Minister visits Slieve Gullion Adventure Park

Minister O’Neill visited Slieve Gullion Forest Adventure Park on Wednesday to view the new Slieve Gullion Forest Adventure Park which officially opened in June. The Park was part funded by two of the funding bodies under Ms O’Neills department CASA and The Rural Development Programme 2007 - 2013 which is part financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and implemented locally by SOAR

The new adventure play park attracted approx 2,000 visitors per day from all over Ireland in the summer and it is hoped that this coming year will be no different. N&MDC has added a number of new pieces of equipment (swing and roundabout) specially designed for children with severe physical disabilities.

Council officials and local councillors of the South Armagh area lobbied continuously to have the facility developed within the Slieve Gullion Forest Park. Special thanks must be given to R Robinson & Sons architects and MP Coleman who were the architects and contractors on the project.

Throughout this process Newry & Mourne District Council has worked in partnership with a number of Community and Voluntary Organisations, including Newry and Mourne Senior Citizens Consortium, the Clanyre group and Sticky Fingers. 

The Park was developed in two sections. The first was being funded 100% by CASA. This area includes a multi purpose area, an adult fitness trail and an amphitheatre. The second section was funded 75% by SOAR under the Rural Development Programme and 25% by Newry & Mourne District Council. This area includes an adventure play park for children and teenagers.  The CASA represenative, Cllr Terry Hearty emphasised that this type of work will make a big difference to the local community and to making the Slieve Gullion area more attractive to visitors.  We were very pleased to have secured funding through the Special EU Programmes Body, INTERREG IVA Cross Border Programme.