Leitrim man represents Ireland at European Network of the Lakes event in Italy

Leitrim man Leslie O’Hora is in Iseo, Italy today, representing both Leitrim and Ireland at the European Network of the Lakes.

The event, which runs until Sunday, offers representatives from the 27 member states with inland lakes a chance to meet and discuss ways to improve tourism in their regions, both individually and collectively.

The European Network of the Lakes was established to promote hidden heartlands around Europe. At the event, O’Hora will liaise with other lake-based groups from across the continent and deliver a speech at the conference.

“I will be talking to them about greenways and blueways, and also about the fact that there may be the possibility that Leitrim could become an eco-park,” says O’Hora.

The idea of establishing Leitrim as an eco-park or Nature Regional Landscape Park—similar to those that already exist in 22 European countries—was recently proposed by Cllr Justin Warnock at a Manorhamilton Municipal District meeting.

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O’Hora has voiced his support for the idea: “Leitrim could become an eco-park and that would be fantastic, both in terms of, you know, the potential to have eco-holidays, you know, nature-based holidays, but it might also keep the frackers and the gold miners at bay, which is, you know, obviously is one thing to live in a beautiful environment, but it's another thing to protect it.”

O’Hora is attending the event on behalf of the Leitrim Tourism Network, a coalition of around 30 Leitrim-based businesses working to promote the county as a destination for various types of holidays, including adventure, biking, water sports, hiking, and luxury getaways.

Given the increasing demand for accommodation across the country, O’Hora also spoke about the importance of community ownership of local amenities to maintain control over how they are used.

“If you have a hotel that's owned by the community, you can manage your own destiny in terms of the amount of accommodation that can be given over for tourism, and equally the amount of accommodation that can be given over for, say, government programs.”

The meeting is also an opportunity for local groups to find out about grants that are available to them through the European Union.

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