Rathgormack Ramblers

Rathgormack is a small village situated in County Waterford in the foothills of the Comeraghs about 10 kilometres south-west of Carrick-on-Suir on the R67

8. Rathgormack Ramblers Hill Walking Club was founded in 2008. The club provides it`s members with an opportunity to partake in rambling and hill walking, mainly in the Comeraghs and Knockmealdowns. The club particularly urges it`s members to be aware of the need for safety on the hills and of the need to respect the communities and environments of the mountains.
We are a small club with a membership of about 40. We are affiliated to the Mountaineering Council of Ireland. All our members are insured both for personal accident and personal liability insurance.

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Special Comeragh Places
Nature has blessed us here in Waterford, bestowing on us the magical mountains that are the Comeraghs. For walkers they are an absolute treasure trove with so much to choose from – windswept ridges, squelching peat hags, towering cliffs, interesting Bronze Age sites, secluded valleys with their whispering streams, brooding coums on cold winter days. We all have our favourite places in the mountains, places that seem to speak to our souls and draw us back time after time. This year this section of the website will be devoted to highlighting some of these “Special Comeragh Places”.

Spring is with us again and as nature recovers its vigour after its winter snooze we turn our attention to another “Special Place” in the Comeraghs.

Spring – Glenary

What and Where is Glenary? Glenary – “Gleann an Aoire” (valley of the shepherd) is located in the northwest corner of Waterford. Four or five rivers flow westward from the Comeraghs - the Dalligan, Araglin and Colligan flow south west to Dungarvan, the Nire and Glenary flow more directly west to the Suir. A jumble of outlier ridges and hills protrude northwestward towards Clonmel from the main body of the mountains. Lachtnafrankee and Boolabrien Ridge are two of these. Two more are Long Hill and Cannon Hill. Nestled between Boolabrien Ridge and Lachtnafrankee to the south, and Long Hill and Cannon Hill to the north, is the almost secretive valley of Glenary. The last named hills shut the valley off from Clonmel.

How to get there From Clonmel take the R671 for Dungarvan. About 2 kilometres from the town, at Kilmacomma Cross, veer left and travel uphill for a little over a kilometre to a forest entrance on the left, signposted Carey`s Castle. Park near the map board. Grid Ref: S186193.

A special place Glenary is a little known valley but it is truly a special place, not just because of the beauty and peaceful setting along the river bank in the upper valley, but also because of the many reminders of the past here. First up there is the mysterious “Carey`s Castle”. Believed to have been built in Victorian times, what exactly inspired it`s construction? Why does it have a strange mix of architectural styles including a Round Tower, Gothic and Romanesque arches? Then you have the remains of an old Cluster Village or “Clachán”, Glenary itself is believed to be the last such village in Waterford, the last house finally left derelict only as recently as the 1960s. Then there is the place name “Glenabbey”. This suggests that monks lived here – the Dovecote (stone structure in which monks traditionally kept doves) behind Carey`s Castle is interesting in this respect. Was there a connection with the old monastery of Inislounaght just 3 kilometres away on the north bank of the Suir? Finally there is “An Staighre” (unseeable and unfindable now for the most part), the path that led across Boolabrien Ridge to another old cluster village, Glendaloughin in the Nire, and which was used as a funerary path – “Bóithrín na Sochraide” – in bygone times.

A 7 kilometre and 2 hour circular walk will enable you to experience this lovely valley. This is probably best done in a clockwise direction. Start by returning along the forest track you drove in for 100 metres until you reach a minor road. Turn right (north) here and 100 metres later turn right again (east) onto another minor road. Follow this for 1.5 km to its end. Take the boreen on the right now and follow it for 200 metres `til you reach a “boreen junction”. Take the left and more minor fork and follow it for about 700 metres after which you should hopefully come upon some of the ruins of Glenary cluster village (S20781913). Pause a while amongst the tumbling stones. Can your mind`s eye imagine families of a bygone era tilling the fields or fetching water from the river below?

When ready continue east for 300 metres. When you reach a wide path turn right and go downhill to the confluence of the two Glenary headwater streams (S21101885). This is an idyllic little spot, ideal for picnicking on a balmy spring or summer evening. Looking upriver can you picture the ghosts of the past as they follow a funeral procession down “An Staighre” on its way from the Nire to Clonmel?

Follow the forest path along the south bank of the Glenary west when ready. After about 1.5 kilometres you should be able to see Carey`s Castle on the opposite bank (S19231884). Cross the river with care and explore this unusual building before making your way back to your starting point.