Ballyhoura Way
In December 1602, in the wake of the defeat of Gaelic forces at the Battle of Kinsale, Donal Cam O Suilleabhain, the chief of the O’Sullivan clan, was isolated and surrounded by his enemies in his territories in West Cork. He resolved to seek asylum with his ally, O’Rourke of Breifne, and so he gathered his entire clan and set out on a forced march through hostile territory in an attempt to reach O’Rourke’s lands in what is today County Leitrim, 500 kilometres to the north. A thousand in all set out, and after many skirmishes with enemies and many severe hardships in the winter weather, only fifteen made it to Leitrim. The terrible journey has become one of Ireland’s great epics, and the Ballyhoura Way was laid out along part of the route O’Sullivan took with his clan all those years ago, from St John’s Bridge to Limerick Junction. The route crosses four upland stretches, one long one over the Ballyhoura Mountains (highest point Seefin, at 510 metres), two short ones over Benyvoughella Hill and Slievereagh, and then a long traverse on the southern flanks of the Slievenamuck ridge, overlooking the beautiful Glen of Aherlow. The aggregate ascent over the route is just over 1700m, and apart from a few short steep sections there are no significant climbs. Along the way walkers might want to linger at the great Norman castle at Liscarroll, in the pretty villages of Kilfinane, Ballyorgan, Ballylanders and Galbally, or the storied town of Tipperary. The terrain consists mainly of tarmac roads, forestry tracks, and open moorland and field paths. Some of the road sections are busy and should be used with care: some of the upland sections can be very wet. There are not many options for overnight accommodation along the route.
Further detailed can be found at Shannon Trails - Ballyhoura Way
Maps and other information
Trail Management
Ballyhoura Heritage and Environment CLG, Main St., Kilfinane, Co. Limerick. Tel: 063-91300 E-mail: info@ballyhoura.org
Web: www.ballyhouracountry.com
Facilities
Car parking
At Start - John’s Bridge
At End - in station car park at Limerick Junction
46 kms or 51% of this trail follows public roads. While these are mostly quiet local roads there are some busy sections and walkers should always take care when on the road.
As with all waymarked trails, the occassional waymarker can be knocked over or dislodged so always carry a map so that you can confirm that you are following the correct route. You may also come across some sections of soft ground along the Way - so a good pair of waterproof boots is the recommended footware.
***Dogs are allowed but must be kept under effective control***
Map Guides
Map Guide to the Ballyhoura Way – Ballyhoura Failte
OSI Maps
Public Transportation
At Start: None though Ballyhoura Country Holidays will collect from Charleville bus or rail and transfer At End: Bus to Limerick, Galway, Waterford Check with Bus Eireann.
Rail Check with Iarnrod Eireann.
John from Westmeath
We are a group of 10 walkers ranging in ages from 28 to 68 and with varying degrees of fitness. Our aim was to walk from Liscarroll to Tipperary town on the Ballyhoura walking trail in three and half days. The walk is mostly well marked, challenging in parts but well worth the trip. We stayed in the Park Hotel in Charleville which I would highly recommend for their accommodation, food and friendliness.
Thursday afternoon: Liscarroll to Shinagh
This was a walk along quiet rural roads past the Donkey Sanctuary and through the quiet village of Churchtown. There is a grocery shop here, in a somewhat hidden location, where you can get coffee, ice-cream etc. As you leave Churchtown, you walk on a busy road for about 3km before reaching quiet roads again. The walk was 12km long and took 3hours approx for all to complete.
Friday; Shinagh to Ballyorgan
We left Shinagh, crossed the railway line and joined the main Cork road. We walked for about 500 metres towards Charleville along the side of the main road before taking a right turn onto a rural road. We walked uphill along the road until we reached a sign pointing to the right. This boreen was overgrown and impassable, so we continued along the road, taking the next right, all the time climbing. We re-joined the signposted way some time later at a left turn when we went off road and walked along forest roads. Take care not to miss a right turn with a barrier across it. We followed the signs, all the time climbing until we reached a sign pointing to the right up a steep stone path to Carrow Mountain. The views from up there were worth the effort. The path down was tough underfoot along scree initially and across heather covered ground where the path is not always obvious. We re-joined the forest roads near Philip’s castle and walked downhill to the Bike Trail Shop. A number of the walkers stopped here, the rest continued on to Glenosheen and from there to Ballyorgan. The walk was about 32km long and took about 8 hours. It was a most enjoyable hike but I wouldn’t recommend doing this walk on a wet day. Remember to bring food and water.
Saturday : Ballyorgan to Galbally
We left Ballyorgan and walked along the road for 2km before turning right and walking up hill along the edge of the forest all the time following the signs. We exited onto a rural road through farmland and into another forest where we got great views of the surrounding landscape as we walked. There was a steep descent onto a busy road before arriving in Kilfinane where we got lunch. Leaving Kilfinane, we followed the road uphill for 1.5km before turning left onto a horse path, then a cut away forest and then along the edge of a forest. We descended into Ballylanders along rural roads and from Ballylanders to Galbally along a quiet road. The walk was 28km long approx. and took us 7 hours.
Sunday: Galbally to Tipperary
The rain poured down and unfortunately we had to abandon the walk but will return to complete it at a future date.
Summary: This is a great hike across varying terrain and with some outstanding views. A certain level of fitness is required but slow and steady will get you there.
Barry from Limerick
steve from Galway
A lot of this route is over 250mt with clear vistas over the Golden Vale, Glen of Aherlow and the Galtee Mountains. The highest point is 477mt at Castle Phillip which is reached over moorland. There are a certain amount of forest tracks but these are made more interesting by the mountain bike trails, exercise stations and fauna and flora info boards and there are also sections through Ash and Beech woods.
There is a lovely stretch alongside the Aherlow River through farmland though the grass can be long and wet and gaiters could be handy.
The first 20km is along country roads which I avoided with the dogs to start at the second trail head below Ballyhea.
There was pretty good signage although I missed the turn to lead up Carron Mountain even though I was looking out for it so not sure if something is missing there. I had printed off the trail maps from this website so was able to get back on track quick enough.
The villages are pleasant and frequent enough to supply refreshments and possible accommodation and there are B and B's along the route. The whole area is extremely well marketed under the Ballyhoura Country brand and an info on route centre in Kilfinane can supply details.
Plenty of variety on this Way with boreens, forest roads, farm tracks, footpaths, farmland and back roads with changes in perspective and views throughout the route.
Without the initial 20km of road walking it's easily done over three days and a train from Limerick Junction can get you back to Charleville, a short cab ride from Ballyhea.
A full description can be found on my blog stevebarhamramblingman.wordpress.com
Mike from Limerick
Ensure you have the detailed maps...as some of the signs can be confusing.
Ballyhoura Heritage and Environment from Limerick
Thank you for your review on the Ballyhoura Way. We will address the issue of the overgrown boreen after the main road near Ballyhea.
Hopefully it won't be too long before you get to do the Galbally to Tipperary section.