Nenagh

A short visit to Nenagh today to take in a few sights in the area. Nenagh, a Market town in North Tipperary, is often overlooked as a place to visit which is a bit of a shame considering its rich heritage and history.

Among some of the things to see or visit here are Nenagh Castle which is free entry and has a beautiful view from the top and Nenagh Gaol which is also free entry and which is home to an intriguing Heritage Centre housing a wealth of artifacts from bygone times.

It is staggering the amount of history told here through it's various collections, a true hidden gem.

The guide here was fantastic and we got a tour of the Gatehouse where prisoners were kept prior to execution. This guide had a wealth of knowledge and was both entertaining and informative and you could really appreciate he enjoyed sharing his knowledge of the area.

The few pictures posted here show just a tiny fraction from the Heritage Centre/Gaol. The Execution platform and Noose certainly bring home the horror's awaiting the condemned as does the condemned men's tiny exercise yard.
 

The Franciscan Friary in Nenagh shown below is somewhat nondescript but worth visiting as it sits right in the heart of town.

Nenagh Gaol and the Hangmans platform.

Not far from Nenagh are the Silvermine Mountains and if you like scenic cycling combined with a steep hill climb there's no better choice of climb than Keepers Hill just beside Silvermine's village, a guaranteed burn for the legs......

Famine Pot beside Nenagh Public Library.

Nenagh Castle.

Early c. 1720 Church ruin and Bell Tower, Nenagh.

Pictured below is Tyone Monastery ruin, Nenagh. Originally a Priory and Hospital of John the Baspist operated by the Fratres Cruciferi, the Crutched Friars.

Belived to have began as an Italian order and also sometimes claimed to have originated in the 1st Century in the Middle East, their Priory at Nenagh was dissolved in 1551.

Nenagh Courthouse is an imposing building with its grand Ionic style columns and it has some thoughtfully designed statues on the grounds of Irish Olympic Champions from times of old.

Lisbonney Church ruin on the edge of Nenagh. It is rumored that an underground tunnel ran from Lisbonney to Tyone on the other side of Nenagh.

Site of a Ring Fort (Rath) at Nenagh. These were a type of protected homestead generally dating from the Iron Age. There are several located close to the town and also quite a few Bronze Age Ring Barrows as well.

Photographs from Nenagh Gaol and Heritage Centre.

 

The Heritage Centre is incorporated into Nenagh Gaol and has a fantastic collection of local antiquities including a well laid out furnace room.

The old style shop is very interesting and well stocked with provisions.

Yarn Bombing in Mountmellick

Just back from a spin over the Slieve Bloom Mountains.

Coming into Mountmellick I saw the Yarn Bombers had been out and about doing great work.

It really brightens the place up so well done and Kudos to the Yarn Bombers.............

Some sightseeing and very little Cycling

More sightseeing this past week or so than actual cycling. Mostly my cycling has been consigned to indoor sessions on Zwift.

Out and about though this last few days I've visited Castletown House in Celbridge Kildare, Maynooth Castle in Kildare, Portumna Castle (fortified House) in Galway, Lackeen and Redwood Castle's in beautiful Lorrha in Tipperary and Oughterard in Kildare which is the resting place of the founder of Guinness, Arthur Guinness himself.

This is just a quick post to throw up a few photographs but I'd highly recommend a visit to the tiny Hamlet of Lorrha in Tipperary to visit its Castles, Holy Well's and Abbey, Priory and Friary.

Lorrha is a hidden gem nestled in the lush Irish Countryside, a very picturesque and quiet place to visit.

 

Castletown House in Kildare is also well worth taking the time to visit. The guided Tour is fantastic and the restoration of the House has been very faithful to the era. They have even got a beautiful Charles Clay Musical Clock.

 

Maynooth Castle while not spectacular is worth visiting while combining a visit to Saint Patrick's College and Saint Mary's Church beside it.

 

I'm off out for a long overdue cycle now....... keep the wheels turning.

Banagher, Offaly

Not enough cycling this last few weeks, just an occasional spin.

One cycle took me by historic Banagher in Offaly located on the banks of the River Shannon.

Cromwell's Castle is an old fortification right on the edge of the Shannon and there's an old Martello Tower there too.

Unfortunately the Martello Tower is located on private property in someone's garden.

There towers were built to withstand direct cannon fire with massively thick walls and are usually to be found on seafront locations. There's a few along the River Shannon which I presume underscores British fears of a French fleet sailing up the Shannon.

Hopefully this week see's more Bike time.......

Saint Manchan's Shrine

A few spins this week and one long spin took me out past Boher in Offaly.

I took the opportunity to drop in to the Church and see Saint Manchan's Shrine again.

The Harry Clark windows in the Church are beautiful.

Keep the wheels turning.

Timahoe Round Tower, Laois

A quick spin this evening past Timahoe in Laois.

I've not been cycling much this past few weeks,  I just seem too busy with one thing or another.

It was great to be out turning the pedals.

I took a few photos at Timahoe of the beautiful Round Tower and the village seemed as neat and tidy as ever, a pleasure to visit at any time.

This is the site of an ancient monastery founded by Saint Mochua and is well worth taking the time to visit if you are ever in Laois.

Cecil Day Lewis

A short spin this evening took me past Portlaoise and Stradbally, then up over the Windy Gap before turning left and back towards home through the tiny Hamlet of Ballintubbert.

I stopped for a while at the small Church there, Saint Brigid's, where I took a photo of the plaque in memory of Cecil Day Lewis.

Cecil Day Lewis was British Poet Laureate between 1968/72. He was also the father of well known (and superb) actor Daniel Day Lewis.

It's nice to see him remembered at his birthplace of Ballintubbert in Laois.

There was a small Well at the rear of the Church with crystal clear water. Almost all ecclesiastical settlements would have been founded originally close to natural springs which could supply clean fresh water and this fact explains why we find so many Wells associated with old Church's, Abbeys, and Ruins. We generally know them today as various "Holy Wells".

Turbo Day on Zwift

Looking forward to a spin today but torrential rain put paid to that plan.

Cue a session on Zwift in a spare room with a bike and power meter...... I must be going soft, I couldn't face the rain. In my defence it was raining so heavily it was probably dangerous to go out on a bike. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

The only problem was I could clearly see all the wheels I've not fixed yet.........

The Heath, Portlaoise

Just a few spins this week. I passed the Heath near Portlaoise a couple of times.

There are at least 14 Ring Barrows on the Heath but a lot are hard to spot due to Heather and weed growth. One is very well kept and maintained.

The Heath is an important heritage site. It was the site of habitation and burial throughout the Bronze and Iron Age and has been in continuous use into modern contemporary times.

There's an old Church ruin with a stoup (font) by the Heath.

Treacy's Pub and Restaurant is a great spot for a bite to eat and is on the edge of the Heath. I've had a couple of nice meals here....

Many Bronze and Iron age artifacts were found in the area when archaeologists were conducting surveys prior to the construction of the nearby motorway.