Minister Heather Humphreys and Sile Courtney leading the walkers through Deer Park Forest in Virginia to experience the Golden Way.

Golden way walk puts virginia on map

The unique Golden Way project is all set to put Virginia on the tourist trail. The Deerpark Forest Walk concept is to be included in literature for the Tourism East region and also features on the Coillte website.
The Minister for the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys, visited Deerpark Forest last week to launch of the Virginia 'Golden Way’, a 2.5km looped trail that traverses a historical and heritage rich route in the forest. The Minister duly acknowledged the dynamic and innovative work on the project by the Virginia and District and Historical Society, with the assistance of a 75% grant from the Irish Heritage Council.
Coillte has put up a trailhead at the site incorporating a map of the Golden Way. Four interpretive panels have also been erected at the built heritage sites on the trail – namely St Patrick’s Well, the Ice House, the Lady’s Cottage and the Castle Boat House (now a mere ruin). A conservation and management plan, including a schedule of works, is to be formulated to the restoration in relation to the Castle Boat House, together with a costing.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Humphreys acknowledged the many “tremendous assets” in the county under Coillte and welcomed Martin Ruane in his new post of Recreational Manager. She also complimented the Virginia Historical Society for its role in developing the trail, as did the cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Cllr Paddy Smith (FG).
A delighted John O’Donoghue, chairman, Virginia and District Historical Society, said he hoped everyone would now use the Golden Way and tell their friends about it.
Mr Ruane from Coillte described it as “a fabulous resource with fabulous heritage” and also extolled it as an educational resource for local schools. The new chief executive of Cavan County Council, Tommy Ryan, said the Golden Way concept had been developed by Cavan County Council and the heritage officer, Ann Marie Ward, carried out a review of the golden mile and introduced a Golden Way.

About the society
Virginia and District Historical Society was founded in February 2014 in response to a keen interest in local history, which was evident during the Virginia 400 celebrations in 2012. The society, which already has over 100 members, is affiliated to the Federation of Local History Societies.
The society arranges talks of local interest such as one on 'Dean Jonathan Swift and the Virginia Connection’.