Rothar Routes

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

Posts tagged ‘Carlow cycle routes’

The Pattern at St Mullins

Pilgrimage is back in fashion.Over 300,000 obtained the Credencial upon completion of the Camino Santiago in 2017, the ancient pilgrimage routes across Spain to the tomb of St James.

 

 

Old pilgrimage routes are being revived across Europe as people try to find a greater meaning in life or maybe just go for a long walk!

The Pattern at St Mullins is a 1300 hundred year old tradition linked to St Moling and St James. It is linked ot St James because the date is set on the Sunday before July 25th, the feast day of St James.I wonder was it ever a starting point for the Camino?

Each year thousands gather here to commemorate St Moling and to visit the graves of this picturesque graveyard and monastic site. The pilgrimage starts with the blessing of the water of the well with pilgrims drinking the water which reputedly has been responsible for many cures down the centuries. The water from the well flows through the mill race that Moling dug out over a period of 7 years Mass is then celebrated at the penal altar in the centre of the graveyard. During the time of the Penal Laws, celebration of mass was outlawed and had to be celebrated in secret and a lookout would have been placed on the nearby motte.

St Moling has attracted pilgrims here for hundreds of years to the monastery he founded in the 7th century; it is Carlow’s Clonmacnoise – the Book of Moling can be seen ion Trinity College, Dublin alongside the more famous Book of Kells.

The graveyard holds many famous remains, from St Moling himself, to Art Kavanagh, King of Leinster who was buried here in 1417 having been poisoned in New Ross. There are many graves associated with 1798 including General Thomas Cloney who died at the age of 24.

With the revival in pilgrimage across Europe, there is surely great scope to develop a Carlow pilgrimage route considering the number of really ancient and important ecclesiastical sites across the county associated with St Moling, Columbanus, St Fiacre, St Laserian and others.

Well worth a visit.

Brandon Hill

Towering over the River Barrow and the town of Graiguenamangh, Brandon Hill offers spectacular views of the Barrow Valley, the Blackstairs and as far south as the Saltee Islands and west to Sliabh na mBan. Often as i cycled alongside the river I had the notion to climb Brandon for the view down into St Mullins. Lat night I went one better and cycled most of the way to the top and pushed the bike over the last few hundred metres. It was worth it! Here is a little clip of the cycle.

‘The most beautiful riverside walk in these islands’

“The most beautiful riverside walk in these islands” according to the writer and broadcaster, the late Dick Warner. Yesterday it was at its magnificent best. The traffic along the route and on the water was the busiest I’ve ever seen. Waterways Ireland have appealed the decision to refuse planning for a hard core cycle path along the river; it having been rejected by Local Authorities on environmental grounds.

I met a very large group of walkers from Dublin and Meath yesterday and chatting to them as I passed they were unanimous that walking on grass is so much better than a hard surface. They all hope the status quo remains.

Here is another very practical reason why converting the Barrow Way to a shared cycle path is a non runner. You can see on the video below just how difficult and dangerous it will be to accommodate mass cycling and walkers on a shared path.

 

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How Can I Protect You In This Crazy World?

Basking in May sunshine, The Barrow Way can be seen in all it’s glory; this is no Theme Park, it’s nature at it’s finest. Appreciated by all who use it for it’s beauty and tranquility, it is a real national treasure. We are not endowed with vast areas of wilderness so this sliver of green along the Banks of The Barrow must be retained. It is Carlow’s number one natural attraction and must be protected.

Get out and enjoy it; there are so many sections to ramble along on a summers evening or on a lazy weekend beside a lazy river…..

Christy Dignam’s lyrics say it best…. ‘How Can I Protect You In This Crazy World’?

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Couldn’t resist going down south again this afternoon. Here is Clashganny to St Mullins but at 20 x speed!