully applied to this year's Community Recognition Fund, which supports the development of community infrastructure and facilities in recognition of the contribution made by communities in welcoming and hosting significant numbers of arrivals from Ukraine and other countries. Allocated through Tipperary Co Council, this grant facilitated development of the new walkway.
Mr Tooher said the club was also delighted to recently receive a substantial donation from Analog Devices in Limerick. It is furthermore using income from the new telecommunications masts installed at the site.
The development manager said Éire Óg would be seeking wider community financial support going forward, though these plans are to be finalised. His key message is that the projects to date are all paid for.
ONE CLUB, ONE COMMUNITY
Planned in conjunction with Tipperary Co Council, the fenced and illuminated 2.5km route will provide walkers and runners with a safer, more accessible exercising option available year-round. It will have a three-metre width and will be surfaced with compacted dry fill. It will be gated, and a management structure will be required to look after its ongoing operation.
Mr Tooher said the walkway is central to Éire Óg's “one club and one community” ethos. The walkway will be open to all and its management will have widespread community representation.
The only facility of its kind in Nenagh and planned in response to demand for such an addition to the town, he pointed to the walkway's location and availability of ample parking. “It will be open to diverse community groups and age brackets, fostering a sense of safety, active lifestyle and inclusivity”.
The new playing pitch was seeded earlier this year. It will be playable in early 2026. The next phase of the project is to add dressing rooms beside the new pitch.