The first section of the Ulster Canal Greenway, from the Bypass into Old Cross Square, is now open a year. So we thought we’d mark the occasion with a look at the usage numbers.

49,485 visits were made along the Greenway during 2014
5,666 of these were made by bikes
43,819 were on foot

The second section, from the Glen Road to the Threemilehouse Road, opened in mid May 2014. In its first six months, this section has seen 35,624 visits; 4341 on bikes and 31,283 on foot.

We’d especially like to thank those mad runners who use the Greenway in the dark with headlamps strapped to their foreheads for helping to boost our numbers!

But our favourite user of the year was the young man in the motorised wheelchair who was seen speeding along with his bicycle-mounted friends. They were having a ball!

The Greenway has finally taken delivery of its ‘face’, that is the Signage which marks the route.
There are ‘trail head’ signs on the Armagh Road, Old Cross Square and Threemilehouse Road, complete with a map of the route and QR codes linking you to more information online. Every junction of the greenway is now also marked with smaller ‘mini-monolith’ signs. The logo will shortly be painted onto the footpath to flag up any turns the user has to make. So no excuses now for getting lost!!

Pictured below are the Municipal District Elected Members, along with MD Co-Ordinator Donal McElwain, inspecting the trailhead sign on the Armagh Road.

The Ecocamp in Teach na nDaoine, organised by the Monaghan County Council’s Environmental Awareness Officer, Nial O Connor, visited the Greenway last week and declared it a resounding success. The new Biodiversity information signs, erected by Monaghan Tidy Towns on frames constructed by the Men’s Shed, were also a big hit. Well done to all!