The Dublin Mountains Way () is a waymarked long-distance trail in the Dublin Mountains, Counties South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. The route is approximately long and runs from Shankill in the east to Tallaght in the west. It has been developed by the Dublin Mountains Partnership, an umbrella group of relevant state agencies and recreational users working to improve recreational facilities in the Dublin Mountains.
Work on the trail began in 2008 and the first section officially opened in June 2009. The task of upgrading and building paths and waymarking the route has been carried out to a large extent by volunteers working under the direction of the Dublin Mountains Partnership. It was opened in October 2010.
Travelling from east to west, the route of the Dublin Mountains Way starts on the Main Street of Shankill and passes through Rathmichael, Carrickgollogan, Barnaslingan, Glencullen, Ballyedmonduff, Three Rock, Two Rock, Tibradden Mountain, Cruagh Wood, Featherbed Forest, Glenasmole and Kiltipper before ending at Seán Walsh Memorial Park in Tallaght. The Way visits several sites of historical interest including the prehistoric monuments at Ballyedmonduff and on Two Rock and Tibradden Mountains. It also visits several places of scientific interest such as The Scalp, an important example of a glacial lake overflow, and the Glenasmole Valley, a Special Area of Conservation. The route passes through a variety of terrain from urban parks to forest to open mountainside and is on a mixture of roads and forest and mountain tracks and trails.
History
The Dublin Mountains Way has been developed by the Dublin Mountains Partnership (DMP), which was established in May 2008 with the aim of improving the recreational experience for users of the Dublin Mountains. Its members include representatives from Coillte, the State-owned forestry company; South Dublin County Council; Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council; the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Dublin Mountains Initiative, an umbrella group of recreational users of the mountains. The trail has been an objective of the local authorities since the 1980s; an attempt to develop the Way in 1988 was thwarted when the Department of Energy vetoed the routing of the trail through state-owned forests due to the risk of public liability claims, even though £10,000 had been spent on equipment, including waymarks. With the formation of the DMP in 2008, the trail began to be realised. The DMP was set up as a result of pressure from the Dublin Mountains Initiative arising from clear felling of forests in the area. The vision document published in 2006 by the Dublin Mountains Initiative included a proposal for a "Dublin Way", similar to what has now been developed.
Work commenced on the Dublin Mountains Way in September 2008 with the upgrade of the trail at Tibradden Mountain. A sleepered bog bridge was constructed at the summit to protect the surrounding heathland and a stone staircase and water management features were added to other parts of the trail. The work was carried out with support from at a cost of €100,000. The first section of the Way – from Tibradden to Cruagh Wood – was officially opened on 19 June 2009 by Éamon Ó Cuív, TD, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Other sections have been completed with assistance from over 300 volunteer workers. The section linking Cruagh Wood and Massy's Estate was built by volunteers from the trail conservation group Mountain with funding from the Irish Ramblers Club. Mountain 's work on this section of trail was awarded second prize in the European Ramblers' Association 2011 Eco Awards, in recognition of achievements in environmental protection and sustainable outdoor recreation. Volunteers from Google have upgraded trails and waymarked the route at Barnaslingan and Carrickgollogan. The full route was officially opened on 31 October 2010 by the Dublin Mountains Partnership at a ceremony in Ticknock forest. In November 2011, the Dublin Mountains Way won a Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Award in the Joint Local Authority Initiative section.
A number of alterations were made to the route in 2012. The Way originally passed through St Ann's graveyard in Glenasmole to reach the Bohernabreena Waterworks but now follows the road to Castlekelly Bridge, entering the Waterworks at its southern end. Following an agreement with a local landowner, some of trail has been taken off-road by facilitating access to Three Rock Mountain via private forestry at Ballyedmonduff.