clairedavieswriter

I do feel that the patron saint of cycling must have been on my side these past two weeks as I’ve pedalled from one end of the island of Ireland to the other

I mean, who would’ve thought that, over ten days on the bike in April, passing through the counties of Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Offaly, Roscommon, Leitrim, Cavan, Fermanagh, Donegal and Derry, this would be the usual state of the weather:

I’ve also had no mechanicals (Bernard, you’re a star), no routing mishaps (Guillaume, merci beaucoup) and, once again, no punctures (in fact I’ve not had one since switching to Schwalbe Delta Cruiser tyres in May 2022 – and that’s not a paid endorsement). So Bravo, fellow members of Team Bernard

And the weather and the kit weren’t the only reasons I felt blessed. Without exception, the people we met in the Republic were friendly and kind – I’ve mentioned some examples in my blog. And, crucially for a cyclist sharing space on the road, they applied those qualities to their driving, both on small country lanes and on main roads, whether or not a sign reminded them to do so

And in rural areas, oncoming drivers almost invariably lifted a friendly finger off the steering wheel as they passed. It wasn’t special treatment for me, or to acknowledge a manoeuvre – it was just a form of greeting they used for everyone, and that they automatically extended to me as a fellow road user.
I’m sorry to say that things were different in Northern Ireland. Pedalling towards Derry/Londonderry, I didn’t notice when I crossed the border, but soon realised I had when I was subjected to a close pass and an overtake/left turn manoeuvre in quick succession. As always, these instances were rare, but in my experience they only happened with British registered cars.

A few other things struck me as I pedalled along. One was the large number of empty and derelict houses I passed, particularly in rural parts of Ireland, even in these times of housing shortage. It just goes to show that homes have to be where people need and want to live. This one, an old school house, was just south of the border, a few minutes’ drive from Enniskillen

There seems to be a strong mural painting culture, right across the island. I wish I’d captured more because some were truly stunning. Generally they are used to advertise a business or illustrate the history of a place, or in this case, both:

In Derry/Londonderry, they’ve been used for more political purposes for decades. These days, the Bogside murals are included in walking tours for visitors

While younger visitors may be more attracted to this one

As a linguist, I’ve enjoyed trying to decipher Gaelic words and place names. Ireland’s bilingual signboards are very helpful when trying to work out the pronunciation (and spot all the silent letters):

Though I’m sure some words must’ve been reverse engineered from the English. Bóthar = road; you can work out the rest:

In Derry/Londonderry we came across what we assume must be Scottish Gaelic (?) for the first time – I love their rendering of male and female on the bottom line

And speaking of signboards, we loved the way that, in comparison with the terse minimalism of British signs, their Irish counterparts tended to the verbose, particularly in Cork and Kerry. It felt so much more human and caring

From what I saw, Irish people are very proud of their regional identity, which often goes hand in hand with their local sports teams

And Irish sports are a whole new world. In addition to what we call football, and they call soccer, there’s also football, which is what we call gaelic football, and is played with hands and feet, with a goal that blends a football net and rugby posts. Then there’s hurling which is played with a stick. So far, so reasonably familiar. But I’d never heard of camogie, which is akin to hurling but played with a smaller ball and only by women and girls. Or indeed road bowling, which judging by the reports in the local Killarney newspaper, seemed quite a big deal in Kerry. In case you’re as clueless as I was, it’s a game in which players compete to get a metal ball round a course of country roads in the fewest number of throws. Truly, every day is a school day.

Speaking of pastimes, I’m curious about walking in Ireland. I saw lots of people doing it, but always on the road. Even dog walkers used the road. Obviously, I was only riding on roads, so that was one reason, but I also never spotted anyone walking or rambling off the road. In equivalent countryside in the UK, you’d expect to see public footpath signs, and cars parked up where people had gone walking in the woods. In Ireland, I saw only some formal hiking routes. Is countryside access more restricted than in the UK, I wonder?

And on a related subject, I’ve not seen a single other person cycle touring, which I found surprising. While there isn’t a massive network of traffic-free cycle paths, those that exist are excellent (eg the Limerick Greenway) and more are being built (eg a new south-west Kerry Greenway on an old railway line between Killorglin and Valentia Harbour). In any case, with so many quiet country lanes, the riding is a joy (and did I mention the driving?):

So in conclusion, I’d say if you’re thinking of visiting Ireland or better still cycling here, don’t hesitate

You’ll find plenty of places offering rest and refreshment

As for me, I’m turning my sights to the next challenge – Switzerland in July. I confess that the mountains are a bit of a worry. I’ll simply have to rely on local produce to get me through. Cheese and chocolate anyone?