The Beara Way
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Beara-Breifne Way Slí Bhéara Breifne Guides to the way-marked trails volume 1 the Beara way West Cork/South Kerry text and images by Dermot Somers 1 Published by: Contents Beara tourism and development the square the Beara-Breifne way 4 Castletownbere Co. Cork the Beara way 6 © Beara-Breifne Project, 2008. useful information 8 text and images by dermot somers (©2008) introduction 10 all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, The Beara Way - South of The Peninsula 14 reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of the publishers. dursey island 15 a catalogue record is available for this book from the British dursey sound to allihies 17 library. allihies to Castletownbere 20 First edition: July 2008 Bere island 24 isBN: 978-0-9559094-0-5 Castletownbere to adrigole 27 adrigole to Glengarriff 31 Glengarriff to Carriganass, kealkil 35 The Beara Way - North of The Peninsula 38 t h e b e a r a w a y a n d b e a r a -b r e i f n e w a y development c o m m i t t e e s , t h e a u t h o r a n d t h e p u b l i s h e r s , h a v e t a k e n e v e r y c a r e t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e information allihies to eyeries 39 c o n t a i n e d in t h i s b o o k is a c c u r a t e a t t h e t i m e o f writing. t h e w a l k i n g r o u t e s d e s c r i b e d h e r e i n h a v e b e e n d e v e l o p e d w i t h t h e k i n d permission o f t h e ardgroom to lauragh 43 p r i v a t e l a n d o w n e r s a n d f a r m e r s t h r o u g h w h o s e l a n d t h e y p a s s a n d a r e n o t r i g h t s o f w a y . occasionally , s h o r t s e c t i o n s o f t h e r o u t e m a y b e d i v e r t e d lauragh to Bonane 45 t o c o m p l y w i t h t h e n e e d s o f t h e l a n d o w n e r s . w a l k e r s a r e r e q u e s t e d t o f o l l o w t h e s e diversions w h e n in p l a c e . t h e a u t h o r a n d p u b l i s h e r s h a l l h a v e n o liability in r e s p e c t t o a n y l o s s o r d a m a g e , h o w e v e r c a u s e d , arising f r o m Bonane to Glengarriff 49 t h e u s e o f t h e s e t r a i l s o r t h i s g u i d e . Maps 50 Cover Photograph: Glengarriff harbour and Garnish island. map legend 51 2 3 hemmed in by enemies, they crossed the river at night in a boat the Beara-Breifne way made of the hides of slaughtered horses, the meat eaten by the starving in the camp. two days later, at aughrim, their path was The Way runs 400 km north blocked by cavalry and infantry. o’sullivan Beare’s camp had no from Beara in Co. Cork choice but to fight. against all odds, his exhausted band defeated to Breifne in Co. Leitrim, Breifne, Leitrim greatly superior forces, then continued to march without a rest. following generally the line of the 17th century march as the mercenaries among o’sullivan’s followers began to drain away, of O’Sullivan Beare, the last returning to their Connaught homes, the remaining refugees were great chieftain of west Cork. continuously threatened. on the fourteenth day, o’sullivan Beare reached leitrim castle, stronghold of the rebel o’rourke of Breifne. in the words of dan sullivan, of the original one thousand followers only thirty five remained1. Community representative, kealkil, the idea was to Beara, Cork the dramatic history contrasts with the beauty and diversity of the transform “the theme of The Beara-Breifne Way landscapes along the Beara-Breifne way. the walk begins with a tribulation into a celebration of rugged coastline, then threads a barrier of hills. there are bogs human spirit and endurance.” and woodlands, riverbanks, rolling farmland and wayside villages. the route links counties Cork, kerry, limerick, tipperary, offaly, in 1602 munster was ravaged by war. the forces of elizabeth i Galway, roscommon, sligo and leitrim, and it also connects a had defeated the irish and spanish at the Battle of kinsale and series of rural communities along the entire way. advanced to capture the territory of donal Cam o’sullivan Beare, Chieftain of Beara. Following a series of battles and the loss of the finer detail of the route is supported by strong folk memory his stronghold, dunboy Castle, o’sullivan and his troops withdrew and there are unbroken clan connections with the story. the to Coomerkane Valley near Glengarriff. on New year’s eve 1602, 400th anniversary re-enactment of the march galvanised the faced with almost certain starvation, they were finally forced route’s communities to develop the walk. the venture could to flee. a thousand men and women, including four hundred only have come from the ground up; almost all the land used soldiers, embarked on an epic mid-winter march, hoping to join is in private hands and access has been granted, neighbour to forces with rebel leaders in ulster. neighbour, for the greater good of the wider community. the route may be nationwide but the sense of ownership and heritage travelling through ireland at a time of war and severe food is emphatically local. For the seasoned walker it is this local shortages they were seen by local chiefs as a threat and were interaction which sets the Beara-Breifne way apart. attacked. women carried infants and many of the camp followers could not keep up. By the time they reached the river shannon The Beara-Breifne Way Development Committee their numbers were severely reduced. 1 Peter Ballagh 4 5 the extended Beara-Breifne way takes the Beara way from the Beara way dursey, along the south coast to Glengarriff, then inland to kealkil. The Beara-Breifne Way, links a series of way-marked routes. The local way on the Beara Peninsula is called The Beara Way. It is approximately 220 km in length and completes a circuit of impressive coastal and mountain scenery, before turning inland to Kealkil. Bog asphodel, Lough Fadda Both ways follow off-road tracks and quiet back roads. however, since traffic has increased in recent years, walkers and cyclists Massmount Church are asked to take care, particularly on busy roads near towns and villages. the Beara way was developed by the Beara tourism and development association and links many of the peninsula’s the Beara-Breifne and the Beara ways cross public and private main attractions. these include the bird life of dursey island, the lands and dogs are not permitted on either way. access to private copper-mines of allihies, the military heritage of Bere island and lands is by permission of local landowners, arranged by the local the famous woods and harbour of Glengarriff. along the way there community, and especial thanks are extended to both landowners are o’sullivan ruins near Castletownbere and kealkil, a heritage and community groups for their assistance in making this venture Park at Bonane, lakes at tuosist, and lush gardens at derreen in possible. lauragh. megalithic remains are scattered along the coast and The Beara Way Development Committee throughout the uplands. ardgroom has its fine stone circle, while the hag of Beara – ancient goddess – maintains an eerie presence on the coast near eyeries. 6 7 useful information Accommodation and Transport on Beara accommodation in the Beara Peninsula is mainly Bed & Breakfast. many can book onward accommodation and arrange to have your luggage sent ahead allowing you to enjoy a day’s walking unhindered. or, you may prefer to remain in the same Emergency Service accommodation and arrange collection by taxi. a limited local bus Telephone 999 or 112 service is also in operation. Ambulance, Fire Brigade, Gardaí (Police), lifeboat, hotel accommodation is available in Castletownbere, Glengarriff mountain/Coastal rescue and kenmare while hostels and camp sites can be found in Castletownbere, Glengarriff, adrigole, tuosist and allihies. the range of providers is always growing and may vary seasonally.