McNulty welcomes funding commitment from Irish Government

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The Enterprise train is to become an hourly service. Photograph: Columba O'Hare/ Newry.ie

Newry and Armagh MLA Justin McNulty has welcomed the “extraordinary leadership” of the Irish Government, after last week's announcement byTaoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tánaiste Micheal Martin of close to €1billion of investment in the North through the Shared Island Fund.

Speaking after the announcement, Newry & Armagh MLA Justin McNulty said “This is an unprecedented brilliant announcement from the Irish Government. The funding commitment made through the Shared Island Unit will be completely transformational for so many parts of the North – whether that’s the €600million committed to upgrade the A5 in the North West, €50million to turbocharge the Casement Park Project, or the injection of funding to bring Narrow Water Bridge within touching distance, this was an extremely positive announcement for communities across the North.

“I particularly welcome the benefits of this announcement for my own constituency of Newry & Armagh, especially on issues that I have been vigorously campaigning on for years now, including support for Armagh Observatory and Planetarium. In addition, the €12.5million investment in delivering an hourly Enterprise service between Dublin and Belfast will be a breath of fresh air for commuters, especially because the fight to secure this expanded service has felt like an uphill battle at times. The completed Greenway all the way from Newry to Carlingford will be an amazing outlet for runners, walkers and cyclists.

“The Irish Government has demonstrated extraordinary leadership through this announcement, and it is now critical that all parties work together to seize the opportunities arising from this support.

Mr McNulty said he is determined to see Casement getting over the line in time for big GAA matches and the 2028 Euros.

Mentioning tourism and the Enterprise rail service the MLA said "I want to see expanded Dublin-Belfast rail services making hourly stops in Newry, and I will be working to ensure that the Irish Government’s support for our local tourism sector is fully leveraged, so that we secure our place in Ireland’s Ancient East and put counties Armagh and Down firmly on the international tourism map.”