St Declan’s Way, known as the Irish Camino, stretches from the Rock of Cashel in South Tipperary to Ardmore in County Waterford. The route passes through Cahir, New Inn, Ardfinnan and Goatenbridge traversing the Knockmealdown mountains into County Waterford. This ancient pilgrim route has seen a steady revival in recent years, as interest in heritage walking trails has grown. South Tipperary Development CLG (STDC) is proud to support its redevelopment in partnership with the St Declan’s Way Committee, Waterford Leader Partnership, and local authorities.
The inclusion of St Declan’s Way in the national Walks Scheme in 2023 was an important step forward. The Walks Scheme supports landowners whose lands host walking trails, helping to maintain routes . It also creates opportunities to bring more of the trail off-road, improving the walking experience while respecting working farmland.
During 2024, a fantastic new re-route has been added at Loughkent, New Inn involving the development of a new off-road section which was funded by the Walks Scheme Development Fund. Meticulous planning and a sensitive use of existing terrain ensured that the project was delivered within budget and without any loss of productive farmland.
This development was carried out with the kind permission of the landowner, Clare Ryan who has been hugely supportive of this project since the start. A strip of land at the edge of the field, adjacent to the hedgerows was striped back, the ground levelled, and gravel surfacing added where necessary offering walkers a more comfortable and scenic experience. This reroute is a welcome addition to the annual Knockmealdown Active St Declan’s Way Pilgrimage Walking event, treating walkers to a beautiful oasis of lush countryside.
STDC is committed to supporting initiatives like this that celebrate our landscape, nature and biodiversity, respect our history, whilst bringing economic and social benefits to rural areas and thereby helping communities reach their full potential.
“I really love to see people out and about enjoying the great outdoors and it is lovely to see others enjoy the countryside, as I do every day.” – Clare, local resident
