Long-Distance Trails in the Republic of Ireland

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 33. Chapters: Ballyhoura Way, Bangor Trail, Barrow Way, Bealach na Gaeltachta, Dún na nGall, Beara Way, Blackwater Way, Bluestack Way, Burren Way, Cavan Way, Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail, Dingle Way, Dublin Mountains Way, E8 European long distance path, East Clare Way, East Munster Way, Grand Canal (Ireland), Great Southern Trail, Great Western Greenway, Hymany Way, Kerry Way, Lough Derg Way, Mid Clare Way, Miners Way and Historical Trail, Monaghan Way, Multeen Way, Nore Valley Way, North Kerry Way, Offaly Way, Royal Canal, Sheep's Head, Slieve Bloom Way, Slieve Felim Way, Sligo Way, South Leinster Way, Suck Valley Way, Táin Way, Tipperary Heritage Way, Western Way, Westmeath Way, Wicklow Way. Excerpt: The Wicklow Way (Irish: , meaning "New Cuala Way") is a 129-kilometre (80-mile) long-distance trail that crosses the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. It runs from Marlay Park in the southern suburbs of Dublin through County Wicklow and ends in the village of Clonegal in County Carlow. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the Irish Sports Council and is waymarked by posts with a yellow "walking man" symbol and a directional arrow. Typically completed in 5¿7 days, it is one of the busiest of Ireland's National Waymarked Trails, with up to 24,000 people a year walking the most popular sections. The Way is also used regularly by a number of mountain running competitions. The trail follows forest tracks, mountain paths, boreens and quiet country roads. Mountains, upland lakes and steep-sided glacial valleys make up the terrain of the initial northern sections of the Way before giving way to gentler rolling foothills in the latter southern sections. Much of the route follows the contact point between the igneous granite of the western side of Wicklow and the metamorphic schists and slates of the eastern side. The principal habitat of the upland sections is a mixture of broadleaf and coniferous woodland, heath and blanket bog while in the lowland sections the hedgerows marking the boundaries between fields support a variety of wildlife. The Way also passes the Monastic City at Glendalough, founded in the 6th century by Saint Kevin. The Wicklow Way was originally proposed by J. B. Malone in a series of newspaper articles in 1966. In 1977, Malone was appointed to the Long Distance Walking Routes Committee of , the National Sports Council and set about making the concept a reality. Malone¿s original proposal for a circular route around Wicklow was dropped in favour of the linear route that exists today because the Government wanted the Wicklow Way to form part of a network of walking routes around the country. The first section opened in 1980 and the trail was fully