ADVENTURE OF THE MONTH—DECEMBER, 2003

— THE SWAN WAY —

PART II                                                                                                                  BACK TO PART I

        From this crossroads drive northeast to the Ballyartella Bridge. Pull into the car park on the right just before the bridge. The weir—built in the 1950’s by the local fishing club—backs up the Nenagh River at this point. A fish trap at the weir collects fish to be counted and weighed. A second fish trap across the street under the metal bridge by the millrace lets the fishing club determine how many young fish move from the spawning grounds above the weir downstream to Lough Derg.

        The rivers have not always been for the recreation of anglers alone. Any with elevation drops significant enough to provide waterpower had likely served to drive mill wheels, and any broad and deep enough to float a barge probably carried Guinness upstream and dairy down. But these waterworks have usually been minor, local affairs, and most are now in ruin, curious monuments to a failed early industrialism. Their ruins sometimes attract eddies, and, therefore, insects and the upward food chain, ending with anglers.

        Ancient bridges arch over slow, wallowing streams, generously called rivers by the Irish, ever prone to exaggeration. At times the rivers slow into swampy eddies along their banks, making fertile gardens for bulrushes, cattails, and alder. Here myriad insects breed, and, linking up the chain, so do minnows and frogs and trout and salmon and ducks and swans. The tributary waters may rightly be called magical, spiriting often as gurgling springs in the midst of meadows and cutting straight, narrow canals making beelines for the winding rivers.

        Next to the parking lot is a ruined castle once owned by the O’Kennedy and Butler families. Now little more than an overgrown pile of rubble, Ballyartella Castle was probably destroyed in 1601 to suppress a rebellion.

        Across the street from the ruined castle is the thriving Hanly Woollen Mills, producers of fine woolens, lamb’s wool, and cashmere goods since 1893. The visitor’s center and mill store permit learning about quality wool manufacturing and shopping for Irish woolens. (Open 9:30AM—6PM Monday through Saturday.)

        In this region, rivers are in no hurry to complete their journeys to the loughs, preferring sometimes to flood and carve new channels or disappear into marshy deltas. The spongy meadows have long been lodestones to anglers, leading them to a solitude that is much desired by the Irish. Owing to the feudal traditions of Anglo-Norman society, the riverbanks are usually not freely accessible, and the rivers with their transient fish may not be openly harvested by just anyone with a fly rod. As a result, fishing Irish streams is much like playing golf on a private course—an activity reserved for paying club members, gents (usually) with sufficient funds to devote to the pursuit of a gentrified sport. Anyone without fishing rights caught poaching an Irish river can, therefore, be viewed like kids sneaking onto Pebble Beach to play a few holes at dusk out of sight of the ranger.

        The best sections of the Swan Way follow the river on both sides of the road. From alongside Hanly’s Mills the original section proceeds west for 1½ miles to the next road crossing of the river at the seven-arched Annaghbeg Bridge. Along the route the path hugs the riverbank for the most part, except for one section where it goes through a cow pasture. Be sure to wear waterproof shoes—boots are best—as well as long pants and long sleeves. The path is always muddy and mucky, and overgrown in spots with wild riverside bushes and weeds, including stinging nettles and wild rhubarb, both of which can cause painful burns to exposed skin.

        You will see cows and horses grazing in meadows on both sides of the river. You may see swallows, dippers, and bats feasting on insect hatchlings along the river eddies. Across the river on the horizon is what looks to be a ruined castle tower but is Minnit’s Folly, a picnic gazebo dating from the time of American Independence. The tower was built for wealthy landowners to enjoy the view of their estate and Lough Derg. Keep an eye on the river for Mute Swans, usually swimming in pairs, and feeding on water plants. These large, white, graceful birds mate for life, and can be up to 20 years old. They nest on the riverbanks, and are very protective of their young. If you see them on land, don’t approach them—the swans can be as aggressive as they are graceful.

        At Annaghbeg Bridge the Swan Way climbs from the river to an iron gate by the road. It is possible to turn right, cross the bridge, walk to the next intersection, turn right, walk to the next intersection, turn right again, and come to the Ballyartella Bridge and the car park—in about 90 minutes. Instead of walking these between the hedges of these farm lanes, we recommend you follow the Swan Way back to Ballyartella—the path is shorter and more interesting.

        Across the road at Ballyartella at the car park is a picnic site and a good place to stop and eat a packed lunch. The Swan Way is being extended southeast along the river from the weir toward Nenagh.

        All this remains today environmentally pristine at least in part as a result of the great Irish tragedy, the Potato Famine of the late 1840’s when the island’s population was decimated by starvation, disease, and emigration. Today, Ireland has somewhat more than half the population it supported—albeit meagerly—160 years ago. Any close look at Ireland can lead to bittersweet emotions. The prosperity of modern Ireland—a noted success story of the New Europe—stands in obvious contrast to, and often side-by-side with the skeletal remains of Old Ireland.

HOME AT FIRST has cottages in Dromineer
and other locations close to Sli Eala and Lough Derg.
Learn more about our travel program to CENTRAL IRELAND.