Timahoe
The picturesque village of Timahoe in Laois lie's roughly 12 Kilometres from either Portlaoise or Abbeyleix, 8 Kilometres from Stradbally and about the same again from the Swan or the bottom of Wolfhill.
Timahoe can lay claim to having one of the finest examples of a Round Tower in Ireland on a site which originally contained a 7th Century Monastery associated with Saint Mochua of Timahoe.
Today the Monastery has long since gone and the Church was burned twice but there are many interesting and beautiful features and antiquities alongside the 12th Century Round Tower which is located beside the equally well kept village green.
There is an exquisitely designed and beautiful little sculpture in the grounds which pays homage to Saint Mochua and which may be misinterpreted by the casual visitor.
The sculpture depicts a Rooster, a Mouse, and a Fly. Saint Mochua was a Hermit but he kept three pets, the Rooster Mouse and Fly.
The Rooster would call him to prayer while the Mouse would nibble his ear to rouse him if he was sleeping and the Fly would walk along beneath the lines of the Psalms he was reading. I was delighted to see this simple little sculpture and find out what it represented.
Saint Mochua died in 657. In his early life he was reputed to be a soldier but sometime in his 30's he became a monk.
The Romanesque doorway on the Round Tower looks very interesting and has ornate carvings but I couldn't make them out from ground level.
I believe the Church ruin was rebuilt in the 15th Century but incorporated into a 17th Century Castle which no longer stands.
The present Church on site has a plaque renaming it the Willie Headen Memorial Library. It is described as a Gothic Revival Church of Ireland Church built in the 1840's. Previously when passing I dropped in and volunteers were staffing it. It had been turned into a small museum and although it housed no large collection it was a pleasure to go inside and learn about the local area and its history.
This part of Laois is fantastic to cycle and there's a warren of boreens around nearby Wolfhill Luggacurren and the Swan, which are nice and quiet with stunning scenery. It's just waiting to be explored by the cyclist.
There's a lovely old Wooden Water Pump on the village green and it's obviously being well cared for. The people of Timahoe seem to be determined to hang onto their heritage.
About 100 metres from the village green is what looks like the ruin of a former mill, I'll take a closer look next time I'm cycling by when I grab an Ice Cream.
I have no idea at all why there are traffic jams in Glendalough or
Killarney when the likes of Timahoe in Laois are so tranquil and quiet,
seldom visited and beautiful.
