Community celebration planned to mark final Lingaun Valley Loop bus journey

The free orbital bus that stops at tourist attractions in the Lingaun Valley in south east Carrick-on-Suir and south west Kilkenny will make its final journey on Saturday, October 4, and members of the local community will be  preparing to greet it as it pulls up at its last stop.

To mark the final journey, locals and those who have supported and contributed to the service in any way are being invited to attend a special celebratory event in Tullahought near Carrick-on-Suir where the bus will be welcomed at its final stop just after 5pm. An evening event for those involved then follows in Power's of Tullahought.

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Preliminary research shows that over the past four months, more than 1,000 passenger journeys were made on the free action research rural transport service by visitors and locals alike, according to Declan Rice, Kilkenny LEADER Partnership CEO.

He encouraged those who have not taken the Lingaun Loop to avail of the service in its final days. The project also was a huge marketing success for the Lingaun Valley, he added.

“People visited Knockroe Passage Tomb, the High Crosses, Ormond Castle, and the Suir Blueway. They hiked at Slievenamon, Kilmacoliver, and Bearna Brac. They stopped for lunch and coffee at Windgap Lakeside Tea Rooms and the Dovehill Centre.

“The motivation behind the service was two-fold – that you could successfully operate an orbital bus service that would link up with other conventional, fixed services, and that you could do it in a rural area and help rural tourism and rural mobility. Help residents move around the area. Rural isolation is a very important issue in the context of rural development.

“We are very happy with what everybody achieved. This was a partnership between ourselves, Ring a Ling, the county council, the local community, and tourism interests.  There was a lot of snagging. Logistics are never simple. There was huge interest and support locally.  We did show that you can link up areas that are disparate.

“We’ve learnt a lot. We will take those learnings into next year and are looking at other regions in the county where a similar service might be established.”

The free mini-bus service allows visitors to venture deep into the Lingaun Valley in the heart of rural Ireland and visit its high crosses, castles, churches, and tombs and enjoy a variety of walks and hikes, stopping off at local cafes and pubs along the way.

The route and frequency were specifically designed to link in with existing public transport services from popular bases such as Kilkenny city and Waterford city, or Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir in Tipperary. The Lingaun Loop stops at, or close to, key visitor attractions. Passengers can hop on or off at any one of 13 stops along the 50km route and rejoin the service later.

The Lingaun Loop orbits the area five times a day, seven days a week, starting at 9.30am and finishing just after 5.20pm. The project has been co-funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development.

The ‘action research’ pilot initiative feeds into a research project which will showcase demand and mobility options throughout the summer season in rural areas.

• Those who have not used the service are encouraged not to miss the opportunity in the final days. The route, the timetable and lots more can be found on https://lingaunvalley.ie/lingaun-loop-bus-service/

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