Roche Castle

What a beautiful Spring day today, thank God. Blue skies, dry roads and light, blessed light, everywhere. In fact the perfect day for a spin on your bike and a bonus if you have good company, which I had. We set off from Felda on the stroke of 10 and hit for Knockbridge. The stronger group soon opened up a gap and we didn't see them again until they came into the coffee shop in Carrickasticken. In fact, to my amazement, they arrived at almost the same time as us even though I suggested a loop around Mullaghbane to delay them.

There is no doubt about it but this is a lovely area. North Louth is fascinating as well as beautiful. The Ring of Gullion gives South Armagh a unique advantage. Combined, I could cycle around here forever. It has everything - scenery, history, culture, you name it. You only have to go walking with the Gap of the North club from Jonesboro ( https://sites.google.com/site/gapothenorth/home) and listen to the excellent Seamus Murphy describe the richness of the area to know you are in somewhere special. So please excuse what follows, it's from a Runner from Galway who has picked up bits and pieces in his 30 years up here.

This area, historically, was at the edge of the Pale. That's the area that the Anglo-Normans ruled in Medieval times. Roche Castle, which is on the right as you cycle from Hackballscross, marked the northern boundary of the Pale. Behind it, English rule prevailed. Beyond it was Gaelic Ulster. Hard to believe now that this was the most Irish part of Ireland a few hundred years ago. But there you have it - Irish, Catholic, Brehon Law etc north of Roche; English, Protestant, Civil Law the other. Knowing this makes it extra special for me every time I cycle past Roche, because we think we have a monopoly on Irishness in Galway.

Only a couple of miles from Roche is Creggan and I got some shock when I heard Irish was spoken here until relatively recently. Imagine my surprise when I cycled into it one day and saw something called the Poets' Grave and the Poets' Glen. My curiosity was piqued and I had to investigate. Three renowned Gaelic poets are buried here, from the 18th century. Patrick McAlinden, Seamus Mór McMurphy and Art McCooey all came from this area. To put it into context, at the same time we only had Raftery an File in the West.

This whole area amazes me and if God spares me the health, I intend to spend many years touring on my bike. Of course anyone is welcome to come with me, especially if you can add to my store of knowledge. Apparently, down in Forkhill was another poet, Peadair O'Doirnán and not to far away in Omeath, Seamus Dall McCuarta who made it onto my list of prescribed poets for Leaving Cert, aeons ago. I think it's no wonder, with a literary tradition like this, that one of our greatest and most authentically Irish poets comes from Inniskeen - the incomparable Kavanagh.

Now since I was a geography teacher in a previous incarnation, I have to say something about the Ring of Gullion. It's a volcanic extrusion (nah I'm only joking, you's thought you were back in school again, you can read it all on a plaque in the Courtyard)!! Get in your car, on your bike or leg it. This area will fascinate you for a long time. So you can imagine the scenery or better still view it from almost any stop on your bike or car. Today we admired the views from a new coffee shop in Carricksticken, before the descent to Dundalk. Roche Castle, from an angle we hadn't seen it before, Glassdrummond Church (Dawn whitens Glassdrummond Chapel - Kavanagh) and the beautiful, rolling countryside of North Louth/South Armagh lay before us.

The Poets' Glen - Creggan River, Creggan

Finally, once again, this is only a potted guide to this lovely area. I'm sure I left so much out or got it wrong but if it whets you appetite it's a job well done.

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