Yesterday was a 200 Km spin over the Slieve Bloom mountains and a wander around Offaly and past Clonmacnoise and Shannonbridge before returning home.
The weather was atrocious and I even got a sprinkling of Snow as I headed over the mountains. Below is a ruin near a Towerhouse in Offaly.
Hail, sleet, snow, rain, wind, mist, cold, and wet........... but apart from that the weather was great !
I stopped a few times to take some quick snaps but each time I regretted stopping as I quickly froze up from the wind and cold.
I liked the look of the fresh machine harvested Peat lying at the side of the road and couldn't resist taking a picture.
I didn't go into Clonmacnoise, it was too cold to bother but I did stop at a place about 600 or 700 meters further along the road to Shannonbridge. Here on my right I spotted a galvanised pedestrian gateway which I had never noticed before despite passing at least a dozen times !
It turned out to be the entrance to Saint Ciaran's Well. It is an ancient spot on a pilgrim trail and little known. There were several carved slabs around the well with intricate and interesting carvings.
It's reputed that a leper wanted to sit beneath a tree here and asked a man to pull up some reeds for him to sit on. When the reeds were pulled water sprouted into the hole that was left and this is now Saint Ciaran's Well.
On my way home I passed Clonony Castle in Offaly (not far from Belmont) and an old pretty Green Water Pump.
Then it was home for some greatly appreciated warm food......