Photographs by Vicky Comerford
A big crowd turned out to mark the official reopening of the Lacken Boardwalk on the banks of the River Nore, just downstream from Kilkenny City Centre, on Monday the 17th February 2025.
Kilkenny City’s first composite construction boardwalk was officially opened by the Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr. Michael McCarthy in the presence of the Mayor of Kilkenny Municipal District, Cllr. Andrew McGuinness.
The original boardwalk, which forms part of Lacken Walk and Canal and is a gateway to the Nore Valley Walk, was installed back in 2012. Since then, it served the people of Kilkenny and our many visitors very well but owing to its timber construction it was reaching the end of its lifespan. The original boardwalk was also a victim of its own popularity in that the cross-section had proven too narrow to accommodate the large volume of users. The new boardwalk, which is 450lin.m in length and provides for a cross-section width of 3.6m, a threefold increase on the original, is more accessible to wheelchair users, those with reduced mobility, people with prams or buggies, and dog walkers. It also offers quiet, recessed seating areas where users can sit, relax, and watch the river flow by.
Speaking at the event, Cllr. Michael McCarthy, Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, expressed his delight to officially reopen what he said “is a significant asset to the recreational offering of Kilkenny City.” The Cathaoirleach also acknowledged the input of the Council staff, the design consultants, Kilgallen and Partners, and the works contractor, Triur Construction Ltd., adding that “the bespoke design and subsequent construction quality of the boardwalk was evident for all to see.”
The design specification, demonstrating Kilkenny County Council’s commitment to sustainability, utilises a very durable composite recycled material, and with the exception of the metal fixings and the hardwood decking used on the accessibility ramp and stairs section, it was constructed using 100% recycled plastic components. Therefore, as you walk along the boardwalk, you are in fact walking on a mixture of blended plastics from everyday household use items, such as drink bottles, food trays, butter containers, and plastic film. During the construction of this boardwalk, over 163 tonnes of recycled plastic lumber was used. To help visualise the quantity of plastic that was recycled and repurposed to construct this boardwalk, it equates to just over 7.5 million 500ml plastic drink bottles. Had this quantity of plastic waste gone to incineration, it would have released approximately 400 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. Alternatively, if the boardwalk was constructed using traditional timber products, approximately 250 mature trees would have been required to be cut down.
Also speaking at the reopening, Cllr. Andrew McGuinness, Mayor of Kilkenny Municipal District, noted this project was one that was very close to his heart, having played along this section of the river as a child, and of his delight to see it finished to such a high standard. As a regular user, he expressed his delight to see how popular the new boardwalk was with a variety of users with mixed mobility before going on to describe the boardwalk as a jewel in the crown of the Lacken area.
The new boardwalk sees an investment of approximately €800,000 into Kilkenny City’s newest large-scale amenity offering. The funding to deliver this project was secured from the Department for Rural and Community Development, under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme and supplemented with the Council’s own funds.
Also speaking at the event, Mr. Frank Stafford, Senior Engineer, Kilkenny County Council, paid tribute to the Council Management Team for having the foresight to see the potential of this proposal. He thanked the Elected Members for always being very supportive of this project and indeed all projects that deliver amenity spaces, and that promote health and wellbeing for the people of Kilkenny.
