Open Fires in the the month of Summer

Tipperary to Kilfinane

Today is going to be hard walking after two days of rest, our legs are screaming at us very early in the day. We have not carried a backpack for five days. A pathway of light has begun to stretch across the Galtee Mountain tops as the sun rises but this is not for long as the rain clouds and heavy fog hover above the mountain range, light rain starts to appear. The roses of so many vibrant colours are everywhere along the walk, their perfume filling the air. We walk past the local National School with its building walls covered in murals and the children’s vegetable gardens full of ready to pick vegetables and massive sunflowers. We stop to take some photos for the kids back home. The fields of white potato flowers ready to be harvested, jackdaws in the rafters of the ruins and deserted buildings, blue house gates in the fields leading to nowhere, rows of black and white Friesian milking cows standing at the fence watching us pass.

The rain is coming down the mountain and our first welcome stop of the day is beside the ruins of the Moor Franciscan Abbey as we enter the Glen of Aherlow Nature Park area, we are now walking on the Ballyhoura Way and in O’Brien Clan Country. The ruins are open to the weather, a few lonely flat gravestones lying on the grounds inside the stone Abbey, green ivy creeping up the walls of the tower.

Moor Abby, also known as Galbally, was originally founded in the 13^th Century by Donach Crabreach Ua’Brian but was apparently re-founded in 1471, although plundered in the following year. It was suppressed in 1540. Shortly after 1570 the friars who had remained on in the building were massacred. The remains of a tomb, found among the ruins of the Abbey, is thought to be that of the founder. The mother of O’Sullivan Beare was Margaret O’Brien, daughter of O’Brien Earl of Thormond.

Onto Gallbally and past some strange electricity poles with flowering vines covering them and onto the wires, the vines are still living and electricity still flowing through the wire. The village is a little livelier than previous small villages, Fraser Lounge Bar and Undertaker is open for business – mind boggling and an unusual combination of business.  In the centre of the village in the middle of the street junction is a garden of flowers and directions to the local Passage Tombs and Cairns and a place to rest if you wish, a large statue commemorating the men who gave their lives for Irish Independence. You never can tell with the small villages, they are full of surprises. Yes, you guessed right – a welcome Mulvey’s Coffee shop which we cannot pass without having a coffee. We must buy a coffee when the opportunity rises.

The Glen of Aherlow is close but too far off the track for walkers. It has an abundance of wildlife and natural scenery, some Prehistoric and early Christian sites of cultural heritage, Darby’s Bed, Clonberg Church and St Pecurn’s well.

The purple Thistle is starting to appear along the sides of the walk, similar to Scotland and Australia but ours is a pest. The windfarms are turning rapidly on the hills overlooking the pink covered bales of hay dotted among the black bales. Pink for Breast Cancer. We are climbing so the walking is becoming more exhausting and conversation is nearly non-existent as we walk side by side. The vines of small white lilies encased in a maroon cover hang lazily over the wooden field fences, the mountains in the distance and we enter the village of Ballylanders with its square tower as a prominent landmark structure on the skyline of the village. Is it the ruins of a castle or church?

Curiosity got the better of us as there were no signs attached to the outside of the square tower so we asked a lady in the grocery store. She could not tell us much and appeared to be disinterested in our request. Google is a great search tool.

The square tower which sits prominently at the top of town is a former Church of Ireland built in 1820 and originally built as a house. The Nave of the church is roofless, remains of an interior cut limestone staircase, rendered boundary walls and by the 1880s the church was no longer in use and still stands lonely on the hill.

The village is situated in South County Limerick and on the R513 road with the Griston Bog, on the west side of the village, a noted nature reserve and bird sanctuary which is home to numerous birds, insects and plants. Yes, another coffee shop so we must stop when we see them – this time Coffee House Lane. We also stop at a very busy pub and discreetly devour the rolls that Sylvia made with a glass of Guinness and the boots off. We must look a sight.

It has started to rain and the weather has turned cold. We are now walking into a very steep, winding and marvelous, green enclosed valley so must be careful of oncoming traffic. As we gradually head into Kilfinane it starts to rain. Shortly before the village a lady stops and offers us a lift and as the road is very windy and hilly we are glad to accept her offer. We are staying at the Ballyhoura Hostel so hope it will be OK but guess it is just for a night. What a surprise. The Hostel is not very old or has been renovated and has beautiful locally made wooden furniture, very clean and spacious rooms, comfortable double bed bunks, a massive open fire and a large modern but comfortable eating and sitting area. Our rooms are very close to a large bathroom and we have been given a discount for Cancer. The rooms are a little pricey for a Youth Hostel, €35 per person for a shared room and €3 for the hire of a towel but the service and staff of the hostel more than make up for this. This is the only accommodation in the village and also the first time we have seen any leaflets on the O’Sullivan March. After we have settled and been given directions to the tourist spots in the village, which are not many, we take our warm jackets and head off, it has turned bitterly cold and my gloves and beanie are in my main suitcase. I need to stop being a crybaby.

The village is not very large but has a motte, Church and ruins and a graveyard which also has O’Sullivan headstones – the first we have seen on the walk. We decide on an early meal at Molleys Café and head to the roaring open fire for a couple of hours and an early night. It is bitterly cold and we have another early start tomorrow.

Kilfinane was a difficult place to locate accommodation and the Hostel is the only place that I could see in the village. Price is €35 per person shared. There don’t appear to be any single rooms but we were given a room to ourselves and a discount as we were walking for Cancer. The rooms are clean and very neat and tidy, very basic, roomy and lovely wood furniture throughout the hostel.

The shower is large and equipped for disabled users. The kitchen/eating area is large with a couple of fridges and everything required for a meal. Not separate tables but long benches and bench seats.

There is a magnificent open fire in the sitting area, TV, books and comfy seats.

Owners were very welcome and friendly, informed us of what is in the town to see. It is only a small village.   Today we walked 31.9klms along some very hilly roads.