Go Fund Me Help John Stockman Walk Again
It's been very difficult and strange – this past year. Our social norms have fragmented, disintegrated and dissipated into new norms. Gone is the meeting someone for a quick coffee, a pint at the bar, dropping into friends and neighbors, playing a game of Golf, cards or darts. Gone is the banter at GAA matches or the vibrancy of a good music session – to hear or to play. 1000s of committee meetings, that oil the engines of our communities have faded into the past. Weekend breaks, sun and skii holidays exist somewhere out there as the boundary of our lives has mostly contracted into a few kilometers. Covid has severely diminished the collective mental health of our South Galway community. While a subtle stagnation and claustrophobic cloud descended on our communities, we needed some positive aspect and 'good news' more than ever. Many people were out and about and we have never seen as many people waking, cycling, exploring and connecting within their local area. For me, and many others, one thing in particular, that has changed the last year substantially in South Galway is the Gort River Walk.
The Gort River Walk Dream
This time last year, the Gort River Walk was a dream that was about to turn into a reality. A rough trail had been hacked and flattened along the Gort River from the back of Aldi in 2019, thanks to a few 'starts' from some enthuastic members of our local community. It was lumpy, bumpy and dumpy. In January 2020, we had successfully obtained an Outdoor Recreational Infrastructure (ORIS) Grant to 'enhance' the grassy, rocky path into a walkable trail. Just as we were about to kickstart the project – Covid hit and everything locked up for a few months. For close to 3 months the farthest I got from my home in Kiltartan was Labane and it looked like our River Walk plans were unraveling. A quick call to the ORIS office indicated the the Grant Money still had to be spent by September so things were not looking good.
Luckily, in the later summer things finally kicked and boy did they kick-off with a bang! With Sylvie Linnane at the helm and great support from Galway County Council's Feidhim MacGillicuddy and FAS's Pat Finn and the FAS Workers – it was … trailblazing. We were also in good luck as we got Flor Burke as part of a Galway Rural Development Scheme and he was able to
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Sylvie and the Boys breaking ground -
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FAS Workers laying the path
The main paths were formed over a few weeks and then came the volunteer wave. On Wednesday evenings – for 2 hours at a pop, 8-10 volunteers would gather in a few bubbles and firm up the trail – Gathering rubbish, cutting back the invasive 'Old-mans Beard', lining the path with stone, raking, raking and more raking. It was tough work but more importantly, it was in some ways the only social outlet for many of us. As well as that it allowed us to work in a beautiful environment and do something positive for our community.
The following is a sampling of the people who volunteered on a regular basis:
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Stefano Solpenza -
Kieran Reynolds -
Karen O' Neill -
Flor Burke -
Patrick McLoughlin and Sharon McGriskin -
With Shona MacGillivray, creating the boundary -
Ciaran O' Donnell -
David Murray and Hugo Smith -
Caoimhe Solpenza -
Nadin Reichel -
Bernie Keehan and Erin Dolan -
Dympna Lawless -
Shona MacGillivray and the Otter!
Volunteering and helping out with the Gort River Walk Project was an immense help to be personally. It was so great to have an enjoyable focus to distract from the realities of pandemic life. Working outdoors and next to a fast flowing river is a tonic for the soul. It is especially nice to work with such a wonderful committed bunch of people. It makes me proud to be in this community
Annette Kelly
Support
It wasn't just the volunteers that was our only support – it came from in from all corners. On a fencing supply trip to Quinn's in Labane, Shane Quinn brought me into the office and signed off a cheque of €500 toward Gort River Walk with a passionate support call. Anytime I called into T.J O' Mahony's for supplies, Shane Minogue would offer support – ('Shane – have you any wheelbarrows' was answered 'Take one'). I bumped into Brendan Quinn on the street – another €500 support. Gort Credit Union offered €500 sponsorship toward a picnic bench. Emmett Murphy, Galway Stone – 2 bags of chips. Let me clarify that this support was given freely – never asked for.
Galway County Council bent over backwards to help make our funds go farther. It was absolutely unreal. We set up a go-fund-me page to help with costs and we got €4,700 very quickly. We needed 300 hours of volunteer time for our Grant and we got 500 hours. The landowner behind Aldi, Eamonn O' Hara gave us free rein and great advice. A blue-seat appeared courtesy of Padraig Sheridan. An otter mural from Shona MacGivellray, photography by Nadin Reichel, planting planning by Sharon McGriskin. Landowners Desmond Leech and Vivian Diviney meanwhile give their support to allow the Route to continue into Kinincha as we looked into building a footbridge that would allow us to complete a full loop of 3.5 km from Gort Town.
Just Keep Walking
By the end of August, the paths had developed nicely and it was taking real shape. Sylvie Linnane was a legend and his positivity toward the project, advice and flexibility were exceptional. We wouldn't have a trail without Sylvie's can-do attitude.
Just keep walking
We had the paths barely formed and the natural curiosity of people drew them along the trail. It lifted all of our hearts when people expressed joy and 'shock' at what we were forming. The shock aspect was incredible. People just couldn't get their heads around that such a beautiful, vibrant amenity was possible with a few steps from the town. As a community, Gort had lost its connection to the river for decades. A town dump created close to the river in the 1980s, the destruction of Gort Mill and installation of Gort Mart, severed that connection and created an repulsion to the area.
Within this repulsive field, it became vulnerable to unsavory elements of illegal dumping and drinking and evolved into an Armageddon-like war-zone. Imagine that shock from local people as they experienced seeing for the first time in their lives, a fast-flowing river and a winding stone-bound path drawing you into the distance. Some people became emotional as they recalled the time they had spend in this lovely area as a youth. Some ventured further back in time as they remember collecting water from St Manchan's well for their family in Lavally.
One Friday afternoon I met a distinguished lady Pat Fitzgibbons, wearing a black beret and slowly making her way along the meandering the paths. "This is better than a prescription any day", she affirmed to me as she was returning from her walk. Pat lives very close to Coughlan's Centra in Gort, a minute's walk from the trail. The fact that she could leave her home and be on the walk within a minute or 2, without concern for traffic or stepping on and off footpaths was a godsend to her. "It's just so good to be able to get off the street", she mused.
Many people along the route have highlighted the importance and the beneficial effects of having such a lovely amenity in town. Many have stated that the 'sound of the water' gives them a lift and refreshment.
Gort river walk has been a positive experience during these hard covid times..even though we have been working all through Covid we look forward to our run/ walks at the weekend..and Gort river walk is always on our route!
Mags Kenny
Onwards and upwards
The volunteering didn't wind down but winded up. Uncovered from within scrub in 2019, St Manchen's well was in vary bad condition. The original brickwork was first reinstated by Sean O' Neill and John Gardnier and then to literally top-it-off, Stephen Quinn (Stonemason) and his team encased the structuring in limestone recycled from the old Gort Mill. Again, all voluntary. Stephen noted that he when he was working on the well, he never talked to so many people in Gort in his life and they were all so enthusiastic for the trail.
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St Manchen's Well in a bad state -
Brickwork restored by John Gardnier and Sean O' Neill -
Stephen Quinn protecting the well
This positive community engagement is what we have experienced since we first 'broke' through the fence at the back of Alid and when P.J. Murphy built the steps down the River Walk. Ministers (then) Sean Canney and Ciaran Cannon supported our application for the the intial ORIS Grant and Cllr Joe Byrne lent his expertise on how to progress the Gort River Walk footbridge application. Cllr Geraldine O' Donohue weighted in also. In Sept 2020, Ciaran Cannon phoned me to indicate that €60,000 funding was made available toward the footbridge application and earlier this year we got an announcement of additional funds to fully cover the bridge.
So while Covid stagnation was abound, the community of South Galway and beyond brought a passion and a strong appreciation of this project and propelled it forward. I've often mentioned to the people that with the this level of community passion and support, the project has been propelled at such a rate that we're always chasing to keep up with it. Gort River Walk is not a project – its a momentum, fueled by 'community' and positivity that has just blown us all away.
And while people might see me as the 'head' of this activity, let me be very clear that this project would be dust if it weren't for the 'heart' of people like Karen O' Neill, or the creativity by Shona, the commitment of Stefano Solpensa, Flor Burke and Kieran Reynolds (the nature window maker:) and the unwavering and ongoing support of Patrick McLoughlin, Ciaran O' Donnell, Sally and Hugo Smith, Sharon McGriskin, Annette Kelly, Erin Dolan, Nadin Reichel, Sean O' Neill, Bernie Keehan, Vid and others – I also have to mention our 2 youngest volunteers – Caoimhe and Ciaran (aka Burdock)!
It would be still a vision and not a realty if it weren't for all the people and businesses who have supported us in this activity.
Yes, things slowed substantially through Covid and our volunteer meetings were cancelled, but I and many of the volunteers still wandered down for 'exercise' and an Oak Grove, a community orchard and holly and tree patches and grassy areas appeared. Working on the stone boundary of the path was an outdoor 'gym' for several of the volunteers and in some way became an essential physical and social outlet. The positivity of the people we met along the walk was infectious and their appreciation of having access to this in these strange times was paramount. It has given many people a joyful and essential outlet.
Covid has been very tough on all of us, some more than others, but the resilience that our community has shown through these tough times is what has allowed us to progress through this stagnation and allowed the Gort River Walk to evolve. Its awe inspiring and legendary! We now have something that is of immense benefit to our wider community and it teaches us what a resilient community can create through challenging times. There is of course more to come but – Just wanted to say a thanks to everybody who supported this so far and please keep it up!
David Murray, Gort River Walk Development Group.
PS : for more info please visit the Gort River Walk Facebook Page. The following are some recent quotes from our page :
Just back from a morning stroll along the Gort river walk. Its fantastic suits everyone we had kids and a puppy. What a super crew of volunteers working away so we have such a lovely amenity in town.
Great work. Thanks to all involved in making this such a beautiful location for Gort community
Thank you to all of those who are working so hard on this project. We, the community, are very grateful.
Thanks to all the volunteers, great work done, the place looks amazing.
Delighted for all involved in this project. Your hard work is paying dividends.
I have spoken to many people walking down the river walk and all highlighted the importance and the beneficial effects of having such a lovely amenity on town. I have recently seen entire families with picnic baskets, BBQs, fishing rods, bicycles, buggies, pets using the river walk as an important social and recreational site. the most important thing is that the age span of GRW goes from kids to elderly people, showing it s a safe and positive environment. From a social point of view GRW is also a success.
I have enjoyed walking, drawing, and painting along the river. I look forward to continuing those activities for years to come.
It's a marvellous amenity beautiful Walk on a fine day.
Super work. Thank you 👏
Well done! It's a fabulous achievement! 🙏
Fantastic well done 👏
Absolutely a fantastic achievement and addition to Gort. We are so lucky to have such talent in the area.
Thank you 🙏👍
Amazing project, such a hidden treasure❤
THANK YOU 💜💕❤️
Well done to all who made this walk possible. There's great work and planning put into it. Thanks!
A fabulous place to reset the mind every visit shows the layout of ongoing work well done David Murray and rest of the team
Such a marvellous gift to the town. Hard work, perseverance and care paying off. Thank you, one and all.
Thank you to all volunteers 🥰
Thank you! I can't wait to try it out! 👏👏👏Absolutely a fantastic achievement and addition to Gort.
Love walking the Gort River Walk , thank you to all volunteers to tirelessly work on keeping it clean
We finally got to visit the Gort River Walk and were SO inspired by the beauty and the experience that I just had to say thank you. The hard work has really paid off and those of you responsible should be proud. The town of Gort has a world-class feature, and we can't wait to return. Well done!
Well done to all … it's great to have this in Gort
Well done everyone. Such an asset to our town. It's beautiful.
Thank you for your hard work and dedication to this project.
Thank you – what a difference you have made!
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Gort River Walk : Nadin Reichel
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Nadin Reichel -
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Mavis Gormley -
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Nadin Reichel -
castellanoforeplarks.blogspot.com
Source: https://gortriverwalk.wordpress.com/2021/05/15/gort-river-walk-community-resilience-through-covid/
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