Today, the top ten most visited parks in Coillte for 2023 were revealed. Over 357,000 people visited Rossmore Park in the previous year.

Ticknock Recreation Area in Dublin and Donadea Forest Park in County Kildare, both with more than 200,000 visits, were included in the top three.

The most popular locations on the list were Jenkinstown Wood in County Kilkenny, Killykeen Forest Park in County Cavan, Belleek in County Mayo, Hazelwood in County Sligo, Tintern Abbey in County Wexford, Portumna Forest Park in County Galway, and Ards Forest Park in County Donegal.

The rankings coincide with the announcement of a €3 million initiative to improve and expand Coillte Forest Park services throughout Ireland.

The funds will go towards creating additional trails, improving parking lots, building footbridges, and installing restrooms in addition to managing and maintaining the current trails.

Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys made the announcement about the financing for the enhancements, expressing her desire to see the recent spike in forest park visitors continue.

"There's nothing quite like a walk in the forest if you want to take a break and get some peace and quiet," she stated.

"There are so many hidden gems on our doorstep in Ireland and I would encourage people to get out and explore them."

In addition to 260 woodland recreation zones, Coillte boasts more than 440,000 hectares of land and forest. With an anticipated 18 million visits, Coillte is the leading provider of outdoor recreation, according to CEO Imelda Hurley.

According to Ms. Hurley, Coillte will be able to improve visitor experiences in recreational forests all throughout the nation with the help of the money.

Deerpark in County Cavan, which is slated to get €200,000 for the design and building of a new car park entry, is one of the parks that will benefit from this most recent financing.

Additionally, Belleek in County Mayo will receive €150,000 for a pond rejuvenation project, and Slieve Foye in County Louth will receive €60,000 for infrastructure improvement projects.

The financial announcement made today is a part of a strategic partnership between Coillte and the Department of Rural and Community Development, which aims to improve recreational facilities on Coillte land by €3 million annually between 2022 and 2026.