There’s more than 60,000 unique Townlands in Ireland, that stretch back to the Middle Ages or before. They remain the basis of rural addresses and provide a sense of identity. No where else in Europe has preserved their place names. Loyalty to the home place is so strong in Ireland, stretching back thousands of years – look at the rivalries between the tiniest of clubs! Most of these names were originally in our native tongue but were transposed into English after the Act of Union. Here’s the names of some of the Townlands I cycled through yesterday:
The Irish version of the names usually provides a clue as to the location – many names will include the likes of ‘Carraig’, Dún’, ‘Rath’ etc.
The Long Way Around
South Carlow is an area of outstanding natural beauty, it doesn’t attract big numbers of tourists but those that do stray in tend to like what they see and return again! I met a surprisingly big family group in Rathanna, probably staying in Osbornes Storehouse. The route I took is mainly in local roads with a few stretches of rough lanes and with plenty of hills – over 850 metres of climbing in 55kms. I must have crossed the disused route of the old railway line from Bagenalstown to Palas East four or five times; there are some beautiful bridges and it’s lovely to see the old station house at Ballyling beautifully refurbished since I last took a photo of it.
An area of outstanding natural beauty, bordered by the River Barrow on the West and the Blackstairs Mountains on the East. There are numerous heritage sites all over south Carlow with many great examples of rock art, which I’ve covered previously. Today was about fresh air and exercise – even if it was assisted…
River at Rosdelllig
I presume this warning is an old sign associated with the railway line. Saw this near Dranagh.
This is a fabulous 50 kms cycle route featuring interesting and important historical sites and surprising stunning hills scenery, which I really enjoyed completing on a windy February 4th morning. Hard to believe but I’d say once I left Carlow, and excluding Castledermot village I met less than 10 cars on these quiet country roads. I’m at a loss to understand why cyclists use our busy main roads when we have this glorious spiders web of bóithríns connecting up our towns and villages.
Most evenings I take the road out past Oak Park and Ballaghmoon and so the first part of this route is very familiar – or so I thought! I’ve loaded up the Ordnance Survey Maps on my phone and they are brilliant for highlighting heritage sites. Many of these are but ruins, and often long gone but at least I can be on the look out for them. I noticed a church marked near the river Lerr at Newtownallen but I could see no sight of it on the way out. I continued on this well surfaced road passing close to Kilkea Castle and heading towards Belan, Moone.
My first stop was another gem marked on the map, a holy well at Belan. It’s a small oval well covered by a fine corbelled structure with clear water inside which runs under a flag stone and into the River Greese.
St. Patrick’s Well at BelanCrystal clear water in St. Patrick’s Holy Well
St Partick’s Well, Belan
Local folklore, says that St Patrick was chased out of Belan and this is supposedly reenacted every 17th March with a procession from the High Cross Inn! Sounds like a tale that originated in the Inn!
Not far away is the sleepy but historic village of Moone which is home to one of the best preserved High Crosses in the country, the tallest in fact at 5.4 metres. The carvings are so good, so well preserved and they feature many scenes from the Gospels. The monastery here was founded by St Palladius who came to Ireland in 431 AD.
I was at the northernmost point of my route here and headed east in the direction of Kilelan Abbey ruins. One of the great advantages of slow travel is the ability to stop and admire things that catch your eye. This is a unique church ruin with a square tower incorporated into the church building. Founded by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem in the 13th century, it’s a pretty site worth investigating. It’s possible to get to the top of the tower but honestly, when I saw part of the tower held together with rope I didn’t even give it a second thought!
Leaving Kilelan Abbey behind I continued on a lovely quiet rural road along the side of Sheriff Hill and then Frocken Hill, as my father used call it, but I see it named on the Ordnance survey map as Corballis Hill. This is a great road with pretty scenery all round and some nice hills to climb. I should taken a few more photos!
I turned right then for Castledermot and a look at the famous monastery of Diseart Diarmada, founded in 812 AD, now St James Church of Ireland. This is a stunning site that is so easily overlooked which is on our doorstep. There are two very decorative High Crosses, one on the Northside and the other on the Southside, a Round Tower, a hog back stone and a swearing stone! The original monastery was plundered twice by the Vikings in the 9th century.
The Round Tower, which is just over 20 metres tall, was used to store valuables and this one is unusual as the entrance is just above ground level and is located to the north of the church instead of on the usual west side of the church.
Round Tower at Castledermot
There are a couple of other unique features worth investigating. A very rare, possibly the only one now in this country, a hog back stone. This is a Scandanvian type grave marker with carvings on both sides. These are covered in lichen now and hard to make out.
The Swearing Stone is another great feature. The “Leac na Mionn” or ‘Stone of the Oaths’ bears a circular hole in the centre of the carved head. This stone was used for swearing oath, sealing promises and making deals!
There are a host of other smaller crosses and markers worth checking out including another holed stone:
Roma Arch and Round Tower.
I was heading back for Carlow now and the best way by bike is out by the GAA field and over by Newtownallen. This allowed me look to see of there was anything remaining of the church ruins that I mentioned at the start and though I have travelled this road on hundreds of occasions, today was the first day I glimpsed these ruins. They are located on the other side to the River Lerr and I’ll have to find an away across at some stage to have a gander! All in all another lovely cycle with loads of interesting sites to visit.
The best way to get to know your county is either on your two feet or on your bicycle! Last cycle of the Christmas break took me on a lovely route across to Rathvilly with lots to see along the way. I keep saying it, but we have an amazing network of local roads criss crossing the country, linking up interesting little places to visit!
Is this the smallest graveyard in Carlow?
I’d never dream of taking the main road to Rathvilly on the bike, so it’s always a little cross country, out through Palatine, into County Kildare and up to Knocknacree Cross. It’s a short steep little climb rewarded with an equally steep downhill towards Graney, site of the infamous 1922 ‘Graney Ambush’ in which the IRA attacked a convoy of the National Army during the Civil War. 3 soldiers were killed and 5 badly wounded. Graney was also the site of a Nunnery founded by the Augustinians around 1200 AD until Henry VIII’s dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, granting the substantial lands to Sir A. St Leger. Is it any wonder we’re not too fond of that nation! I passed on by and headed for Bigstone, located on the Carlow /Kildare border. I’d say the border runs right beneath it!
It is what it says on the tin…. Bigstone
I read a lovely story on the Dúchas website about the Bigstone; its an amazing repository of Irish folklore, have a read of this:
A Hidden Treasure, Dúchas Collection
As I left the Bigstone behind and headed towards Ricketstown, I couldn’t but think of this great yarn, again from The Schools Collection on the Dúchas website, and hoped I wouldn’t be shamed by this ‘Quick Walker’. These stories are form the 1930s but look at the names of the student and her uncle – McGuirk and Molloy, still prominent names in the Rathvilly area.
A Quick Walker by Lena McGuirk, page 1A Quick Walker by Lena McGuirk
The road through Ricketstown passes the impressive Beechy House Stud, owned by racehorse trainer Jim Bolger. It was once owned by Benjamin D’Israeli, uncle of the former British Prime Minister of the same. He gifted a sum of money to enable the construction of a school in Rathvilly, and the beautiful building at Bough is that old school. It’s an iconic school building, which you wouldn’t expect to see in its location. It closed its doors as a school in 1977 and I have memories of playing Badminton in it many years ago when I was working and lodging in Baltinglass!
D’Israeli School, Bough, Rathvilly
It was on up to Rathvilly village then and a stop at the Kevin Barry memorial. Rathvilly has a fairly unique achievement in winning the National Tidy Towns on three occasions. It would be nice to see them back competing at that level again as it is a very picturesque and historic village. And forgetting about the football….
Kevin Barry Statue, Rathvilly – he was only 18 years old….a boy…
In Mountjoy Jail one Monday morning High upon the gallows tree Kevin Barry gave his young life For the cause of liberty Just a lad of 18 summers Yet there's no one can deny As he walked to death that morning He proudly held his head on high Just before he faced the hangman In his dreary prison cell British soldiers tortured Barry Just because he would not tell The names of his brave comrades And other things they wished to know 'Turn informer or we'll kill you!' Kevin Barry answered, 'No!' Another martyr for old Ireland Another murder for the crown Whose brutal laws may kill the Irish But can't keep their spirits down Lads like Barry are no cowards From the foe they will not fly Lads like Barry will free Ireland For her sake they'll live and die
Uo to the Moate cross roads, wheeled right and sailed down past Lisnevagh House, home of the Bunburys. The Bunburys descend from Baron de St. Pierre, a Norman knight who served with William the Conqueror at the battle of Hastings in 1066. Part of the Bunbury family left Cheshire in the 1660s and settled in Co Carlow as tenants of the Duke of Ormonde until they purchased Lisnavagh in 1702. They became an important part of the ruling elite in Ireland during the late 17th century and, by 1860, the estate at Lisnevagh had evolved into one of the most advanced farms in the country. They still reside at Lisnevagh, now a boutique wedding venue and of course Turtle Bunbury is a renowned Irish historian. This road took me down to Tobinstown, on the Carlow – Hacketstown Road, not a road I like to cycle on. But it was only for a few hundred metres as I got off it as quickly as possible at Ballybit, onto safer local roads that took me over to Rathmore bridge on the River Slaney. Someone seems to have recently demolished half of one side of the bridge and it’s quite dangerous. Had to be a heavy vehicle or a large tractor to do that damage.
River Slaney at RathmoreRathmore Bridge, formerly!
Time was pushing on and I crossed over the Carlow – Rathvilly road at the Bullring Cross, heading on to one of Carlow’s nicest little churches, Kinneagh Church of Ireland.
Kinneagh Church
Not long after passing Kinneagh I rejoined the route I came out at Knocknacree and home via Palatine. Haven’t enjoyed a cycle as much on a long time!
Mute Swan protecting cygnets….. wouldn’t take him on!
A bit of sunshine on a Saturday afternoon and a nice cycle along quiet country roads and on the Barrow Track… never fails to surprise.. The network of local roads in this country is tailor made for cycling. Today brought me out towards Ballylinan, Barrowhouse and home via Maganey and the Barrow Track. I estimate that once I left town I met fewer than 10 cars in 35kms and yet was never more than 15kms from Town..
There is a really well kept monument to the Barrowhouse Ambush, just outside the village, which was erected on the 100th anniversary of the Ambush in May 2021. The site was the location of an ambush by the B Company, 5th battalion of the Carlow Brigade of the Irish Republican Army of a convoy of Royal Irish Constabulary officers. Two local volunteers, William Connor and James Lacey, both young men of just 26 years were the only fatalities on that day.
I love the roads around Killeen, Barrowhouse and across to Kilkea. It’s great cycling terrain, good surfaces, quiet roads and flat! There’s always something to see and there’s the Barrow Track to approach Carlow Town from.
Today I had just met Dermot McGrath at Westfield Lock, and we fell into talking about Carlow v Wicklow. I’m tipping Carlow for the revenge in Aughrim tomorrow! Just after I passed Dermot I pulled the bike to a quick halt as I saw this beautiful group of Mute Swans.
Dermot’s dog appeared too and Daddy Swan was on point right away, hissing and making himself big to scare him away.
A lovely loop for anyone looking for a quiet route to cycle.
Not all bike journeys have to be epic! I had a lovely short cycle this evening along the Barrow to Maganey and returning via Sleaty. There is always something new to see to bring either a smile or a scowl to my face!
Leaving town I past a few lads, the worse for wear, falling around the Town Hall car park; I was to meet them later in Bridewell Lane, one of them crawled on the bonnet of a car, shouting for the Guards, blocking the lane and preventing cars driving through..mad stuff.
Not long after I met this man on the Barrow track, where I often bump into him and his pet Jackdaw who he brings for a walk!
One of the great advantages of the grassy banks of the River Barrow is its capacity to cater for all sorts of users. Hikers, fishermen, swimmers, cyclists and canoeists. I met a large group of canoeists who had pitched their tents at Bestfield Lock gates, something that would be impossible if this was converted to a hard surface to create a bike path. I often meet groups, usually on Bank Holiday weekends, who come down from Athy or Monasterevin on their way to St Mullins at the tip of County Carlow. These boys were well set up with all the gear!
The Barrow Track will always be special to me; it’s a beautiful green corridor full of nature and biodiversity that we are obligated to protect. We must ensure that no further damage is done to one of our greatest natural resources because when it’s gone, it’s gone forever. I spotted a cormorant and an egret today, birds that you won’t see too often in these parts but the Barrow is their home and needs protecting.
I cycled out to Maganey bridge and crossed over into Laois; three counties on this little loop, Carlow, Kildare and Laois! I wheeled left towards Knockbeg and it was a glorious evening on this quiet local road, one of my favourites.
With the sun setting in the west, the light at Sleaty was golden and perfect to take a photo of the famed St. Fiac’s Cross at Sleaty Church ruins.
Below is a lovely tale from the Schools Collection on the Dúchas website. It was recorded in Fairymount School, Crettyard in 1938:
“In the seventh century there lived in Sleaty or Sletty a saint whose name was St Fiach. The ruins of his church are still to be seen on the road leading from Ballickmoyler to Knock-beg. It is surrounded by a grave-yard circular in shape in the middle of a big field and is called Rathillenane. Tradition his it that every lent the Saint went to the doon of clopook and spent seven weeks in fasting and prayers. He took seven loaves with him and on those he lived during lent. The doon is a circular pile of limestone rising sheer from a broad plain to a height of 150 feet. At its base is a cave or tunnel cut through solid rock beneath the hill in the direction of Stradbally. On the other side is a smaller tunnel facing for Luggacurren. Through this tunnel St Fiach (usd) used to go to three times every night to pray in the ruins of Clopook. The tunnel is half a mile long ending in a vault beneath the church. The writer travelled about 300 yards through this under ground passage, some years ago. On the top of the doon is a level floor about 50 feet in diameter. On the North end of this green carpet is the withered stump of a white thorn. On the Luggacurren side of this old tree is a square piece of earth about 4 feet long by 2 feet wide. This is said to be where the saint stood while celebrating Mass in the shelter of the old white thorn.”
