Stage 2

Stage 2.

Day 1 June 27th  2019

Kilkenny-Jerpoint Abbey-Dunbrody Abbey-Tintern Abbey- Graiguenamanagh Abbey- Baltinglas Abbey- Bolton Abbey and back to Mt. St Joseph Abbey, approx. 203 miles.

Some felt that I had ended the first stage in Kilkenny abruptly. After a quick shower Paddy and I walked up to town to relax and then he treated me to a belated 81^st Birthday meal in Anocht, a fine dining restaurant in the Kilkenny Design Centre, a fitting end to hard cycling.

Medieval Cistercian Abbeys required they be in isolated places. Later towns built up around them. Cycling to them even with GPS and Google Maps was tricky. More and more we relied on the local person for directions for the right way, a recommended restaurant, even the cup of cold water and the encouraging word. To find that we were 5 miles or quite possiby even more on the wrong road at the end of the day as happened was a real downer; but the Spirit is strong and we rose to the challenge.

On 27^th June we took a van with bikes to Kilkenny and  restarted our Camino at 7.20 am for Thomastown. There we had a quick breakfast and on to Jerpoint. Arriving shortly after 9.00 am we made ourselves and our pilgrimage  known to the receptionist. We were fortunate to be in time for the first guided tour with an American group. The sun was shining and the scene was splendid;almost movielike!Jerpoint, founded in 1180 is one of the best preserved Cistercian Abbeys and possibly was  the richest. The abbey had 20,000 acres of land.

It was dissolved in 1540.

The Tour Guide gave an excellent account of the Abbey’s history. He asked  me to name the carved figures on the tombs and made us sit in the alcoves where the abbot used to sit for Mass. The  Americans were delighted to take photos of a “live” monk!!

There are excellent photos on monastic.ie/history/jerpoint-cistercian-abbey/

Carpe Diem

Standing in the Choir monks dormitory

Stone carved Altar of the 12 Apostles
Possibly by local stone carvers.

Visual Plan of the Layout of the Monastery.

  

Timeline Day 1

Dunbrody Abbey : founded in 1170 from St Mary’s Abbey Dublin

The massive size of Dunbrody and Tintern are striking compared to the squat architecture of the first Irish abbeys built by the Irish monks. The English/Norman influence is so obvious. These two abbeys were founded from English and Welsh monasteries. The last abbot 1540 Alexander Devereux changed his religion and became the protestant bishop of Ferns.

  

The distance from Dunbrody to Tintern is only 8 miles but alas we took wrong turns and ended up adding more miles to our journey and too late for Tintern as it was closed. We were rescued by a good friend who gave us accommodation for the night. 

















Day 2 June 28th 2019.

At 6.30 a.m. we went to see Tintern. The abbey opened at 9.30, too late for us as we needed to be on the road by 8.00.

Tintern: founded in 1200 and named after Tintern in Wales.

As with Jerpoint Abbey, (15,000 acres) Tintern had huge tracks of land granted to them or acquired by the monks through various schemes. The plaque below says that the monks had granges 20 miles distance from Tintern.

Modern Day Monk ponders it all !

Tintern Abbey
Impressive front facade.

God’s glitter on road-side ditches.  “Not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like these”

Informative Plaque.

Graiguenamanagh is said to have had 23,000 acres.

Early morning sun helps man and bike recover

After breakfast we set of for Graiguenamanagh Abbey in Kilkenny. Paddy insisted that we stop for coffee in New Ross and lucky we did as leaving New Ross there is a long very steep hill that tested our metal but we made it to the top intact.  However shortly afterwards we turned right for Graiguenamanagh and low and behold there in front of us is another long steep stinger, known locally as 'Stripe Hill'. Towards the top I dismounted my Koga friend and  threw myself down into the grass exhausted. Paddy wondered about CPR !!

Graiguenamanagh Duiske Abbey; Founded in 1204 by William Marshall and colonized by monks from Stanley in Wiltshire. It was English in its origin and outlook.

The people of Graiguenamanagh have great pride in their monastic heritage. Granite statues of monks greet you on arrival and departure.

                                     

Restoration was completed in the 1980s.  The abbey is now a parish church. 

Perhaps the monks even canoed on the Barrow; just like modern Monks. !!

There is a wonderful model of the abbey with legend showing all the regular places in the monastery from the mill on the river Barrow to guesthouse, chapter house, sacristy etc. In 1228 there were 36 monks and 50 lay-brothers.

A Dirge for Duiske

A Dirge for Duiske, once so great and grand

No white Cistercians in its abbey dwells;

Now money-loving men possess the land

And house their cattle in its ruined cells.

Graiguenamanagh restored Abbey Church

We stopped for lunch at the Duiske Inn, Main St. Graiguenamanagh, 
lunch was good and we were now set up to cycle on.

From Graiguenamanagh we cycled to Tullow where good friends gave us accommodation for the night. 
As always on walking or cycling pilgrimages the sight of a bed for the night and a shower are most welcome gifts. Soon we are showered and changed and we  headed on advice from our friends to the Tara Arms Bar & Seasons Restaurant where we enjoyed a most welcome and delicious evening meal; definitely well earned after a long and difficult day on the roads.

Tintern Abbey to Tullow

Day 3 June 29th 2019.

Tullow to Baltinglass and Bolton Abbey.

After breakfast we left Tullow knowing that today would be our relatively easy day. With little Saturday morning traffic we zipped along the hard shoulder reaching Baltinglass just after 10 am. A quick coffee/tea break at The Tea Rooms which is a Community run Cafe with its profits going to local community run initiatives; nice food and friendly service.
Having reached Baltinglass quite early this gave us nearly two hours to leisurely examine and enjoy our visit to this Abbey Ruins.

Baltinglass Abbey: founded 1151, second daughter house of Mellifont Abbey. Extensive estates in Carlow, Kildare, Laois and Wicklow.

The date AD 1151 can be seen on the wall just inside the main entrance.

Every second column has a round section or a square section. Most of the arches are Gothic but the arches dividing the transepts are Roman.

We had arrived early at Baltinglass and were able to spend over two hours there with breakfast in between. Paddy being a builder added a lot of information on the building style of the abbey which I found informative

 

We had covered all the Cistercian Ruins in the South East and so we cycled to a living Cistercian Monastery near Moone in Kildare, Bolton Abbey a foundation house of Mt. St. Joseph Abbey. We received a very warm welcome and stayed two nights there.
On Sunday we decided to take a day of rest.  I con-celebrated Sunday Mass with Paddy in attendance. The mass was celebrated by Dom. Michael and his homily was both meaningful and seemed to reflect many aspects of our Pilgrimage journey. The central theme being;whom do you trust when alone or lost in the mist!
After lunch I decided to catch up on some well earned rest (remember Stripe Hill) while Paddy decided to go to the Moone High Cross bar to 'watch the matches' although he did arrive back at 6 in reasonable condition and capable of staying on his bike!

The Bell Tolls !!

Day 5 July 1st  2019.

On Monday we set out for home, a trip of 50 miles. Coming through Stradbally famous for its steam rally and Electric Picnic, we saw an unusual sight, a tiny Orthodox church just in off the road.

Home, bloodied but unbowed!!  

Bikes need rest too !!

From Abbeyleix there is a cycle lane all the way to Durrow, where we had lunch at the Castle Arms Hotel; lunch and service was excellent. Now we were ready for our last leg for home. As we were entering Ballacolla, Paddy had a near miss 'fall' but managed to stay on board. We joked about it not being over til its over ! We had a quick break and a nap on the grass at Aghaboe Abbey and then onwards for Borris in Ossory where I was less fortunate than Paddy when I clipped a kerb  and fell to the ground. Paddy thought about CPR again or even an ambulance but quick and basic first aid and we were on the road again (mocking is catching). 
We arrived safely back at MSJ at about 4pm. Mission accomplished.

Introduction

Camino to Cistercian ruins of Ireland

2019

“Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you search the truth and make of your Camino a life and of your life a Camino, after Him who is the Way, the Life, and the Truth.”

A journal of a Cycling Camino of Cistercian Abbey Ruins by a Cistercian Monk (Fr. Aodhán Mc Dunphy) and Paddy Smyth , a House-master, at Cistercian College Roscrea.

                               

    

Stages of our Camino:

1^st Stage - Mount St Josephs Abbey Roscrea  to Holy Cross Abbey, Hore Abbey, and Kilcooley Abbey in Tipperary

2nd Stage - will be in late June to Jerpoint, and Graiguenamanagh in Kilkenny, Tintern Abbey and Dunbrody Abbeys in Wexford and Baltinglass Abbey in Wicklow.

3^rd Stage - (Mid-July) Abbeyknockmoy (Galway), Boyle Abbey(Roscommon),Abbeylara, Abbeyshrule (Longford), Bective Abbey (Co. Meath) and Old Mellifont Abbey (Co. Louth)

The Inspiration for this journey.

Fr.Aodhán: The inspiration for this Camino stems from my visit to the Cistercian abbey of Sobrado near Santiago de Compostella.

I had finished cycling three quarters of the Camino from  Logrono   and was resting in Sobrado Abbey. There I saw a large picture of the genealogical tree of the foundations from Citeaux  and Clairvaux founded in 1098.

What amazed me was the rapidity with which the foundations were made. In just 40 years there were foundations of Cistercians in:

Bohemia: The first Cistercian abbey in Bohemia was founded in Sedlec near Kutná Hora in 1142

England: By 1152, there were 54 Cistercian monasteries in England.

Norway: Munkeby Abbey 1180.

Ireland: Mellifont 1142, Bective 1147, Baltinglass 1148, Abbeydorney 1154

The Cistercian Abbeys in Ireland mushroomed at the same speed as the rest of Western Europe, with over 30 Abbeys throughout Ireland at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. 

Paddy: My first walking Camino, Camino Francés to Santiago de Compestella led me to a living working monastery of Mt. St. Joseph Abbey Roscrea and it was from there too that I cycled the Via Francegina to Rome. On Camino I get the sense of journeying towards “Who am I, Lord?” and “Who are you, Lord”

All pilgrimage, including our bike Camino, has the potential for spiritual and physical renewal.

                                                         

Cistercian Map of Ireland  

  

Stage 1

Stage 1      

Day 1 April 24th 2019.

We began our Camino in the rain, heading from Mt. St. Joseph Abbey to Holy Cross Abbey in Tipperary (approx. 45km). The ruins of the church were restored 1970-1975 and is now a working Parish church. The monk’s cellar is now a shop selling religious goods and the Lay-Brothers dormitory above is a meeting room and a café. We travelled lovely quiet roads from M.S.J. crossing the N7 at Cloneganna and then east of Dunkerrin through Rathnavogue and on to Killea leading onto the N62 for Borrisoleigh going left at Kilfithmone cross and then The Ragg beckoned where we had our first pit stop.
Tea, coffee toast and scones got two damp creatures ready to pedal again. 

Despite the rain which fell for most of the morning, we enjoyed the wonderful scenery. Everywhere was fresh and green. Large acreage of maize was being sown under plastic. We rode where possible on bye roads with little traffic. For the most part we could ride two abreast and chat and short breaks for fuel from “Monks Munchies” ( monastic home-made energy bars)  and water. We were surprised to see how many large and small properties along the route had electric security gates.

Not Electric but probably more effective !!

Holy cross Abbey

Founded 1168 from Monasteranenagh, which was founded from Mellifont Disestablished 1536

Today

1841

                                                                                                                       

Within the Abbey there is a discrepancy of style in the arches of the nave, pointed arches on one side and rounded arches on the other.

Was this the result of two competing teams of monks?

Also remarkable are the massive buttresses along the outside, while not being elegant, have a character of their own. Nevertheless, they give stability and strength, reminding us of the Gospel text,

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

After a tour of an hour and a half we went next door to the Abbey Pub for an excellent lunch.

We set out for Hore Abbey near The Rock of Cashel. (approx. 16km)

We could pass through these three ruins and not realise that they were once living breathing communities just like the one we have set out from in Roscrea. We have inherited their lifestyle and their faith.

Life and conditions were different in medieval time, but individually and collectively we have been shaped by these monasteries. Many villages and towns lived if not in the shadow of these medieval abbeys were within a day’s pilgrimage from them.

The Rock of Cashel

God's early spring glitter has begun to decorate the roadside verges.

Hore Abbey

There is a remarkable resemblance between the architecture of these three abbeys which is not surprising as Cistercian architecture was simple and utilitarian.

The words of one of Paddys favorite Willie Nelson songs keeps ringing in his head!
"On the road again, I just cant wait to get on the road again"

Originally founded by the Benedictine order in 1266. Hore Abbey was given to the Cistercians from Mellifont in 1272 by David McCarvill, Archbishop of nearby Cashel.  The Abbey was the last pre-Reformation Cistercian in Ireland. It was never prosperous. Perhaps because it lacked the most vital requirement for Cistercian buildings, namely a fast flowing river. The overall design of the monastery is a perfect example of the conservative approach of the Cistercians.

We stayed the night in Cashel Lodge, an excellent B&B. Email: info@cashel-lodge.com

Day 2 April 25th 2019.

The next leg of this stage of the Camino was to Kilcooly Abbey, Gortnahoe  approx. 35km

We took the old Cork road R639 to Horse and Jockey, Littleton, stayed on the same road for another few miles and turned at sign for Mary Willies Pub and straight to Gortnahoe.

This R639 has a wide margin within the yellow line and is quite pleasant  to cycle on. On this road there are vast acres of horse breeding and training.

We were fortunate to meet the Retired Parish Priest Fr. Joe O’Rourke, in Gortnahoe who went before us to show us into the Kilcooly estate and gave us the history of both Estate (1263 acres) and Abbey.

Kilcooley House was built in the late 18th century by the aristocratic Barker family, barons from Essex who came to Ireland and were granted – or rather, grabbed – vast tracts of land and decided to create “as fine and elegant a private gentleman’s seat as any in Europe”.

Their descendants, the Ponsonby family, lived there until 2004.

The ruined 12th century Cistercian Abbey, is now a national monument and under the care of the OPW. Due to a collapsing wall the abbey was closed to the public.

Fr. Joe and Fr Aodhán at Kilcooly Abbey         

Columbarium

As its name signifies, it is for doves. Some of the medieval French abbeys had very large stone dovecotes on their grounds. Pigeons and doves were an important food source in Western Europe and were kept for their eggs, flesh, and dung. The figure in the dovecote is probably a dove with clipped wings!!  We cycled on to Kilkenny and then home by van.

Stage 1 - Timeline

Day 1

Day 2