Tipperary Heritage Way – Part 1

Date 2nd August 2018

Distance 20 Km

The Tipperary Heritage Way runs 56 Km from the Knockmealdown Mountains to Cashel. I completed part of it from Cahir to Golden on 2nd August 2018, covering about 20 Km.

I started out from Cahir at 11am. The weather was warm and muggy, rather cloudy but the sun broke through occasionally.

The first couple of kilometres were through the town and then into the ribbon-developed Mountain Road. On the way out of town there is a terrace of houses called Ginchy Terrace, built for ex-soldiers after WW1 and named after a village captured by the 16th Irish Division in September 1916.

Ginchy Terrace, Cahir, Co. Tipperary

The next hour or so was through woodland up a gentle hill and down the far side to Ballydrehid. A couple of deer were out grazing in a clearing towards the end of the forest walk. The next stage from Ballydrehid to New Bridge was along back roads. Near Kilmoyler is Kilardry graveyard, the burial place of one of Ireland’s great 19^th century soldiers, General Thomas Butler.

From New Bridge the way leads along the bank of the River Suir to Golden. It is the most attractive part of the walk and passes by the ruins of the 12^th Century Athassel Abbey. If you haven’t visited you should stop and take a walk around.

By this time, my legs were getting tired and threatening to cramp up. All the electric fences along the way weren’t helping either. By 4pm, I was glad to reach Golden, formerly an important crossing point on the river, once guarded by a Norman tower and the site in 1922 of a small battle between opposing forces in the Civil War.

My original plan had been to continue to Cashel which would have taken another couple of hours. I decided to leave it for another day and called my lift to take me home.

There is a good information board in Golden on the historical sites along and near the walk, some of which I was unaware and which  intend to visit in the future.

Next week I plan to do the other end of this walk, from the Vee to Cahir.

25th April 1987

Day three of my first tour in Lebanon with B Coy, 61st Irishbatt.

I was on checkpoint in Majdal Silm from midnight to 0800 and again from 1600 to midnight. An Amal patrol left the village about 2300

Two photos of the checkpoint in Majdal Silm, Lebanon in April/May 1987.

This fish tastes fishy

24th April 1987

30 years ago today, 24th April 1987, was my second day in Lebanon. I was on a post in a place called Majdel Silm and according to my diary I was cook for the day and went on checkpoint duty at midnight. This may have been the day I cooked fish for dinner using the engine oil for the generator by mistake. It tasted fine anyway since the UN seemed to buy only Plaice which can only have been improved by being cooked in an engine lubricant.

Just finished reading Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris, the second of her Sookie Stackhouse books. The television series True Blood was based very loosely on the Sookie Stackhouse series. I read a few of these in the past but never finished them all so I'm going to do that over the next few weeks. There are some characters and events in the books that would have made good television while Lafayette's character as a witch on telly was great though he was murdered at the start of Living Dead in Dallas.

The Hanging Tree

Sitting in the Mess the other day, drinking a pint of Fuller’s IPA and perusing the internet on my mobile telephone, I decided to pre-order The Hanging Tree for my Kindle. I’ve been a huge fan of the Rivers of London since I found the first two books in an airport bookshop a few years ago and I’ve been anticipating the sixth Peter Grant novel since last November when I finished Foxglove Summer. Imagine my chagrin on finding that the release of The Hanging Tree has been postponed until June 2016. It’s not on, having to wait 20 months between one’s favourite books, wondering what Genius Locii will be introduced next. One generated no doubt from some misfortunate that danced the Tyburn Jig. Will Peter defeat the Faceless Man and reclaim his first love Lesley from the Evil One’s dreadful clutches. And if he does what happens to Beverly Brook, the smoking hot lay from South London? Dammit there’s the bugle blowing Markers on Parade. Barman, another pint, jildi.