Rothar Routes

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

Posts from the ‘South Leinster Cycle Routes’ category

It’s the Simple Things..

Sunday morning cycles are one of life’s great pleasures! It’s nice to get up on the bike and head out along the traffic free by roads, listening to birdsong, admiring nature and ending up in little places that I would never see while in the car.

Ballyadams Graveyard and Holy Wells

The plan this morning was to take the train to Kildare and head for the Grand Canal to try out the Greenway but when I arrived at the station there was a huge queue of people out into the car park. I gave it a miss! Instead I took the Sleaty Road and headed out past Barrowhouse, into Athy and hooked up with the Towpath as far as Castlemitchell.

The Barrow has been very high over the past while but it has receded now and you can see the River Griese as it enters under this bridge on the towpath before Maganey.

Athy has a strong sense of identity with the Barrow Line of the Grand Canal and it had a daily connection with Dublin back in the late 1800s; a fly boat service left the Capital at 7am and arrived in Athy at 5pm! A long day for such a relatively short journey! There was a fall out between the Barrow Navigation Company and the Grand Canal Company over the high rates being charged and eventually the Barrow Navigation was taken over by the Grand Canal Company.

I continued north as far as Milltown Bridge and then took to the road past Castle Mitchell GAA Club and headed over past Ballintubbert House and on to Ballyadams. I spotted an old Church ruin and Holy Wells on my ordnance survey map and took a little laneway down to see if they were still there. The old graveyard is well maintained and there’s a small Church ruin with a memorial erected in 1631 in memory of a Robert Bowen and his wife Alice Harpole (Shrule Castle?), decorated with a coat of arms.

I wasn’t confident that there would be any sign of the Holy Wells as they were located on the map in a wooded area, long since gone. But credit to the farmer, who obviously reclaimed the land, but he didn’t plough the wells out of it! Guardians of our past. I spotted two tiny figurines on a little hillock and I got in over the gate to have a closer look. Sure enough, they mark the spot of the wells! Delighted that they were still there and the traditions maintained. There’s a metal plate over the well but it’s still there!

I was on the home leg of the morning cycle now and popped in through Ballylinan and closer to home. A nice 60kms spin on a beautiful mild morning.

Rathnageeragh NS

I got a lovely message way back in 2014 from Edmond Spruhan, formerly of Naomh Eoin, who had emigrated to Boston wishing me well as the new Carlow Football Manager and also wishing Pat English every success with the hurlers. It meant an awful lot to me and I never forgot it.

Leo McGough filled me in on his playing career – what an encyclopaedia of all things GAA! Ed was a great character with the county under age teams, he was goalkeeper on the 2002 minor team that beat Laois and drew with Dublin in the championship proper before losing to Dublin by a point in a play-off. That team later won that years All-Ireland minor B. They had lost the final the year before when Edmond was full forward. He played for five years with the county U-21s, winning 3 Leinster Specials, beaten in two All-Ireland finals. He hurled with the county seniors in 2003 and 2005, his 03 debut v Longford at full forward scoring 1-1 in a Dr Cullen Park NHL game but by the last game of the league he was in goal and in the championship was No 1 in the win over Meath in Navan and the losses to Laois and Kerry (in the All-Ireland qualifiers). In 05 he played four more games in goal, won a Kehoe Cup medal. In 2005 too he won his biggest honour of all, a Carlow SHC medal as Naomh Eoin goalkeeper, Myshall’s last title. It’s sad that Naomh Eoin have been in the wilderness ever since; it would do wonders for the game to see them back competing on County Final day.

On my bike rambles back in 2017, I travelled the back roads around Myshall, along what I dubbed ‘The Hidden Sky Road”. You might have noticed the signposts marking that cycle route from Borris to Myshall via Tomduff Cross and looping back around through Garryhill.

I took some photos of the derelict Rathnageeragh Schoolhouse in 2017.

Rathnageeragh Schoolhouse
Rathnageeragh Schoolhouse
Rathnageeragh Schoolhouse B&W

I was struck by the beauty of this old ruin and its location on the side of the mountain. It looked bleak the day I was there but the setting was idyllic, with a view back down towards Rathnageeragh Castle from the gate. I couldn’t but wonder on how many local children got their first education here and how their lives were improved by their learning. There’s a great bit of history on it on the parish website:

It was built by local funds in 1883 and by 1896 it had 96 pupils!! It continued to provide education in the locality until it closed in 1967.

Ed was recently in touch asking me if I still had the photos I had taken back in 2017 as he explained that he had begun restoring the school 3 years ago. Nothing would do me but to get the bike out and head back down to have a gander. A strong cold wind was blowing up from the south as I headed out through Kellistown, Rathoe, Ballon and over by Taylor’s Cross. The morning had started bright and sunny but by the time I passed through Ballon, a few drops began to fall. Thankfully it held off and I eventually got to Rathangeeragh after about 90 minutes.

The almost fully restored Rathnageeragh School! Isn’t it class?

Cycle to Rathnageeragh

Rathnageeragh Castle ruins

Didn’t expect to see this sign for Graiguecullen in Shangarry!

Golden Con

Grangecon on an autumn day and the approach roads bounding local stud farms are full of golden coloured beech trees and hedges. It’s a beautifully situated historic village in West Wicklow, just 3kms from the border with County Kildare. Horsey country. That was my destination today, a lovely mild autumn day, if a little bit drab with a great mantle of a grey sky overhead. Little wind, perfect for the bike.

It’s a common theme on my blog, but the local roads of this country as just so good for cycling, so good that there is little need to be spending millions on soulless Greenways! In the 60 kms I covered today it would be an exaggeration to say that I met 20 cars along this beautiful rural route across the three counties of Carlow, Kildare and Laois. What I did see though were lots of beautiful sights, stunning scenery, roads cocooned under towering golden beech trees, old church ruins, castles and one tiny little gem that I was delighted to spot as I passed by. More of that later.

Never take a main road when there is a minor road to take you to your destination. I often cycle out by Knocknagee Cross and around by Newtownallen. It’s a good way to approach historic Castledermot and head towards Froughan Hill, as my father called it, but named on Ordnance Survey maps as Corballis Hill. The road along side Froughan Hill over by Sheriff Hill is a joy to cycle on, a sweeping hill that’s lovely to freewheel down and then to pick up another quiet back road that brought me over to Grange Con.

I’ve heard much talk of the Grangecon Kitchen and thought I’d like to visit it. I knew it was trendy when I saw the fancy little Mini Coopers parked up outside and a queue waiting to get in to the Teepee in the garden! There are great reports about its delicious cakes and brunches but I didn’t fancy getting cold so I didn’t get in line and just had a quick run around this picturesque village before heading back for home. That will be a treat for another day when Mary is with me.

It wasn’t long until Jessica Harrington’s gallops came into view and when I got back to the junction at Killelan Church I diverted from my return route and took a bóithrín that brought me down by Bolton Abbey, the beloved Cistercian Abbey now consisting of seven monks. I popped in for a quiet prayer before I headed in the direction of Moone High Cross Inn.

I traversed Bolton Hill and down onto the now very quiet old Dublin Road before taking the slip road by the famous Moone High Cross Inn.

Back on familiar territory now and my route home took me by historic Kilkea Castle, always a lovely place to cycle through and where the red carpet was being rolled out, but not for me!

I was on the home stretch now and was in for a pleasant surprise along stretch of road that I’m very familiar with. Just after crossing over at Sill’s Cross roads is a farm house on the right, named ‘Kilkea House’. I’ve passed it hundreds of times but today for the first time a small understated name plaque caught my eye and it caused me to turn back and have a look at it again. Yes it said ‘Kilkea House’ and underneath was a depiction of three penguins. Immediately I guessed there had to be an association with the famous Antarctic explorer, Ernest Shackleton.

My hunch was right and I looked it up when I got home I googled it (the internet can be great at times!). It was indeed the birthplace of the great explorer Ernest Shackleton!

A light mist started to fall and I was glad to be on the home run at this stage. Just before Oak Park I spotted this beautiful sight, purple flowers as far as the eye could see.

All in all a great spin, plenty of exercise fresh air, interesting sights and locals history. Just perfect before heading to Newbridge for the mouthwatering clash of Naas and Cuala in the Leinster Club SFC First Round game. Kildare GAA have done a fantastic job with Conleth Park.

A Pet Day and a Grand Cycle

What a beautiful late August day; one of the few fine days we have had this year. A day for the bike and I headed for the hilly back roads above Old Leighlin, passing out through lovely Milford and Tomard and up by Seskin to the top of the Ridge.

To Muckalee

The back roads are best, so little traffic, apart from the busy farmers working flat out in this fine weather to save crops and keep us all fed!.

When I got into Muckalee I was pleasantly surprised to see a little coffee shop in the Community Centre. It’s a community initiative and they’ve done a fabulous job providing a great facility for visitors and locals. I sat down outside to have a snack and three cars pulled up, all lost and all asking me where was the hurling field! Sure I had to go down then to have a peep at what was happening.

Muckalee St Martins have a fine facility and it was hosting a Kilkenny IHL game between Danesfort and Lisdowney, which attracted a decent crowd. It was a lovely family atmosphere, kids all arriving with their hurls, cash at the gate and a lovely glossy programme for €2 for spectators. Because I was on the bike, they let me in for a little stay and it was great to see the wizard himself, Richie Hogan togged out for Danesfort. Wasn’t a good day for them however as Lisdowney won 3-13 to 0-14.

With miles to go before home, I had to head back the road I came but took a short cut up hill over by Coolcullen and rejoined the Ridge above Old Leighlin and Ballinabranna for the return journey home. Nice to see a few llamas up win the hill with Mount Leinster in the background, not quite the Andes but very picturesque!

Traffic Jam..
Backroads are best!

Carlow Castles & Rathanna Village Day!

What a glorious day for the bike! We are fortunate to have the network of local roads that we have – I cycled to Rathanna and back today, 73kms of tiny bóithríns devoid of traffic, the sun was shining and Carlow was looking marvellous! My route took me out through Nurney, across by Augha and behind Dunleckney, out to Ballaghmoon Castle in the above photo, situated at the moment in the centre of a lovely wildflower meadow.

It’s a Castle steeped in mystery; no one quite knows it purpose. This 14th century Castle is more like a large compound. It has massive 8 foot thick walls, 20 foot high with a large internal courtyard. There are great views through a broken window towards Mount Leinster.

Not much more than a puck of a ball away is the 13th century Ballyloughan Castle, near Corries Cross. This must have been a very impressive site in its heyday with its entrance flanked by two impressive towers. Only a small part of this structure remains today and unfortunately there is no public access.

Placenames are so important; the original Irish versions tell so much about an area. I still have my Father’s copy of ‘Place Names of County Carlow’ by Edward O Toole and I was always fascinated by the names and the sounds:

Coolnacuppogue = Cúl na g-Cupóg = ‘Back of the Hill of the Dock Leaves’! Civil Parish ‘Sliguff’, Barony ‘Idrone East’. Here’s the signpost I passed today:

It was a lovely spin along tiny winding lanes, free of traffic, sheep munching on the plentiful grass of the ‘Long Mile’, stunning views of Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs as I wove my way past Knocksquire and Rosdellig into one of our best kept secrets, the tiny village of Rathanna, where there was an almighty crowd gathered for the Rathanna Village Day. There was a massive vintage tractor display. fun and games, stalls, music and Wexford Mummers performing. It was my first time to see the Mummers live; it’s an ancient tradition, hanging on in rural Wexford and they put on a great show that captured a lot of interest from young and old alike. Just as I experienced on the Camino del Cid in Spain, it’s so nice and important to see culture promoted, valued and enjoyed. It was great to also see stalls promoting local artists, whether artists, potters, silversmiths or sculptors and promoting Drummin Raised Bog near St Mullins and concerns about commercial developments on the Blackstairs Mountains – critically important areas – both locally and nationally of biodiversity. I was struck by the huge biodiversity I experienced on my recent #CaminodelCid cycle in Spain – we are not doing enough to protect these areas!