Blue way of County Tipperary IV

I don’t want to leave the village of Kilsheelan yet! Today’s walk is about a half of a mile long. We will be mostly standing and looking at things through all four seasons of photographs.

George Henry Bassett, an editor of the New York Times with an interest for writing, left his account about Kilsheelan in his Guide and Directory, 1889:

“… Kilsheelan is a station on the Waterford and Limerick railway… The land is good for pasture and tillage… The Waterford county border is separated from Kilsheelan by the river crossed here by a substantial stone bridge. Near it there is a quay for discharge of goods dispatched by boat from Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir and Waterford. At the verge of the river, close to the bridge, there is an ancient moat. It is now quite bare, but down to fifteen years ago, had a good covering of trees. The ruin of an old church between the village and the river, is one of the striking objects seen from passing trains…”

We will find these object – and some more- 130 years later.

Elegant yet sturdy Kilsheelan Bridge spans the river since 1820. The bridge has three large arches and one additional dry arch for pedestrian use and boat towing. The bridge was repaired and expanded in the late 1930-s.

The bridge in November 2019.

This is the place where the quay used to be.

Another object from the book is the famous ruin of Kilsheelan Old Church. To get there, we walk past the Butterfly Garden.  It is a lovely place to meditate and enjoy the sun. The Garden got a new gate last summer, beautifully decorated with the otter, swan, salmon and kingfisher wood carvings.

Kilsheelan means ‘the church of Síoláin’, an early saint who died in 608 or 610. All photographs of the ruin look the same, so I was glad when a black & white kitty came into the frame and added some ‘color’.

Kilsheelan Old Church ruin dates from the early-twelfth century. The west gable and the south wall are pre-Norman. 

The bell cote and this ogee headed window were added in the 15th century.

The east gable.

In the north wall, there is a carved Romanesque doorway – usually such doorways face West. You can read about a fine example of Romanesque doorway in my blog about The Saint Lachtain’s Church of Freshford.

The Church was probably abandoned in the 16th century, but the graveyard guarded by ancient yew trees is still in use. There are many 18th century tombstones and headstones.

The opposite bank is bursting with life: I have seen otters, kingfishers, water rails, dippers, and of course there is always a heron.

There is also a lot to see at the village end of the bridge.

First of all, the majestic Slievenamon, sometimes covered with snow. This beautiful mountain is always in view. On the right side of the image there is another interesting object – a Norman motte, an earth and timber fortification.

A grotto was built into the north side of the motte in 1948.

This is the latest addition to the village’s image.

The views from the bridge, downstream and upstream.

There are two mature birch trees between the motte and the river. Treecreepers can be seen there spiraling up the trunks, completely ignoring a human and her camera.

Former moat still isn’t entirely bare, looking lovely in autumn colours.

We walk upstream from the bridge to get to Castle Gurteen de la Poer before the dark.

The owner of the castle is Gottfried Helnwein , an Austrian-Irish artist. He resides there with his family.

My plan was to ask the residents of both Poulakerry and Gurteen if they ever walked, cycled or kayaked all 21 km of the Blueway. I didn’t have an opportunity to see the Poulakerry folks, but I asked my question to Cyril Helnwein – fine art photographer, motorcycle enthusiast and the resident of Gurteen de la Poer. Yes, they have done it many times as a family, he says. Both cycled and kayaked. They sure love ‘wind in their hair’. This Sunday Cyril is riding solo in The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, and those of you who are passionate for bikes can visit Motowitch Collective website his wife Kojii Helnwein hosts since 2018.

We are moving closer to the end of our walk. Only 8 kilometres left, and I hope we make it to Clonmel in two weeks. Thank you for being my walking companions!

Here is a link to one of my blogs about Gottfried Helnwein’s work.

  Have a happy weekend!

121 comments

    1. Thank you so much, Andrea! I am happy you enjoyed the walk. Wish we had spectacular fall colors this year, but no such luck. So far, the leaves just turn brown and fall off.

  3. Ahhhhh! Thanks so much for the walk! I’m planning a trip in the future back to Ireland. You’ve convinced me I need to visit and stay a spell in Waterford area!

    1. Thank you, Cindy! I do hope this future comes soon 🙂 There are many other places in Ireland, some of them much more beautiful. I wish I could write about every place I have been.

        1. Belfast (NI), Antrim coast (NI), Inishoven peninsula (RI) and Dark Hedges (NI) on the way back to Belfast – spectacular trip, but you have to find out about the post-Brexit situation with visas.

          Galway, Connemara, Castlebar, Westport, Achill island and either Sligo or the Burren or both (if you have time).

          Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough and either Dublin ( Malachide, Bray, Howth) or Wexford ( Kilmore Quay and Saltee Islands, Curracloe beach, Heritage Park).
          I think any of these trips would be unforgettable.

  5. It is always a pleasure to be a walking companion with you. The richness of history and the building of the arch bridge is a feat in itself. It is amazing it is still standing today with repair in the 1930’s/ Fall above all is my favorite season with the burning of logs in old and idle fireplaces. The smell of wood burning in the cool crisp air The harvest season and especially the turning of colors’t. Can’t forget the pumpkins OMG I am pumpkin crazy. Anyway it is not about me went off on a little tangent there lol. We don’t have such history in Canada although in Quebec apparently there are still buildings standing from the 1700’s. Love that little bird on the tree. The first photo he or she was camouflaged nicely. You always take us on an interesting tour where we become part of the photos that turn live. I hope you are well. Stay blessed.

    1. Thank you so much, Joseph! I love the harvest season too, and I wish I had a fireplace.
      Three hundred years old building is old enough. It is wonderful that such buildings are still preserved in Quebec. Historical buildings are costly to maintain and repair. There were dozens of beautiful houses in Ireland that had been blown up – here is an example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanbally_Castle
      The bridge was damaged during the Civil War, but the victors quickly realised they needed it back, so it was restored in 1930.
      The Treecreeper bird was perfectly camouflaged and confident that I wouldn’t see it. It was spiraling around the trunk at my eye level, and I was walking behind it trying to focus my camera. I’ll bet the walkers thought I was crazy.
      Stay safe.

    1. Thank you, I was glad too 🙂 This ruin can be photographed only from one side, and all the photographs in the internet look the same. The cat came in handy. Now my picture is different and special 🙂

  7. You are one very lucky lady to have such beautiful hikes to take ~ and there is something special about the arch of a stone bridge in the right light, and you hit all the perfect angles with your photos. And then there is the autumn foliage you capture, all within a stones throw of church ruins from the early 12th century. Not bad 🙂 Wonderful post, Inese, and wishing you the best.

    1. Thank you so much, Randall! Kilsheelan village is just a short drive from where I live. This place gives good vibes, and I used to visit it often. There is also a wood, and many historical objects. I will write about these places in the future.
      Thank you again for walking along. Another 8 km hike and we are done with the Blueway :).
      Stay safe.

  11. Absolutely gorgeous! Wish I could see this beauty in person but am so enjoying your photos! Thank you!

    1. Thank you so much for walking along! I haven’t started reading your book yet. With me being so slow you will probably write another one before I get to it.

      1. Ha ha! I may already have. I finished two at once and the new one is about to drop for the Halloween season. I took a break over the summer and probably won’t start again for another month.

    1. Thank you so much, Jason! I hope to see the river in person too 🙂 The pictures are old. I have many pictures because it used to be my regular walking trail.

    1. Thank you so much, Takami. I have spent many hours walking along the river over the years and accumulated many photographs. This autumn won’t be spectacular: we had a couple of very bad storms and the leaves are already damaged. The last beautiful autumn was in 2018.
      Stay safe you too ❤

  20. Another enjoyable read but I can’t bring myself to walk a strip of tarmac through the beautiful countryside. A grit path would attract me but then that wouldn’t suit the cycling brigade who seem to be in the ‘driving seat’ when it comes to greenways.

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