Rathvilly Rothar Route
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!
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!
I read a lovely story on the Dúchas website about the Bigstone; its an amazing repository of Irish folklore, have a read of this:
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.
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!
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….
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.
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.
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!
