Fingal Coastal Way - Donabate Portrane Peninsula?

Fingal Coastal Way - Donabate Portrane Peninsula?

By Breda Dockrell and Carolyn Smith

Fingal County Council is currently conducting a public consultation process to select a route for the Fingal Coastal Way; this will close on Thursday 27th May (2021). This is your opportunity to have your say; so don’t miss out. See the details at the end of this article for making a submission. The Fingal Coastal Way is a proposed coastal greenway extending along the northern Fingal coast from Newbridge House to the Meath Border (see Figure 1). It will link with the proposed Broadmeadow Way greenway from Malahide Castle to Newbridge House (which is being undertaken as a separate project) and the Sutton to Malahide Greenway, part of which is already constructed. In principle, this is a very welcome initiative by FCC. Unfortunately, none of the five possible routes identified by the consultants for the Donabate Portrane section of this Fingal “Coastal” Way (see Figure 2) capitalises on the full potential, in terms of recreation, tourism and heritage and business opportunities, of our beautiful peninsula.

  1. All five suggested routes disregard the beautiful coastline of the Donabate Portrane Peninsula. Two of the routes go from Newbridge House westwards (inland) towards Blake’s Cross and Baleally Lane; the other three go eastwards towards Donabate Village and along Beaverstown Road to cross Rogerstown Estuary next to the railway line. All miss the coastal areas of Corballis, Donabate Beach, Cliff Walk, Tower Bay, Portrane Beach, The Burrow and Rahillion, with fantastic sea views towards Howth, Lambay Island and Rush.
  2. The five routes suggested by the consultants fail to take advantage of on the great work and investment being undertaken by FCC in our area with regard to walking and cycling routes e.g. cycle/walkway along the Donabate Distributor Road, the planned development of the route from the Shoreline Hotel to Tower Bay and the route from Stella’s Castle (Portrane) to Carr’s Mill (Donabate).