HIKE PROGRAMME

February 2007

MEET: Burgh Quay

DEPART: Sundays 10.00 am

COST: Private bus. €12

11 February 2007

---Glendalough Circuit

Leader: Brian Flynn

Route: Glendalough * Tracks and Ragman’s Path to Shay Elliott * Carriglineen * Drumgoff * Coolalingo Bridge * Cullentragh * Derrybawn Forest * Glendalough.

Distance: 17km Ascent: 550m

18 February 2007

---Little and Large Revisited

Leader: Joe Gilvarry

Route: Little and Large Sugar Loaves * Rocky Valley * Carrigoona * Crow Lane.

Distance: 18km Ascent: 800m

25 February 2007

---County Dublin Rambles

Leader: Brian Madden

Route: Rockbrook Graveyard * Massey Estate * Killakee Mountain * Featherbed Road * Old Bog Road * Castlekelly Track * Bohernabreena Waterworks.

Distance: 17km Ascent: 600m

4 March 2007

---Introductory Hillwalkers Hike

Leader: David McCann

Route: Greenan * Strand Bridge * Kirikee * Ballydowling * Clara Vale Chapel of Ease * Avonmore River * Stump of the Castle.

Distance: 17km Ascent: 430m

GENERAL HIKE NOTES

PARTICIPATION Mountaineering is an activity with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants should be aware of and accept these risks. People who take part in our club activities do so at their own risk and are responsible for their own actions and involvement.

INTRODUCTORY HIKES An Introductory Hike is organised once per month for aspirant members. Any participant on these hikes must be a member of An Óige.

CO-ORDINATION If necessary, tickets are given out on Sundays to ensure that participants reserve a bus place as they arrive.

LEADER The leader has the right to refuse anyone who is not adequately equipped (e.g., without appropriate boots, rainwear, food, torch, hat, gloves, etc). The leader may alter the route from that described in the program. The leader sets the pace of the hike and walkers are expected to obey the leader’s instructions at all times.

ENVIRONMENT Try to reduce the erosion and widening of trails, e.g. do not walk on the edge of worn tracks; walk through the centre of the original track or go several meters into the scruff where the ground is untrodden, walking parallel to but not on the track.

LITTER Litter is unsightly and dangerous to animals. Even bio-degradable items like orange peels and banana skins take years to disappear. Bring all your litter home and try to include at least one extra item from each day out. Do not bury litter – animals will dig it up.

WALKING STICKS AND RUCKSACKS Remember that walking sticks and rucksacks cannot be brought onto the bus and must be stowed away in the boot during the journey.

HIKE LEADERS Any club member interested in leading a hike, please contact:

Garry Byrne

LONG DISTANCE CHALLENGE

THE ART O’NEILL WALK 2007

It’s always exciting making one’s way to Dublin Castle for the Art O’Neill Walk. What adds to the anticipation is wondering how many are going to turn up on the night since this is a no fee/no pre-entry event. Sometimes the plans made after too much Christmas pudding and turkey fade away as the night of the event approaches. In 1998, before the walk was promoted on the internet, only four people turned up. Since then things have changed somewhat. Indeed, on this Friday night, 5th January, 2007, four hundred and fifteen years after the escape of Red Hugh O’Donnell and Art and Henry O’Neill in 1592, over sixty walkers turned up for the challenge. The challenge consists of forty-six kilometres by road and track and 18 kilometres over open mountain, with half the walk taking place in darkness.

Starting out at midnight

Without any fanfare (we didn’t want to awaken Queen Elizabeth’s guards) the long column of widely varying shapes and ages headed off into the night as the midnight hour arrived. Very soon a few runners from Belfast careered into the night, leaving the main body of walkers in wonderment at their fitness. Up Patrick Street, out to Harold’s Cross, on to Templeogue and past the Old Mill in Tallaght, the group soon found itself without street lights, in outer darkness, as the Dublin Hills were reached. Passing by the Kilbride Army Camp at 3.30am, a welcome cup of soup and a slice of cake was generously supplied by the small group of regular volunteers from the Wayfarers Hillwalking Club, led by Grace Dobson. Pat Lynch, who was to provide backup throughout the length of the walk, and also other Wayfarers, had transported carloads of backpacks to this point. With a quick change into boots and head torches, the journey through fields and along country roads to Ballynultagh Gap began. Very soon, however, it started to rain and would continue for the next three or four hours. It’s at Ballynultagh Gap that the first mountain, Black Hill, is tackled. Up till now the hikers had been walking at their own individual paces without concerning themselves about whether they were in touch with the group. However, at Ballynultagh Gap nobody seemed to want to wander up Black Hill alone and around to Billy Byrne’s Gap in mist and darkness. They gathered here waiting for someone with a compass to appear, looking as if he knew how to use it. One fast-footed pair nevertheless headed off ahead of the group and soon disappeared into the murky night. Unfortunately, lacking a compass and only equipped with ‘a good sense of direction‘, they soon found themselves sitting on the slopes below Billy Byrne’s Gap waiting for daylight so that they could find out where they were! Fortunately, the main group of fifty-eight (two had fallen behind at Kilbride) spotted their head torches as they contoured, using a compass, around to the Gap and all were united again. Daylight came on the descent to the hamlet of Glenbride, and the tiring walkers stretched out in a long line as they made their way downwards through broken ground and rough heather.

Glenreemore Brook and Art’s Cross

It was 9.30am at Ballinagee Bridge and the forty kilometre point had been reached. It was time for a rest, food and drink and a change of socks, etc. Unfortunately, two walkers withdrew at this point due to blisters and knee problems. The other two who had fallen behind at Kilbride were also out of the equation. With a bright day and pleasant weather, everyone now proceeded at their own pace up along the Glenreemore Brook to Art’s plaque and the final climb of the day to Art’s Cross.

The biggest group at this stage was the slowest moving, but gradually they made their way at a relaxed pace over to Three Lakes, down the Avonbeg river and along Table Track to Baravore in Glenmalure.

Baravore and beyond

Many withdrew at this stage (formerly the finishing place) while others made their way to the finish at Greenane (64k) and the remnants of Fiach MacHugh O’Byrne’s fortress. The runners from Belfast finished around 2pm while the earliest walkers were in Greenane after 3pm. Most would have finished between 4pm and 5pm. Once again, Pat Lynch of the Wayfarers provided transport from the finish to anyone who required a lift to the train in Rathdrum. As a long-distance walker himself, only he could appreciate small mercies like this at the end of a long trek. The next train to Dublin wasn’t until 7.30pm, but those who made their way to Rathdrum mixed with the Saturday afternoon café society as they enjoyed a well-deserved meal and a pint or two in the salubrious environs of that town.

Fifty-seven of the starters got at least as far as Baravore, the finishing place until this year, while about a dozen from that group went all the way to Greenane at sixty-four kilometres. Everyone who made a serious effort to do his or her best came away from the event very pleased to have participated in this commemoration of the journey of the two Irish Princes to the valley of Glenmalure (Henry O‘Neill parted from their company in Dublin), although Art O’Neill unfortunately died of exposure and exhaustion in the valley below the present-day Art’s Cross. This walk has a lot of road and track in it and half of it happens in darkness. Hillwalkers normally don’t like that arrangement of terrains, but the strangeness and unusual nature of the Walk, allied with the dramatic story it commemorates, makes it a journey everyone remembers with satisfaction, especially those who joined us from far-flung places like Sweden, Germany and the Sultanate of Oman.

Here’s to next year!

Tom Milligan

This article also appears in the February 2007 newsletter of the Irish Ramblers Club and on Simon Stewart’s website http://simonstewart.ie/

NAVIGATION TRAINING

Refresher Weekend 2007

The Hillwalkers finished their 2006 Map and Compass course with an excellent weekend excursion to the Rathgormack Community & Hiking Centre in Co. Waterford. It’s ideally located within 5km of the Comeragh Mountains, which has been the winter training ground for the course since 1995! This year, ten members along with five leaders enjoyed two great days, accompanied by relatively dry but sometimes cloudy weather - excellent for training!

Over the course of the weekend, we re-visited all concepts studied during the long nights in November: Naismith’s rule, 100m paced stretches, 12 minute kilometres, 100m ascents, bearings taken and corrected, stop watches set and read, all accompanied by detailed examination of Sheet 78. Search parties of a different kind were established – this time seeking out re-entrants, knolls, obscure crags, and other micro features that were chosen to tax our now well-honed students. However, it was not all “Map and Compass”: by 7pm on Saturday night we had adjourned to an excellent hostelry in Carrick-on-Suir for dinner before gracing the local pub in Rathgormack. A great weekend all around! Thanks to Jimmy McCullagh - the course organiser and to various leaders who helped on the weekend – Donal Finn, Tom Kenny, Ita O’Hanlon and Philip Roche.

Committee 2006/2007

Chairman Frank Rooney

Secretary Garry Byrne

Treasurer Jim Barry

Membership Donal Finn

Sunday Hikes Garry Byrne

Social Events Steve Buckney

Weekends Mark Campion

Officer-at-large Eoin Moroney

Newsletter Barbara Sudrow

Special thanks to:

Webmaster Matt Geraghty

Distribution Pearse Foley & Cyril McFeeney

CONGRATULATIONS!

The winners of our Christmas Crossword Puzzle are:

Philip Roche and Don Reilly!

The prize, a copy of John Martin’s book, "An Illustrated Survey of An Óige's Youth Hostels", will be sent to our winners shortly.

Solutions to the Christmas Crossword Puzzle below!

See also Garry Byrne’s review of the book in the Dec/Jan edition of THE HILLWALKER.