Take a stroll along Maghera’s £250K ‘Largantogher Walkway’

Newly named as ‘Largantogher Walkway’, the path will, for the first time, connect the Walled Garden which is adjacent to the historic St Lurach’s church with the town’s Tobermore Road, creating more opportunities for local people and visitors alike to enjoy open green space, with peaceful areas to rest along the way.

The landscaped pathways will be enhanced with lighting, seating and panels which detail the history of The Walled Garden, St Lurach’s Church and the local area in the project, which is 75% funded via the Mid Ulster Rural Development Partnership (Local Action Group), with the remaining 25% coming from Mid Ulster District Council.

This is one of 37 village renewal projects, representing £2.15m of capital investment across Mid Ulster under the Rural Development Programme.

Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Sean McPeake, visited the site as work got underway on the walkway.

“This is another great example of our local rural development partnership working together with the Council to deliver a project which enhances the town centre environment and offers greater opportunities for local people to enjoy the health benefits of open space,” he said.

“It’s one of a series of investments in Maghera, which have included a £140K enhancement of facilities in the leisure centre and, still to come, proposals for a substantial £2.5m public realm scheme which will transform the fabric of the town centre”.

Chair of Mid Ulster Rural Development Partnership, Councillor Sean Clarke, said: “Through funding from the NI Rural Development Programme, Mid Ulster Rural Development Partnership will be making available £2.15m for capital investment to complete a range of projects across the Mid Ulster District Council area under the Village Renewal Scheme. 

“The partnership approach of the local Council working closely with local communities is the model which brings most benefit to delivering actions identified in the village plans”.

The project is part funded under Priority 6 (LEADER) of the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and the European Union.

The Largantogher Way is scheduled to open in time for the summer with work expected to be completed by May.