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Courtmac still not on WAW maps – three years later!

July 14th, 2020 10:10 PM

By Kieran O'Mahony

FLASHBACK: How we reported the good news for the Seven Heads in September 2017, but it’s not on maps yet.

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THREE years on since tourism bosses agreed to add Courtmacsherry to the Wild Atlantic Way (WAW) route, the fishing village is still omitted on both the physical and online maps.

Locals are also annoyed that there is still no sign of an agreed Discovery Point in the village, either.

Speaking to The Southern Star, Barry Holland, chair of the Seven Heads Peninsula Tourism, said that the blue WAW stickers went up on roadside signs in the middle of June of last year, but the village is still not on the WAW map routes.

‘It took close to two years to get the stickers on the road signs and we had come to an agreement with Fáilte Ireland that not only would Courtmacsherry be included on the WAW route on the map, but also that a Discovery Point would be included in the village,’ said Barry.

‘The blue highlighted line of the WAW route on the map is not coming down to Courtmacsherry, which means that it is very confusing for tourists if they are looking at maps, but then if they are driving along by Timoleague they will see the WAW sign.’

The lobby group has campaigned vigorously in recent years to get both Courtmacsherry and The Seven Heads included on the WAW route and finally received the good news  in 2017.

Barry said that they have carried out their end of the agreement by developing the Seven Heads Walks, which is nearly completed and also includes new signage on the walks and a website.

‘The original agreement from September 2017 was that the WAW route would be extended to Courtmacsherry in the first quarter of 2018, with the addition of a Discovery Point, and that they would then investigate the appropriate mechanism to include the Seven Heads coastal route as a component of the WAW route.’

Barry said that the maps must be changed to reflect that Courtmacsherry is on the WAW route.

‘We are not on the physical or the online maps, and the “blue line” isn’t coming down to cover the village and we still have these two glaring omissions.’

Barry said that it’s vitally important to the economy of Courtmacsherry and Seven Heads area.

‘We are going to keep working on this until the ultimate goal of having the Seven Heads on the route is achieved.’

In a statement, a Fáilte Ireland spokesperson told The Southern Star on Wednesday of this week that ‘the spur will be included on the Wild Atlantic Way map this summer once the full review of the Wild Atlantic Way and any further additions to the route have been finalised.’

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