Final Leg – Fair Play to You

The final stretch and looking forward to putting the feet up but still some distance to go. We have now walked 520.4klms since we left Leitrim several weeks ago.

 We leave the colourful crossroad village of Glengarriff with a low, heavy mist hanging over the mountains so decide for our safety we will not walk the mountain path but instead we decide to walk the main road for some klms and pick up the bike path to Adrigole. We do not wish to become a statistic at this stage of the walk. Not sure if it was such a wise decision as the traffic is a little hairy at times with some serious bends and curves in the road and little room at the sides to move off, this just makes us walk a little faster. We turn off the coast road at Lackavane and head up the path, we are now facing some very rocky mountains and hope we do not have to climb them - I am not a mountain goat.

We have a break at Leitrim Beg and the standing stone which is situated in a farmer’s field, I find I am a little bull shy so keep an eye on the cows as we trudge across the boggy fields. The views across the Beara Peninsula was worth the walk. This part of West Cork is so beautiful and wild with the green hills covered in large boulders and dotted with sheep. We watch the wet mist coming down the hills and we know we are going to get very wet very soon so decide it is time to change into the wet gear, hopefully for the last time. Several wedge graves off the road but the rain is starting to get heavy and we still have a few kilometres until we reach our bed for the night. When we reach our B & B we must look a sight – dripping wet and a little earlier than expected.  All I want is to stand in front of the roaring fire and dry off. We have walked 16.8klms today in the rain.

The final morning looms, bright and sunny. We are to meet Jean and Paddy O’Sullivan and Fachtna O’Donovan outside Adrigole and they will walk us over Hungry Hill and several more very rocky hills and into Castletownbere – 26.7klms. The walk or should I say hill climb is steep, rocky and very demanding, not sure if I am just exhausted or the boys are testing these Australian women to see what we are made of. Sue and I have decided that we have O’Sullivan ancestry but definitely not mountain goat in our bloodline. Upwards we continue and JUST one more hill when we start the downward run. This has proven to be one of the hardest walking days but we have done it. We have a welcome party at the bottom of the mountain and photographer and we walk into the village and Twomeys Bar where we have more people and the Clan Chieftain waiting for us.

It is hard to believe we have completed the walk that we have been organising, training and dreaming about for over the past 15 months. The hospitality through Ireland has been fantastic, the villages have taken us into their community, their homes and hearts and for this we will be forever grateful. The day and celebrations finish at night with several presentations from the Beara people and a night of Irish music, a very late night or early morning but one we will always remember. Yesterday we completed the March with a phone interview for a West Cork Newspaper – we are internationally famous.

Sue and I have walked 547 klms, walked 25^th June – 22^nd July, we have had 5 rest days, we have raised $10,326 for Cancer Queensland. We have had 1 blister on the first day and no serious injuries, walked 16 – 38 klms each day and had a mixture of weather. We had walkers along the way and made some lifelong friends. We have had a mixture of hotels, B & Bs, hotels and private accommodation and everyone has gone out of their way to welcome us and show us the sights and history of the area. We will never be able to thank the Irish people for their friendship and hospitality.

We have walked Ireland for the craic

 

 

 

 

Thankyou St Patrick for walking Ireland before me………

Our final rest day at Ballyvourney is over and after the night watchman organises some breakfast for us we start out to cross the Ballyvourney Mountains to Gougane Barra, it is cool but the warnings for a very hot day have been posted. We are Australians we can handle a hot day but nothing prepared us for what lay ahead. We have 21.6klms to walk.

The spider webs covered the bushes like nets along the road but we could see no spiders, the first of the hills loomed, we are now off the main road and onto the back road. A good day for the farmers to collect he hay as there is still a lot lying cut in rows in the fields, plenty of still windfarms as we reach the crest of the first hill. The temperature is rising and not a breath of air. We will have to pace ourselves as we have 21.3klms to complete today. We are now walking the Sli Gaeltracht Mhuscrai. The roadside is covered with purple Heather and Alpine flowers, white peat flowers that is similar to white cotton and a little green plant which eats the flies, similar to the Venus Fly Trap, the sheep are dotted up the sides of the hills. Our first stop and out comes the hats and sun screen lotion, our walking has slowed as the temperature rises, not a good day for walking but we must keep going as we reach the halfway mark and start to see some bike riders from the Barra. The countryside is starting to change as we climb another hill, rocky outcrops and rock fences dividing the fields of sheep and ferns. Our main stop of the day is beside the road near the remains of the Euachros Church which has connections to O'Sullivan Beare and his followers. Another steep hill, they are all around us. Suddenly the lake appears in front of us and I know we are close to a cold drink of water, what I would give to dip the toes. Next appears St Finbarr’s church on the side of the lake, standing there like something from a fairy tale. Our stay tonight is at the Gourgane Barra Hotel, home of the Cronin/Lucy family. A famous member of the Cronin clan, Father Donough O’Cronin, taught O’Sullivan Beare. The temperature today has reached 26 degrees and the air so still. It has been one of the hardest days we have walked.

The room is fresh and looking out onto the still lake so after having settled and in shorts for the first time since coming across to Ireland we head across to the Religious site of the monastic cells of St Finbarr of the 6th century. The church is young, probably around 150-year-old, small inside but very popular for weddings. Out the back of the church are the remains of a set of six 6^th century stone monastic cells, so well preserved for their age.  Also there is a Holy Well and a small cemetery.

Back to the lounge to rest as it is still really hot outside but the change is coming, the wind is picking up. The hotel has a “night of opera” beside the lake and the O’Sullivan couple whom we are staying with in Castletownbere have a booking for a meal and the opera, a lovely and unexpected surprise and a chance to catch up as I have not seen them for over 2 years. The rain has arrived and the temperature drops several degrees, the hot day has gone.

We have organised the next morning a lift to the Carriganass O’Sullivan Castle, several kilometres away, where we are to meet Dickie O’Sullivan for a tour of the castle and what an interesting man he is. The Carriganass Castle was built in 1542 by Chieftain Dermot O’Sullivan Bere and is the only surviving O’Sullivan Castle The castle was donated to the public by the O’Sullivan Clan in 2002. We leave the castle a little later than planned and the day is warm, not as hot as the day before and it is not too long before we cross the first yellow stile at Poc An Tairbh and the next couple of hours becomes very interesting. We keep our eyes open for the bulls but there are mainly black faced sheep looking at us as if we are completely mad as we climb higher and the ferns become thicker to our waists and the yellow signs disappear below the greenery so we end up missing a couple of signs. Thankyou St Patrick for chasing out the snakes so all we have to watch for are the rabbit holes and large rocks. The day is well after lunch time as we manage to get back on track and head down the track, this time we have bog and brambles so we are glad of our boots and long pants. Someone needs to visit the walk with a whippersnipper but we have been told this is not allowed. The astounding views over Bantry Bay and surrounds make up for the ferns and brambles. Over the fences and onto the wooded section and down the road to the main road, traffic and rain. Onto the crossroads and Glengarriff for the night. Today we have walked  about 21.5klms.

Keep watching for the final instalment as we make our way to Castletownbere …………………………

 Gougane Barra

 

 Cobwebs in the early morning

 

 Carriganass Castle

 

The height of the ferns

 

On the road again…….. and more hills

We left Tipperary under a cloud of heavy mist or perhaps light rain, we have had 2 days rest, 5 days without a backpack on our backs, 2 days with no boots, 3 late nights, 31.2klms to walk and our legs are protesting. Today is not going to be a good day. Back through town past the small coloured houses perched on the edge of the footpaths, the Cathedral bells calling the faithful and we connect up to the Ballyhoura Way and the photos of O’Sullivan Beare start to appear again. About 2 hours into the day our first stop is the ruins of Moor Abby a Franciscan Priory established in the 13^th Century on the banks of the Aherlow River. This is the area where the descendants of Brian Boru or the O’Brien Clan now live, the mother of Donal O’Sullivan was Margaret O’Brien’s so the O’Sullivans had a connection to the Abby. Inside the Abbey is the remains of a tomb thought to be that of the owner, Donarch Ua’Brian.

 Onto Galbally and the first coffee stop for the day and what a surprise as we find coffee shops are few and far between. Lovely to get the boots off for a short time. On we trudge past several tomb signs but too far to walk there and back but guess we will see closer ones as we move along, the walking is slow as we also have to tackle some rather steep hills covered in very low cloud. Not a good sign. Past a couple of large Wind Farms and paddocks full of pink hay bales – pink for Breast Cancer Ireland, the crossroads loom and the village of Ballylanders a little larger than expected. Starting to rain, a valley to manoeuvre so this also means a hill to climb and we are in Kilfannane and to the Ballyhoura Luxury Hostel, our bed for the night. Our room is quite large and we do not have to share with anyone, a large log fire burning in the lounge area, not sure if this for our benefit but lovely as we are frozen to the bone. Not much life in the town as is the par for most of the smaller villages we have been through, mainly the result of the Celtic Tiger boom. We check out the Famine Cemetery and the first sighting of an O’Sullivan grave so close to Cork.

The next day is a very early, cool start and after a good night sleep we are feeling a little more human. Onto Ballymoe for the first stop and it is at a petrol station, we are finding them good places to stop as they have everything we need – shelter, coffee, cake, toilets and somewhere to sit down for a while. A bit like a McDonalds. Through Ardpatrick and around Effin and the day is starting to warm up, we are in Ballyhoura Country. The countryside has changed from sheep to cattle and wheat, the colours of the flowers still amaze us and some thatched roofed houses. We have remained on the little lanes with the high hedges on each side making cars trying to pass us and not run over the toes rather interesting at times. We have to cross a rather large and busy highway so we can pick up the Way on the other side so we walk for a short time on a grassy walk between a main road and the main Dublin railway. Makes us walk faster and concentrate, we are still following the little yellow man but he is appearing more regularly on the signposts, you must keep your eyes peeled for him as he is easy to miss if buried in among the tall grass on the sides of the road. There are more paddocks of golden wheat so close to cutting, farmers are relying on the fine days.
Churchtown looms and the rain has started and we are now in Cork. It is a small village but nothing, no shops are open mostly with Closed Signs displayed, no children playing in the yards and no teenagers hanging around the streets. In the village there is a large housing estate of well of 90 units but nearly all empty. They were built during the boom years and then handed back to the banks whom are now waiting for the market prices to rise. The same situation in so many villages.  Even the pubs do not open until late in the day and that is a sad sign. A meal at Fishers Traditional Chipper which also opens late in the day, fish and chips out of paper is always enjoyable when it is cold. Rained all night so not looking forward to walking tomorrow. We walked 24.1 klms today.

We are surprised, no rain and the sun is trying to break through but not for long. We head towards Liscarroll and our first stop is the Donkey Sanctuary which has been caring for the donkeys from all over Ireland since 1926 - the sick, abandoned, mistreated and those with special needs. About 1400 in total, all have their own names and a collar around their necks, lots of little guys and all want a pat, can’t deny them that pleasure. The Sanctuary relies on donations. Onto the 13^th century Liscarroll Castle remains which is not open to the public as it is situated on private land the only inhabitants were a handful of dairy cattle. Not a big village and again nothing is open, several very old deserted homes situated along the footpaths through town. We are noticing new monuments for the 1916 Rebellion starting to appear in the villages, big celebrations later this month. A few kilometres outside Liscarroll we are approached by a young man, Mick Mortell, who is to walk with us over a rather steep hill. The company was great as it takes our minds off our feet and the height of the hill and he tells us a little of the area. Onto the Ford of Bellaghan and John’s Bridge. In 1603 when O’Sullivan reached this Ford he was approached by Captain Cuffe of Liscarroll and a small battle took place with the loss and injury of a few of his men. To this day this ford crossing is known as O’Sullivan’s Ford. They buried their dead in Cillun Una, a sacred place on the ridge overlooking the river. Some of the wounded were nursed by locals and their descendants remain in the area today. A boot and coffee break at the crossroads sitting in the light rain overlooking the dairy cow paddocks. Not the nicest of smells.

The start of the Duhallow Way and the interesting, small and very old Kilmacow Cemetery, consisting of interesting earthworks, ruins of a church/chapel holy well and graveyard. What was really of interest on the sign was the following:

The Kilmacow Drum is heard when someone in the locality is dying. It is a ghostly phenomenon and only some can hear the sound. The sound resembles a barrel rolling downhill and it begins its perambulation at Sankeys Grave.

I have decided to put this belief in the Fairy Tree Basket – I feel I must not be as Irish as I had hoped.

Onto Lismire along the backroads and the feet are really crying out for the next bed. In Newmarket where we will be staying for 2 nights – accommodation was hard to locate in this area due to an International Horse Show at the same time. A few more hills a valley or two and a little bit of rain and we are where we want to be - no boots and flat out on the bed.

Not the best night as there was a 70/30 birthday party in the pub and the 30 side of the crowd decided to stay until well after 3am so today will be hard to walk even if we have no backpacks. The owner’s son drops us to Millstreet and we walk the 21.5klms back. Rained the complete walk, no scenery to talk about, no villages, some serious hills and traffic and we were sleep deprived. We were so happy to see the church spire in Newmarket. Probably the worst day of walking.  Spent the remainder of the afternoon getting ourselves ready for one more day of walking before a rest day. We have now walked over 427klms. In 1602/1603 O’Sullivan marched through Duhallow and received hospitality from the O’Keefe Clan in Millstreet.

The next morning is an early start, a local taxi drives us to Mill Street to pick up the walk and we have not anticipated the hills and I mean HILLS. Not just one hill but several but the scenery is much better on the eye. We are now back in sheep country again and hay cutting is in full swing. Wind Farms, roadside shrines, stone circles, row circles and some wedge tombs but no villages so no coffee stops. We are still on the Duhallow Way which is part of the Beara Breifne Way and the mist is very low over the mountains or we may be up in the clouds. We have started to see the purple Heather in flower among the rocky outcrops where the sheep appear to hide. The first part of the village of Ballyvourney and we know we have to rest the feet and get the boots off, the first Guinness for the day is on the house as we are walking for Cancer. This I can handle. We still have another 2 klms to walk to our accommodation, Mills Inn, no boots or backpacks for 48 hours. Today we walked 23.5 klms.

The little things in life that have suddenly become so important to us – a bed each day, a shower that works and you do not need a degree to operate, a toilet that flushes properly on the first time, dry boots each day and your main bag in your room when you arrive for the rest day. This means clean clothes. A big thankyou to the Pathway Porter for moving our luggage along.
So far we have walked 450.91 klms, had 4 rest days and the Cancer Donation site is over $10,000.

See you all in Castletownbeare in 4 days and the finish of the O’Sullivan March. We will have walked  it for Cancer Queensland with the boys always in our minds.

Rest Day in Tipperary Town - off with the boots

Our rest day half way along the walk and what do we do but walk - this time without our boots and we take time out to act like a tourist.

A slow leisurely breakfast before we head to the Catholic Church to have a look, it is 10am and Mass is about to start and the church is nearly FULL, people and cars everywhere so give it a miss and head back to the main area to meet up with the Link bus which will take us to Cashel and the famous St Patrick’s Rock. While waiting it happens again and an Irish gentleman stops and starts to talk to us as if we are old friends, some people would call it flirting and it has happened several times. I didn’t realise Australians appeared so friendly – puts us into fits of laughter.

Cashel is about a 30-minute drive and the driver drops us – the only passengers – at the front door or in this case the front gate so we don’t have to walk up the smallish hill. The Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland’s historic sites and was the seat of Kings of Munster from 4 -11^th Centuries. There is still work being done on the castle, I believe it has been going on since 1980 so guess we will have to do some photo-shopping with our photos. It is bitterly cold and blowing a gale but still there are people there in short shorts and tee shirts. This cannot be Summer!!  The Cathedral replaces an earlier structure and the current building started in 1235, the Central Tower was added in the 14^th century and a strong Castle was built in the 15^th Century.  There are several 16^th century carved tombs in the Cathedral and without a roof most of it is open to the elements. We head to Cormac’s Chapel where the restoration work is being done, I am amazed that the public are allowed to touch the walls as it is so old and fragile.

Outside the views across the fields of different shades of green are magnificent and so clear – no fog or showers of rains but this could change very quickly. The large Celtic crosses dominate the graveyard with the pigeons and jackdaws claiming the high towers as their own. Beyond the stone walls of the Cathedral is the remains of another church sitting in the fields on its own.
Inside the buildings is a series of small museums and one houses a sand stone 12^th century St Patrick’s Cross.

We leave the Rock via the tourist shop and then wander down the hill to the village of Cashel swarming with tourists and traffic. St Dominic’s Friary ruins, the old Town Hall, Cashel Folk Village building with a variety of displays, Back of the Pipe with running water, ruins of Kearney’s Castle which is now a hotel, The Church of St Theresa with its amazing mosaics. We have a short time to fill in while we wait for the returning bus back to Tipperary.

Tomorrow is our 2^nd rest day and it will be just that to catch up on the paperwork or in this case computer work, diaries and washing so we have some clean clothes for the next section of the walk. This section of 5 days will be Tipperary to Ballevourney, about 125 klms and over some very hilly countryside and down into Cork – O’Sullivan country. For this section we have been issued with some maps so no guessing the tracks but we will be walking on our own and a variety of accommodation – hostels to hotels to B & Bs to an Inn. Should be interesting.

Contact will not be there in a lot of the smaller villages so I will sign off for the next week. See you in O’Sullivan land, our countryside.

St Patricks Cross

It’s a long way to Tipperary………..

 

Week 3 and Day 13   Portumna to Tipperary

We left the B & B early in the morning in misty rain and sad that we had to go as it was a lovely town and the hospitality could not be faulted. A big thankyou to Mary, the owner of the Oaklodge B & B. Headed back to the Shannon and crossed it into County Tipperary and onto the Ormond way, along some back roads and a horrendous short distance of the National road. Even though it was early there was enough traffic to make us walk faster than we usually did. The Beara Breifne signs were starting to appear again and also photos on the signs of Donal Cam O’Sullivan Beare – the man who back in 1602 started this mad idea to walk. There were hay making machines everywhere really upsetting my nose but guess they have to “make hay while the sun shines”. Laurencetown for a coffee which was a hard thing to find as the pub was not opened but the young girl opened especially for us – just coffee. Onwards we headed to Ballingarry and the day was getting quite warm. We had to wait in the town for a lady to collect us and as we had a 3 hour wait and NOTHING was open we made ourselves comfortable on the footpath outside Noonan’s Bar on one of the beer garden chairs, read a book and watched the trucks and traffic go by. The pub owner had been working on his roof – pub did not open until 6pm, and he took pity on us and brought out a large glass of Cider so we must have looked a sight to the traffic and locals. The town is nearly dead which we have discovered in a lot of the smaller villages across Ireland, shops closed down, houses in a terrible state of repair or just abandoned, For Sale signs everywhere. People keep saying that their young people have gone away to Australia and we have seen very little of the younger generation so this may be correct to some degree. The “Sweet Home Al Obama B & B” is situated in Moneygall, a few klms from where we were collected but we have a house to ourselves so a chance to spread out. Patricia, the owner, has a meal cooked for us and then takes us on a drive around the area and back lanes, showed us the field where O’Sullivan and his clans rested as they walked through the village and areas that we would never have seen on our feet. A big thank you for the hospitality and friendship offered during our stay. This village is where Barack Obama’s great grandfather, many times removed, was born and lived so we see many American flags flying and posters of the President. He has bought some life back into the village.

Up early next morning but the walk to Toomevara is only 8klms from where we are staying for 2 nights, we start the walk along the main road, a quick coffee and directions at the Tipperary Inn and head to the Catholic Church and the remains of a much older church and cemetery in the same grounds. There are a couple of old headstones dating back to early 17^th century and still readable – before Australia was settled by Captain Cook so hard to believe. We then head to the Protestant Church and sad to see it in such a state of repair. As I have mentioned before the array of flowers in bloom is astounding. Before we left the village we were lucky to meet a Michael O’Sullivan, a descendant of the original clan that travelled through the area in 1602. As the clans moved north, with the British Forces chasing them a large number of the Cork clans became sick and died or just decided to remain in the area so there are descendants of these clans who remained. Sue and I also “sipped” our first taste of Poitin or as I know it “Moonshine” – very illegal and very potent. Sipped is all we did as I am sure it cleared my heyfever and sore throat instantly. As we headed back to the B & B it has started to rain again, it has been a lovely and interesting day and now we await the arrival of Philip and Beverley James from French Park who will be walking with us for the next 2 days to Tipperary. Philip has the maps so a day for us to chill out and walk, he will carry the bags in his car and drive ahead, park the car and walk back to meet us and continue this during the day. So much easier on the backs.

Up very early to start the walk from Toomevara to Upperchurch, it is pouring rain and freezing but we know we have to go. I feel I have pulled a muscle in my lower leg/foot but take some painkillers and keep going. This section of the stretch is EXTREMELY hilly but the views are spectacular and all on back roads as the fields are far too wet and overgrown to walk in. The sides of the roads are covered in flowers of a variety of colours, wild strawberries on the vines, lambs and calves everywhere as well as many black and white collie dogs who make their presence known along the walk. The farmers are all out in the fields and we are given a display by a farmer how they collect the hay, how they process it into large round bales and then wrap it in plastic. Some of the plastic used for the hay is pink for Breast Cancer and also a mauve colour but not sure why this colour. Very interesting to watch.  We pass a very old Cemetery, Latteragh Graveyard and the castle remains close by, Holy wells and standing stones. Onto Templederry and again nothing open but we ask at the Post office which is also part of the local pub and grocery store and she opens up the pub so we can get a coffee and a stop to get the shoes off the feet. While there Matt Ryan and his wife turn up, I have been in touch with him for several months about the walk and he is one of main people on the committee to look after this section of the Beara Breifne Way. I had not told him when we were coming through the area so another of these coincidences that we have been experiencing along the way.

 As we hit the highest section of the ranges Upperchurch looms in the distance and such a clean, pretty little village but not a person to be seen and no shops open – it is Saturday afternoon. We have rooms booked in the Hillview B & B but plan to walk on a few more klms as the day is still young. 31.9klms later and we all call it a day as the rain is coming across the mountains. Upperchurch is one of the villages that O’Sullivan Beara and his followers passed through, they chose to stay on the highground/mountains above the British Forces so they could keep them in sight on the lower grounds.     
The next day is the final stretch into Tipperary, about 23klms and we are now on the Multeen Way as we head to Cappawhite. The weather predicts rain after lunch so if we are lucky we should stay dry for most of the way. Not a big village but people out and about, mass is in progress as we walk in so the bells are ringing, Sue and I light some candles for the 4 boys. For the next section we use the “Four Wheeled Horse” and head to Donohill and the Motte, a Norman Forte built around 1200 which O’Sullivan attacked in 1603. His people were hungry and needed food and shelter. Close by is St James Holy Well which his people used to drink from. Access to the hill and Motte is via the Beara Breifne Way path across the farmers’ fields but we are well into the fields when we spot the big black bull at the same time he spots us. A quick backwards retreat is made and another entrance is found through another field and straight up the side of the hill, a bit tricky but we manage. Across the road is a very old graveyard but still no O’Sullivan names on the headstones, some very old but mainly Ryan, O’Dwyer and O’Brien. The remainder of the way into Tipperary is on a very busy road so we are glad to reach our accommodation for the next 3 nights so I can rest my foot and leg for the next section of the walk.

We have walked over 320 klms, walked for 15 days and had 2 rest days. The Cancer Donation site has reached over $9800.

We have finally reached the half way mark so feel we are entitled to some R & R. It is all downhill from here

 

 

 Portumna B & B

 

 Frolicking in the branches of a tree

 

 Sitting outside Noonan's Bar in Ballingarry

 The fields behind us is where O'Sullivan camped

 Toomevara

 Meeting Michael O'Sullivan

 O'Sullivan Beara Signs

 

 Meeting Matt Ryan

 

 Hay bales wrapped for Cancer

At the top of the Motte at Donohill

And on the 7th day we rested.....

We have survived our second week of walking, 6 days in all and really looking forward to not having to put on the boots today, we are in Portumna for 2 nights and then a shorter walking week. We have managed reasonable weather with a few really wet days so if no rain it is a good day. One day we actually got sunburnt, not sure how we managed this.

The walk so far has taken us on a variety of roads, boggy paddocks with grass and yellow buttercups past our knees, mowed walkways and some sections of the Hymany Way along the Shannon River, which badly needs a mow. These sections were covered in sheep poo so it was really a messy walk. Managed to have a heap of sheep with us along this walk as they would not get off the path and would not let us pass - such dumb critters

The first section from Leitrim to French Park has NO signage at all so we walked in circles many times and with the directions from local farmers these walks sometimes became even longer - one day we managed 38klms much longer than we had planned. We were about 120klms into the walk before we saw the O’Sullivan signs. We leant very early in the walk not to take directions from a local farmer.

We stayed with a local walker, Philip James, in French Park and he seems to have taken us under his wing and worked out all our maps for the remainder of the walk and also gave us a crash course in map reading. He came down to Aughrim to take our bags for the 32klms that we were walking and also walked sections with us. Him and his wife are walking with us again next weekend so this means no backpacks which makes the day much easier. Something to look forward to.

Another walker, Sean and his wife, Cait came down from Cavan and walked with us for 3 days, we had a lovely few days, never too sure if Sean was telling us the truth or spinning a yarn. Still don’t believe his stories about Fairy Trees/bushes.

We picked up a Collie dog who decided to adopt us for about 10 klms, we never encouraged him but he had a great time as it was pouring rain, he frolicked in the long grass, rushed in and out of paddocks and mud and keep us in sight the whole way, managed to avoid trucks and cars and crossed some main roads. Things came to a halt when he slipped and hurt his leg on a wet cattle grid and lay there looking at us with big soppy eyes as if we owned him. Thanks heavens a farmer came to our aid as we could not have left him lying there. He picked him and put him in his car and took him back to the area where we managed to acquire him.

The paddocks are full of baby lambs, calves, horses and donkeys as well as strange designed peat heaps and plenty of freshly cut hay, great for hay fever.

We have been given quite a few donations along the way from people you would not expect to get them from as well as some free nights because we are walking for Cancer. We now have over $9600. Really pleased and surprised.

Most of the accommodation has been great except for one B & B  and if we weren’t so dam tired and wet that day and on foot we would have kept going but had to make the best of a really bad situation.

We have just spent a very good day walking around the town of Portumna, went to the Famine Workhouse and discovered our GG Grandmother and her sister was also in a workhouse some distance north before they came out to Australia on the Famine/coffin boats so will need to do some more research when I come home. Also spent time at the Portumna Castle, a lovely place and a most interesting kitchen garden.

 We will be in Tipperary in 4 days for our next rest days. See you in a few days.