Final push on in Mayo to secure UNESCO Global Geopark status
AN unofficial decision on Mayo's first UNESCO Global Geopark will be known in September.
A final push is on to secure the internationally recognised designation for the Joyce Country and Western Lakes Geopark (JCWL), which straddles south Mayo and north Galway.
The application was deferred last year - something very common with new applicants - with seven points to be addressed by the geopark.
Key among them was visibility and that's very much in hand, with signage, including information panels and community signs ordered and ready to be installed in the coming weeks. Further work was also requested by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council on their digital platform and in the area of education.
An update on the geopark was given to councillors at a Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District meeting this week where cathaoirleach Councillor Damien Ryan - with an unofficial decision due by September 8 - said the council's tourism department would do whatever needs to be done, along with their Galway counterparts, to secure the designation.
Councillors hailed the geopark as a 'game-changer' not just for the local area but for the country, joining a network of 229 geoparks across the world.
It also creates a new loop off the Wild Atlantic Way, a route it touches at one point at Kilary Harbour.
Michael Hegarty and Benjamin Thebaudeau of the JCWL, in their presentation, highlighted how the status will energise the geopark’s 20 communities, providing opportunities for sustainable growth of local enterprise, tourism and jobs, promoting the unique geology, landscape, history and culture, including the Irish language, and helping the communities to thrive.
At some point a visitor centre will be developed for the park.
Designation doesn't bring restrictions in terms of planning permissions, it was also stressed.
With an unofficial decision due this autumn, the full decision will be announced following a UNESCO board meeting next spring.
Ballinrobe Councillor Michael Burke said outdoor tourism is the future and here they would have a global brand on their doorstop.
The Wild Atlantic Way has done so much for tourism but this was going to be even bigger for their part of the world, he predicted.
At a time of talk about tarrifs, they needed to think big, said Councillor Alma Gallagher, and this was a global brand that would attract people from all over the world.
It was also a catalyst that would add value to other businesses, such as the agri-food sector, for example, she said, adding that we have to maximise the natural resources and landscape we have.