Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Walking Festival 2011
A Great Weekend of Walking in Mayo – Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Festival 2011
All thoughts of the long cold winter were banished when the first days of spring coincided with the start of the 2011 Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail (CPHT) Walking Festival.
The three day annual festival organised by the Tóchar Valley Rural Community Network took place on the 18th to 20th of March last and what a superb weekend of walking took place! Blessed with beautiful weather and a wonderful crowd, over 160 walkers turned out over the weekend to walk the over 61Km CPHT from Balla to Murrisk where the range and diversity of the landscape was simply enriching.
Such is the significance of this growing Festival that on Friday day one, the walkers were joined by a very distinguished guest, the Slovenian Ambassador to Ireland Jasna Gersak and her husband Boris. Who were delighted by the warm welcome they received and enjoyed interacting with fellow walkers and the local communities, Jasna looks forward to our countries of Slovenia and Ireland collaborating in the future.
Day one the walkers started out at the trail head at Balla Community Centre and walked along by the holy well meandering through the beautiful Balla Woods and onwards taking in the majestic ruins of Doonamona castle. The first pit stop was in Tuffy’s of Doonamona where there was beautiful home cooked food, teas / coffees and all in the presence of the young Clogher school children playing traditional music – it was brilliant. From Tuffy’s, walkers took to the trail through to the Clogher Heritage Cottage and old Forge, Drum Cemetery and the beautiful Kn
ockaraha woods before reaching the final destination of Ballintubber with its very proud 800 year old Abbey. A marquee outside Corrigans Filling Station hosted more community refreshments and brought the day to a close.
Day two from Ballintubber to Aughagower, the walkers absorbed the ever changing scenery and heritage sites, passing through Bog lands in Killawalla and on to Killawalla Community Centre where the local community provided the finest of hospitality to the Walkers. Leaving Killawalla, the walkers went through Ballyburke and headed for Drumneen woods down to Aille Lake and along the famous Aille caves unto the destination of Aughagower, Croagh Patrick forever coming closer.
Day three from the wonderful Patrician site in Aughagower to Murrisk, the walkers passed the unique Rock of Boheh, and moving onto Brackloon wood, the oldest native woodland on the Atlantic coast. Being blessed with such beautiful weather, the walkers made their way up through Prospect where the magnificent beauty of West Mayo unfolded with amazing panoramic views of Clew Bay, the Nephin Mountain range, a truly awesome inspiring landscape. Climbing up Sceilp and following the Deerpark Wall was breathtaking. Walkers were wearing some signs of fatigue but nevertheless chuffed with their sense of achievement. We finally reached the sign post at the foot of Croagh Patrick that signals the end of the trail and our arrival into Murrisk.
The CPHT annual Festival is noted for its community hospitality and the passage through rural Mayo is told in the stories of how the generations lived before us. The Festival concluded on Sunday the 20th under the majestic mountain of Croagh Patrick in Murrisk with refreshments in the Community Centre and then onto Campbell’s who provided excellent trad entertainment and a much needed pint or two for the weary walker.
The 2011 Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Walking Festival was our most successful festival to date and we would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the Tóchar Valley Communities, the event organizers, guides, staff, Coillte and the members of the Order of Malta. A special mention to our sponsors Fíor Uisce for sponsoring the fabulous fresh needed water and “Wear it Out” for sponsoring the Hi-Vis Vests. We also want to say a special thank you to all of the walkers for their jovial participation in the festival and last but not least the landowners who are the wonderful custodians of our rural Mayo countryside. We are already planning the 2012 Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Walking Festival which will be held on Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th March – see you there!