Rothar Routes

Cycle routes & pilgrim journeys in Ireland and Europe …..

Archive for ‘December, 2024’

Half Dozen GAA Moments 2024

End of another great year, and it’s nice to look back. So many great memories, these are a few personal ones from visits to games and grounds across the country! Where would we be without the GAA?

Munster SFC Cork v Kerry, Fitzgerald Stadium

Every visit to Fitzgerald Stadium is full of nostalgia for me; it brings me back to great family holidays in Kerry, a love of Kerry football, Munster Finals with Tommy Wogan and John Owens – sneaking into the Kerry dressing room after one epic battle with Cork in, 1989 (if memory serves me correct), listening to Billy Morgan coming in to congratulate the Kerry Team! Cork started this year’s clash very well and dominated for 50 minutes but fell away in the end. Is there a more picturesque ground than Fitzgerald Stadium?

Ulster SFC Armagh v Down, Tiernach Park, Clones

If Thurles is the spiritual home of hurling, Clones can lay claim to be the spiritual home of football, at least in Ulster. It’s a venue I love attending and I regularly by pass games in Croke Park to head to Clones on Ulster Championship days. This was a tight one – a one point win for the Orchard County, 0-13 to 2-6. Conor Laverty got the most from the Mourne men but Kieran McGeeney’s side showed real glimpses of class in how quickly they transitioned the ball. I was delighted to see Armagh go all the way in 2024, another county I have a soft spot for! Great memories of Armagh v Tyrone in 1989, played in Omagh; it was the day the blond haired Jon Lynch, corner back for Tyrone, got pulled into the Armagh dressing room at half time and got a flew slaps! The Giant Grimley brothers were playing for Armagh, two huge men. The atmosphere was electric and Armagh were well on top in the first half. Maybe the tunnel incident changed the game on its head. The great Kevin McCabe kicked 0-9 that day, 0-6 in the second half. The silky skilled Ciarán Corr bagged a goal for Tyrone. Our own John Owens was in and around the Tyrone panel at that time when he was togging out for The Moy, alongside Plunkett Donaghy.

Team Building Day on the Curragh

A memorable day carrying out team building exercises under the watchful eye of Tom Devereux (087 7052140). Highly recommend it for any team. The players bought into it and gave it everything. Sometimes the journey is as important as the destination! Hopefully the lads will arrive at their destination in 2025!

A packed Dr Cullen Park for Carlow v Wexford

A bit of a chastening experience for our hurlers as they slipped to a heavy loss. A series of unforced errors cost them dearly and as a result they didn’t do themselves justice on this day. But what days the hurlers have given to Carlow GAA in recent years. It’s easy see why when you see the standard of the County Senior Hurling Final this year between St Mullins and Mount Leinster Rangers. Poetry in motion. Warriors.

Scotstown GAA – An Bhoth

I passed by the club over the summer when climbing the Monaghan High Point, Sliabh Beagh (373 meters). Football is a religion in Ulster and Scotstown are currently top of the pile in Monaghan with 9 titles in the past 12 years and 24 altogether. I love the swash buckling style of a team sprinkled with star dust – Darren and Kieran Hughes, Rory Beggan between the posts, Jack McCarron, Conor McCarthy and Shane Carey among others. Uniquely the Club also provided the GAA with a great Uachtarán in Seán McCague (2000-2003) and an equally impressive Director General, Pauric Duffy (2008-2018). You can sense the pride and culture in the club when visiting the Grounds.

A memento from a visit a few years back to Pauric Duffy’s office in Croke Park! Pauric didn’t know why the Green Bay Helmet was in his office and he gave it to me as I was leaving. That brought back more memories of another great occasion in Lambeau Field, with Tommy Wogan in 2007 when we saw the Packers play the Raiders in -24 degrees!

Aidan Forker lifts Sam Maguire Cup for Armagh

I was very privileged to have a ring side seat for the Sam Maguire presentation this year – unbelievable seat! Armagh always bring colour and crowds; a GAA mad county and one I have really strong affinity for stretching back to 1977, the year Dublin beat them in the All Ireland Final. You see Armagh fulfilled a promise and came to Carlow to play our lads. Players like Colm McKinstry, Joe Kernan, Jimmy Smyth, Paddy Moriarty, Jimmy Kerr and Tom McCreesh were heroic figures to me. Years later I was privileged to befriend the greatest coach I know, the late John Morrison. We became very close and spoke almost every day. John would send me his articles that he was preparing for the Ulster Gazette to read and critique. There was nothing I could add to them – he was teaching me. In my experience John was one of the biggest influences on coaching in Gaelic Football.

Kerry SFC Final Dr Crokes v Dingle

A miserable day in Austin Stack Park where Dr Crokes finally got on top of Dingle to run out as fortunate winners by 3-8 to 0-11. It could have been so different if Dingle had taken goals instead of points from three great first half opportunities when they were completely dominant. Fair play though to Pat O Shea, though, he got to grips with the challenge and his side went on to run out deserving winners. Is there an All Ireland Club title there for them in January? Time will tell but I don’t think so.

B.Y.O.B

Bring your own ball!

10 Hidden Gems, hiding in Plain Sight..

As the morning mists lifts over our beautiful country bóthríns, the rolling of my tyres is the only sound I hear. This is bike touring – intimate, unhurried and endlessly rewarding. You see every road has a destination, some are hiding in plain sight.. here are 10 that brought me quiet satisfaction when I visited them during 2024:

1 Fourknocks Passage Tomb

15 kms south of Newgrange is the much lesser known Fourknocks Passage Tomb. Keys are available from a neighbouring house and you can explore this fabulous 5,000 year old tomb all on your own. Off the beaten track and all the more impressive for it.

2. The Seven Wonders of Fore

The Seven Wonders of Fore include the monastery in the bog, the water that flows uphill, the tree that won’t burn, the water that won’t boil, the anchorite in a stone, the mill without a race and the lintel raised by St Feichin’s prayers! This is a magical place in County Westmeath with a lovely 4kms walk to visit all the sites. Check it out!

3. Meelick Weir Crossing of the Shannon

The weir was damaged in severe storms in 2009 and again in 2015/2016, when the walkway was also damaged and was subsequently closed and is now reopened. It links the historic village of Meelick in east Galway to Lusmagh in west Offaly and forms part of the Hymany Way and the Beara-Breifne Way walking trails.  It’s a unique spot – the three provinces of Leinster, Connacht and Munster meet right here. Lots of interesting historical sites on both sides of the Shannon here.

4. The Shannon Pot

The Shannon, Ireland’s largest river, at a magnificent 360kms, literally comes bubbling out of the ground close to the border between Cavan and Fermanagh in the Cuilcagh Mountains, at a place quaintly called The Shannon Pot or Log na Sionna as Gaeilge, “The Hollow of the Shannon”. It’s a large pool of golden brown water about 16 metres in diameter and at least 9 metres deep. The water reaches the Pot through a network of underground streams and many say that it actually starts in County Fermanagh at a place called the Pigeon Pot.

5. Clonfert Cathedral

I stumbled on a unique burial tradition here in Clonfert, where graves are lined with chicken wire and branches of laurel are woven into the wire to provide a beautiful resting place for the deceased. I was delighted to see this being done while I was being regaled with the true tale of the incredible 9 legged cycle! Anthony Flanagan lost his leg many years ago in a combine harvester accident. He didn’t allow it define him or inhibit him and he undertook an incredible charity cycle a couple of years ago along with 4 others. With just ONE LEG he completed a 420km cycle IN 24 HOURS for some local causes. The following year they cycled to Croagh Patrick AND HE CLIMBED IT! I came out of Clonfert graveyard with my head spinning, full of amazement at the spirit of Anthony and his absolute determination to get on with life regardless of the cruel hand he was dealt. St Brendan the Navigator founded his monastery here and it became a great seat of learning with over 3,000 monks here in its heyday.

6. Presley Ancestral Grave

It’s hard to reconcile the glitzy image of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll with this peaceful corner of Wicklow, but perhaps that’s the magic of it. As I stood there, the connection between past and present felt palpable. There’s a QR code on a sign at the entrance to the graveyard, which gives a detailed account of the Presley connection. Nearby Hacketstown also claims to be the birthplace of the Presley ancestors. There are court reports from the 1870s of a savage beating William Presley received on land he rented in Hacketstown, possibly by the ‘Whiteboys’, a secret agrarian society which defended tenant farmers land rights… I don’t think Elvis was singing the ‘Green Green Grass of Home’ in honour of the old sod!

7. Mount Melleray Monastery

Sad to say, but since I visited Mount Melleray over the Summer, news has broken of its imminent closure. It’s a Cistercian Abbey located in the Knockmealdown Mountains. The Abbey was founded on 30 May 1832 by a colony of Irish and English monks, expelled from the abbey of Melleray after the French Revolution of 1830, and who had come to Ireland under the leadership of Fr. Vincent de Paul Ryan. It was called Mount Melleray in memory of the motherhouse. I had a great chat there with Father Denis Luke, Prior of the Abbey, about cycling and the Camino, a really nice man who had a kind word for everyone. Soon there will be no one to greet visitors. Another loss…

8. Baunreagh 1798 Camp Field

I finally saw the sign for the 1798 Camp Field, where Father Murphy and the Wexford Rebels were camped out during the 1798 rising. What an epic march they made from Vinegar Hill, then were betrayed and badly beaten at the Battle of Kilcumney, got up as far as Castlecomer and forced back down country before he met his dreadful end at the hands of the Yeomen in Tullow, where he was  stripped, flogged, hanged, decapitated, his corpse burnt in a barrel of tar and his head impaled on a spike in the Main Square. Hard to forget or forgive those terrible deeds.

9. W.B. Yeats Grave

The village of Drumcliffe, County Sligo is famous for being the final resting place of W.B.Yeats, whose grave is in the churchyard under this simple headstone. Yeats died in 1939 in a hotel in the south of France. He was buried in a pauper’s grace in the village of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, close to Monaco. His body was returned to Ireland in 1948 and buried in Drumcliffe. The release of State Papers this week express serious doubts over the identity of the ‘Yeats bones’ .

10 Mullaghgarve Mass Rock, Sliabh an Iarainn

Mass Rocks were rocks used as altars during the Penal Laws in the 1700s and were usually located in out of the way locations. This one is perfectly hidden from view behind a tall pinnacle, on the side of Sliabh an Iarainn, County Leitrim and is quite difficult to find. Once you turn at the pinnacle there is a short little section of roughly cut steps that take you to this unique mass rock. It’s perfectly secluded and with watch outs on duty the priest and his flock could safely celebrate mass without fear of the redcoats or peelers surprising them.

The Bike is the Best Way to see what you cannot see!

Every time I go out on the bike I see something new, or rather something old that I see for the first time! There is no other mode of transport that opens the mind and the eyes to little gems of history that otherwise are passed unnoticed. Yesterday I had a great spin out through Ballylinan and Barrowhouse, I stopped in Ballylinan and noticed an inscription on the side of the entrance stone to Grace Avenue. The inscription paid tribute to to one William Russell Grace, formerly of Ballylinan, who left Ireland in the 1840s, travelled to Peru to establish an Irish agricultural community, returned home and then went to the States where he became the first Irish American Catholic Mayor of New York! He held office, lost it at the next election but regained it at the following election and in his second term received the Statue of Liberty as a gift from France! Isn’t that an amazing little snippet of history. I had no idea about until I happened by chance to stop and read the feint inscription on the entrance stone! The weather was incredibly mild and I got a lovely 48kms done on the quietest of back roads.

Today took me in the opposite direction; while out in my sisters’ house on Christmas night, someone mentioned the Alpaca Farm at Augha. In all my cycles around the Nurney plateau, I hadn’t come across this Alpaca Farm, which I see on Google Maps is the ‘ Tinryland Alpaca Farm! I found it easy enough and could see them well in off the road but was disappointed they weren’t wearing hooped jerseys!

It was another lovely mild morning, even if a little misty at times and I headed on down to Dunleckney Graveyard, where I could see that TC Clarke, who lives beside it was having a gathering of the clan! A great footballing family. Into Muinebheag and out to Royal Oak, where I swung a left for Wells graveyard. One of the best kept old graveyards in the county – it wasn’t always so as the story board recounts the deterioration in the graveyard with ‘pigs, sheep and goats all using the headstones as scratching posts! Records show a church here as far back as 1262 AD and there is a well maintained Church ruin still standing. There are headstones dating back to the 1700s and it is still an active graveyard. It’s a very tranquil picturesque setting and you could hardly be buried in a better place!

I then crossed the old Kilkenny road and headed up a bóithrín in the direction of Milebush. Now that was a steep steep climb, with gradient reaching 15% at one point; no wonder Michael Meaney was always so fit! Mind you looking at the Ordnance Survey Map, I think he could have played for Kilkenny too! As I climbed up out of the Barrow Valley, I entered what appeared to be Carlow’s ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’ and visibility became quite poor as I made it to Baunreagh, subject of a possible new wind farm, which does not appear to be welcome in the area; there are a lot of houses dotted around here and it’s easy understand the concerns.

I was again glad I was on the bike as I finally saw the sign for the 1798 Camp Field, where Father Murphy and the Wexford Rebels were camped out during the rising. What an epic march they made from Vinegar Hill, were badly beaten at the Battle of Kilcumney, got up as far as Castlecomer and forced back down country before he met his dreadful end at the hands of the Yeomen in Tullow, where he was  stripped, flogged, hanged, decapitated, his corpse burnt in a barrel of tar and his head impaled on a spike in the Main Square. Hard to forget or forgive those terrible deeds.

Visibility was getting poorer and I headed for home along the Ridge Drive, turning back towards Clogrenanne and then sharp left for the Cruachán and back through Graiguecullen. 54 kms in total, with 700 metres of climbing. Another great day in the saddle!

Did I tell you the one about Elvis Presley?

This morning, I set out on what I thought would be an ordinary Sunday morning cycle, but it turned into a journey through time—a living story that spanned thousands of years and wove together history, legend, and even a touch of rock ‘n’ roll!! My route today started at Rathgall Hillfort, one of Ireland’s most remarkable Bronze Age sites, and ended at Kilquiggan, where the ancestors of none other than Elvis Presley are said to be buried.

The Bronze Age Legacy of Rathgall

I parked up at the small car park in front of Rathgall; a handy place to reach a lot of interesting sights in this part of east Carlow and west Wicklow. The day began atop the windswept Rathgall Hillfort. Standing among the ancient stone ramparts, I couldn’t help but marvel at how 3,000 years ago, this site was bustling with life. The panoramic views stretched across the patchwork fields of Counties Carlow and Wicklow, and I imagined the people who once gathered here for trade, ritual, or defense. It was a humbling start to the journey, and as I pedalled away, I carried a sense of connection to those long-ago lives. Not far away is Moylisha Hill, with its own ancient Wedge Tomb, looking down on Rathgall.

Aghowle Church: Echoes of Early Christian Ireland

The next stop is one of my all time favourite places, Aghowle Church, nestled in serene isolation, at the bottom of a newly tarmaced lane. Take care to close the gates on arriving and leaving. Built around the 6th century, its crumbling walls stand as a testament to Ireland’s early Christian heritage. The heritage sign tells that it was founded by the great St Finnian of Clonard – but of course to us Carlovians, he is Finnian of Myshall – his birthplace. Clonard is where he founded his huge monastery and where he educated the ‘Twelve Apostles of Ireland’ – which included the great Brendan, the Navigator and Colmcille. At one point there were 3,000 students in Clonard – a University campus! The Romanesque doorway seemed to whisper stories of pilgrims and monks who prayed here over a thousand years ago. I had a short wander among the gravestones and spent some time admiring the unusual plain High Cross, with no carvings or markings on it. Most unusual. It was time to hop back onto my bike!The rolling hills of the Wicklow Way awaited, offering spectacular views as I made my way down towards the river.

Park Bridge and the Dying Cow Pub: A Step into the 18th Century

Soon I reached Park Bridge and the lovely Egans pub, which I admired from the saddle as I continued past heading onwards on my loop. The terrain was quite hilly and I was following road sections of the Wicklow Way over towards the famed Dying Cow Pub, 15 kms away its name as quirky as its charm. Legend has it that the pub’s name originated from the quick-witted landlady’s excuse to the authorities when caught serving after hours. She claimed the customers were tending to a dying cow and needed refreshments! It’s well worth a visit – it’s a tiny pub, full of memorabilia; the pub has been here for over 300 years and in the ownership of the Tallon family.

Kilquiggan: The Presley Connection

The final leg of the journey took me in the direction of Clonmore but I skirted left and headed along the side of Seskin Hill and on to Kilquiggan, where I paused by a quiet graveyard said to hold the remains of Elvis Presley’s Irish ancestors. It’s hard to reconcile the glitzy image of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll with this peaceful corner of Wicklow, but perhaps that’s the magic of it. As I stood there, the connection between past and present felt palpable. From the Bronze Age inhabitants of Rathgall to the early Christians at Aghowle, the 18th-century revellers at the Dying Cow, and finally, the 20th-century legacy of Elvis, it felt as though history was a living, breathing thing. There’s a QR code on a sign at the entrance to the graveyard, which gives a detailed account of the Presley connection. Nearby Hacketstown also claims to be the birthplace of the Presley ancestors and there is also a connection with Stranakelly, where the Dying Cow is located. There are court reports from the 1870s of a savage beating William Presley received on land he rented in Hacketstown, possibly by the ‘Whiteboys’, a secret agrarian society which defended tenant farmers land rights… I don’t think Elvis was singing the ‘Green Green Grass of Home’ in honour of the old sod!

A Journey Through Time

The cycle home was mostly downhill, a welcome relief after the stiff enough climbs that had taken me across this historic route. As the sun peeped out fleetingly in the sky, I replayed the day in my mind, grateful for the stories embedded in the landscape. Who would have thought that a simple cycle could take me from 3000 BCE to the roots of one of the most iconic figures of modern music? There’s some iconic pubs on this route – Byrnes of Crablane, Egans of Park Bridge and The Dying Cow, all lovely places to visit if you are in the area!

Did I tell you the one about Elvis Presley? Turns out, his story isn’t just in Memphis; it’s written into the hills and valleys of Wicklow and Carlow, too.

We Came, We Saw, We Cycled…

Storm Darragh brought a shuddering halt to weekend rides and thoughts turned to warm memories of epic bike tours completed in years gone by – fuelling a thirst for future adventures in the summer to come. Plotting and planning. Part of the fun of bike touring is the planning of routes; the picking of interesting locations to visit, the researching the history of the routes and possible deviations to take in other attractions. Another is looking back at previous adventures to fuel the passion to go again!

On the 4th September 2010 Ronan and myself set out from Canterbury Cathedral in England, along one of the great European pilgrimage routes, the Via Francigena, from Canterbury to Rome.The route we were following was the route recorded by Archbishop Sigeric in the year 990 on his return journey from the Eternal City; there is renewed interest in the old pilgrim routes, attracting a growing number of pilgrims, though nothing like the level of interest in the Camino Santiago.

Entering the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral. Admission free for pilgrims!

Entering the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral! (I’ve used AI to create a series of nice images to give a flavour of the journey).

We cycled the Camino Francés when Ronan completed ranga sé in Gaelscoil Eoghain Uí Thuairisc and he was always up for another big adventure. This was on a different scale; starting in the UK, crossing France, into Switzerland, over the 8,114 feet high, St Bernard Pass in the Alps and down into the Aosta Valley and on to Rome!

We had our paper maps and each day we would pour over them; It was disheartening to see how little ground we had covered on the large scale road map! France is huge!

One of the things we hadn’t factored in when planning the trip was that the route passed through parts of France where much of the fighting in WW1 took place and we frequently came upon immaculately maintained cemeteries containing hundreds of white crosses, with so many of them teenage soldiers. The futility of war.

It isn’t all plain sailing while bike touring and the road presents so many challenges, one of them being the weather. The wind always feels like it’s a head wind and parts of eastern France were very exposed so progress was slow enough. Add in a drop of rain and days can be challenging but rewarding when the kilometres clock up!

Map reading in the rain!

Fight with the chain…

But the great memories far outweigh the few hiccups that inevitably happen on a long bike tour. Passing from France into Switzerland was another major milestone and then climbing out of Switzerland up the St. Bernard Pass, to say the night in the monastery there at over 8,000 feet. Incredible feeling to cycle over the Alps!

The famous St Bernard dogs are housed here at the monastery and are used for search and rescue of lost hikers in the surrounding Alps!

Ronan at the border between Switzerland and France in the St Bernard Pass

Italy is one of my favourite countries to cycle in. The scenery, the off road routes, the food, the climate, the history and the people are just amazing. Every village has something special worth seeing or visiting.

Typical Tuscany scene!

Another great milestone was reaching the Mediterranean on our bikes from Canterbury! An incredible feeling to come down out from the rain along the Via D’egli Abati and into the sunshine of the coast. Dipping our front wheels in the sea… unforgettable memories.

Reaching the Mediterranean Sea by bike

So many towns, Bobbio, Lucca, Siena… worthy of a lengthy stop over…

An AI generated of the Guningi Tower in Lucca… not quite right but it conveys the beauty!

Cycling into Piazza del Campo, Siena, where the famous Palio takes place each July..

The Towers of San Gimignano…

Ronan cycling towards the Coliseum

The journey ended when we cycled into St Peters Square in the Vatican. It’s hard to believe it was fourteen years ago now! The memories are as strong as ever and it’s definitely a journey I would like to do again, with more time to do it. My intention then was to continue cycling at some stage in the future and continue to Bari in the south of Italy and cross over into Albania, heading for Jerusalem. That won’t happen now!

Pilgrim Passport Stamps
Pilgrim Passport Stamps