The Greenway is the 42 km stretch of path which was formerly the Victorian train track of the Midlands Great Western Railway which has become a recreational phenomenon. It runs along the coastline from Westport to Achill Island, taking in Newport and Mulranny (Mallaranny) en route, and taking in some of the most breathtaking sights of mountains and Clew Bay opening out to the vast ocean with countless islands.
The 42 km route is broken up into three journeys: Westport to Newport (11 km); Newport to Mulranny (18 km); and Mulranny to Achill (13 km). Bicycles are readily available for hire in each location and the sight of cyclists aged 5 to 95 are the new norm, with the little ones carried in toddler seats or in trailers behind bikes. The advent of electric bikes have opened up the possibilities for all ages and fitness levels to traverse the route and take in the natural beauty of Clew Bay. The experience of self-propelled motion with the wind in your hair is drawing some people out of their comfortable chairs and onto bikes in need of dusting down. The gently undulating route passes through farmland, over rivers, under and over stone bridges, through woodlands and along side the ocean. Refreshments are supplied along the way in Newport, Mulranny and Polranny.
The original Midlands Great Western Railway service from Westport to Achill was brought to fruition through the efforts of Arthur J. Balfour, Chief Secretary for Ireland between 1887-91. His aim was to construct extended lines to disadvantaged areas such as West Mayo. The first station on this extended line from Westport--known as one of the “Balfour Lines”-- was Newport, which opened in February 1894, followed by Mallaranny in August of the same year. The final leg to Achill was completed in May 1895.
Despite enhancing the quality of life of the people of West Mayo, its benefits both socially and economically were not enough to sustain the service. The combination of the disappointing levels of traffic and the rise of alternative transports, namely the car, brought about the demise of the railway service after 42 years.
One legend about the railway tells of a 17th century man, Brian Ó Ceabháin, who foretold the fate of the Achill train service when he described his vision of carriages on iron wheels breathing smoke and fire carrying the bodies of the dead. The story was recounted over the years as the train to Achill’s inauspicious beginning came in 1894 when, before the track was even finished, a special train was dispatched to bring the bodies of 34 tragic potato pickers or “tatie howkers”, who, undertaking their seasonal journey to Scotland for work, never reached the steamboat awaiting them in Clew Bay and lost their lives to the sea.
Conversion of the disused railway line has brought new life to a richly endowed area which has seen its share of challenges--from the blight of the famine to the toll of emigration. Winner of numerous awards as an innovative public project, the public’s response speaks volumes, as every day of the week, in all weathers, there are people moving along the railway line--under their own steam.