Walking Australia to Ireland: 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