By John Fitzgerald
The Kilkenny Heritage Walkers celebrated a major milestone on Saturday with their 700th outing.
Starting at the castle scores of people from all over the county treaded the streets, lanes, slips, alleyways and bridges en route to the historic Home Rule Club, where a luscious birthday cake and an afternoon of fond reminiscence awaited.
In the thirteen years since the group took its first tentative footsteps, it has visited just about every heritage curio in the county. Castles, Neolithic sites, old churches, buildings designed by prominent Kilkenny architects. Battle sites of the many wars that convulsed Ireland, from the war of independence way back to forgotten ancient conflict.
They feel drawn to holy wells, where saints once held forth. And to obscure, almost invisible or forgotten statues of saints or warriors that stand forlorn in the proverbial middle of nowhere, with only birds, rabbits, or frogs for company.
Week after week, they tread upon concrete, cobblestones, or soft grassy earth, as they traverse the labyrinthine pathways to yesteryear.
There are seasonal themes. For example, in January, you might hear the story of the Big Wind of 1839, and in February, the walkers visit the site of the Friary Street Ambush. In March, they tour St. Patrick’s Parish to coincide with the Patron Saint’s Feast Day.
In August, it’s the turn of the wells and the Marian statues. November is the month for remembrance at the old graves, among other themes. At Christmas, they call to all the church cribs in the city.
Former Mayor Seán Ó hArgáin was instrumental in founding the group back in 2012. From the beginning, he recognized its value in getting like-minded people together who shared an interest in the city’s cultural treasures and unique medieval legacy.
He was present on Saturday for the 700th walk, which he hailed as a proud and happy day for the group.
The city walks set off from the Horse Trough outside the castle each Saturday. They can take you in any direction. There’s the castle itself, built in 1260 to control a crucial fording-point of the River Nore. It remained the main seat of the powerful Butlers of Ormond for almost 600 years.
Or the 800-year-old St Canice’s Cathedral, with its round tower, and the Black abbey, a Dominican friary since 1225: It’s noted for having survived both Cromwell’s desecration and the 1947 flood.
There’s St Mary’s, the magnificent gothic cathedral in the heart of the city, built in the post famine period and a place of worship much associated with Christmas.
I accompanied the walkers to the site of the former St Canice’s mental hospital recently, where the speaker recalled a sad and mixed legacy. Likewise, St. Joseph’s industrial school evoked memories of a dark era in Ireland.
But the walkers don’t confine themselves to the city limits. The whole county and parts of Tipperary, Laois and Waterford come within their remit.
They’ve been to St. Mary’s Collegiate Church in the centre of Gowran, Callan’s scenic Abbey meadow, with its old Augustinian church that Henry VIII shut down and Cromwell’s army ransacked, and to St. Lachtain’s Church in Freshford, that dates to 1731.
To Dunmore cave with its world-renowned series of limestone chambers that archaeologists believe formed over millions of years. The 9th century Tullaherin Round Tower near Dungarvan is a favourite, as is St. Lazerian’s Church in Leighlinbridge, dating to 1770.
Ballyragget castle has enchanted the walkers. Its tower house and bawn were supposedly built in 1495 and it was for a while the chief residence of the Mountgarret branch of the Butler dynasty.
The location of the mysterious medieval lost town of Newtown Jerpoint, near Thomastown was another destination. At Kells, they took in the Priory, an outstanding fortified medieval monastery and the 8th or 9th century sandstone High Cross at Kilree.
They viewed Burnchurch Castle and Turret, located on the grounds of the former vast estate of Farmley. The 13th century Duiske Abbey at Graiguenamanagh was a priority, as one of the oldest of the medieval Cistercian monasteries.
Mount Juliet naturally featured, as one of Ireland’s leading country estates, with 500 acres of lovely parkland.
The magical Castlemorris Wood, site of former home of the Morres and De Montmorency families, was a revelation. Though the great house is gone, the walkers recreated its splendor via word pictures on the site.
The walkers have a special reverence for the ancient wells in the county that are so central to the early Christian tradition. Among those visited were Lachtain’s Well in Freshford, and St Fiacre’s Well, at Sheastown, named after the hermit saint who converted a robber who had tried to kill him.
The annual visit to St Brigid’s well in Ballycallan is especially dear to the walkers. I went on one of the walks there and it felt more like a pilgrimage, aptly so perhaps given its hallowed reputation as a place of healing.
Then you have the specially created walkways that offer their own charm and spiritual attractions, such as the Leafy Loop near Durrow, an Arcadian walkway encompassing bucolic lanes, riverbanks, and woodland. There’s O’Gorman’s Loop around the village of Bennettsbridge, and of course the Loop Walk at Windgap.
The village also has one of the largest grottos in Europe, with its much-photographed detail of an Italian mosaic displaying three different languages and ancient Ogham stones.
At the Home Rule Club, Paddy Neary thanked the walkers for staying the course for the past thirteen years, acknowledging their appreciation of the city and county’s priceless antiquaries, documents, sites, and architecture.
He also paid homage to some of the walkers who have sadly left this world since the group started…remarkable people like former school principal, Seamus Brennan, and his brother, Micheál Brennan.
Micheál was a maths genius and art expert whose talks enriched the lives of all who heard him speak. He elaborated on the intricacies of brickwork across the city and explained the baffling motifs and symbolism on gravestones.
Also recalled were Kitty Nortan, Ned Kennedy, and Tom Downey, who loved the walks and had a profound interest in their own localities; and retired nurse Mary Gittens, a wise and compassionate woman who brought her own insights and her grasp of historical detail to the walks.
Mary’s brother, Sean Hoyne, also passed. For years, he had led the walk to St. Brigid’s well in Ballycallan, and was a great friend to the group. In future that special annual outing will be known as the Sean Hoyne walk in his memory.
Former St. Kieran’s College schoolteacher Michael O’ Dwyer was a giant on the local history scene, a great scholar, and a source of advice to the walking group on such subjects as the old city wall.
Apart from Paddy Neary, who gave the most talks, there were other speakers over the years. I happened to hear some of these. Ailbe Fitzgerald dealt with the role of Kilkenny woman in the War of Independence era.
Liam Burke was the best man to have on stand-by when the walkers visited Nowlan Park, due to his encyclopedic knowledge of the GAA. When required, Paddy Neary’s brother, Jimmy, filled in the missing gaps in people’s knowledge, drawing on his inexhaustible fund of wisdom and memories.
Deirdre Mansfield’s talk on the history of Kilkenny Gaol was riveting, and Marianne Kelly, who undertook an extensive research project on the Marian shrines of the county, was a mine of information on that theme.
She excelled in recounting the life and achievements of the great philanthropist, Lady Desart, and was convincing as the 13th century Petronella in recalling how the hapless maid was scapegoated after the famous alleged witch Alice Kyteler fled to England.
The support offered by Kilkenny author and broadcaster Pat Shortall won plaudits too. His love of nature and local history showed through in his professional sound recordings and his interviews with walkers.
Another talking point was the social aspect of the walks. Participants tend to head off for a cuppa after each walk. Over the past 13 years, they have visited more than a hundred different Kilkenny city or county cafes or restaurants. Of these, about thirteen have since either closed or reopened under new management.
As the celebrations continued at the Club House, plans were already afoot for the next outing. The walkers plan many more steps forward as they step backwards in time.
