I've recently spent some time in France and the paths that traverse the countryside are varied; on a recent walking holiday in Normandy, stopping to check the 1:25,000 scale map for a location I was helped on three occasions by locals, some of whom came out of their houses after seeing the map being unfurled. There was no problem with the paths passing along the edge of their land, overlooking their gardens or into their houses. In France it seems to be simple, a path links two points and follows rivers or property boundaries where possible and for the most part people are  happy with that. In fact on that same walk, on a Sunday afternoon in rural France I encountered walkers, dog walkers, cyclists, velo-railers, ponies pulling a carriage and canoeists on the river. Everyone was making use of the countryside, respecting the others rights to be there.

I'm not advocating trespassing but there should be some concensus because Ireland is losing out to our nearest neighbours and really we should be leading the way, ecotourism is about all the best that Ireland can offer from the raw landscapes to the the interaction with custodians of the land, the farmers in many cases.

Several successes including the Greenway are leading the way in showing how this type of tourism can benefit Ireland.

More to come on the proposed changes to the Access to the Irish Countryside Bill afterI get to speak with some of its proponents.

From my point of view, photography often involves getting off the public highway, getting a taste for the real Ireland; enjoy it and don't worry about it but don't break the law. Most Irish people will look after you.