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Kildare RTA Autumnal Walk in Emo Court

Stephanie Bergin

The Kildare RTA walking group travelled down to their neighbouring County Laois to enjoy the extensive parklands of Emo Court ; a fine example of a neo-classical mansion ,nestled in the shadow of the Slieve Bloom mountains. Maura O’ Dwyer kindly offered to lead the walk and her local knowledge greatly added to the enjoyment of the walking trip.

Emo Court was initially commissioned by John Dawson , 1st Earl of Portarlington in 1790 but it wasn’t completed until 1870, a considerable eighty years later. James Gandon  designed this splendid mansion , the rotunda being a distinctive feature as is also featured in The Customs House in Dublin ; a Gandon design also. 

We commenced the walk , wrapped up on this breezy day , and trekked down the leafy lanes. Autumn was in full dress , displaying reddish brown, golden and yellow leaves on the trees and underfoot. These beautiful gardens and parklands were first laid out in the 18th century and their extensive lawns, statuary and varied trees have adorned Emo Court for many years , enjoyed by many people who have graced the lawns and woodlands  down through the generations. We spent time admiring the expansive lake which forms a centrepiece of these beautifully manicured gardens before heading off through the fields to explore the leafy paths . We all enjoyed the banter and ‘craic’ as we were treated to an autumnal display. The beech trees , which lined the avenue were very impressive. With an array of trees; a variety of species, which are not indigenous, the Arboretum area extends over 20 acres and includes the Bhuton Pine, the Tulip Tree, the Handkerchief Tree, the Walnut Tree and the Spanish Chestnut .It also features , a selection of cedars including the Blue Atlas cedar and the cedar of Lebanon. The Statue of Bacchus bade us farewell as we left the grand mansion behind us as we set out on the 10 km trek around the expansive grounds.

Having enjoyed a brisk walk, we arrived back at Emo Court, standing majestically with its distinctive Rotunda peering out at the rear of the house, and inviting us to  enjoy a delicious lunch in the restaurant. We chatted and shared our impressions of Emo Court and its environs. A great day was had by all as we all savoured the natural beauty of the place and its historical value as a place of interest in Ireland. It was agreed by all that it was a superb choice of walk , combining history, nature and botany , complemented by Maura’s botanical interjections as she led us on this memorable walking tour. An active walking schedule over the last few months and many more exciting trips to enjoy in the future,

Kildare RTA Walkers explore Glendalough

Stephanie Bergin

The Kildare walkers were on the move again as an enthusiastic group assembled at Glendalough Visitor Centre on one of the warmest days in September We were all greeted by the serenity and relaxed atmosphere associated with this medieval monastic site; founded by St Kevin in the  late 6th century or early 7th century, in the heart of the picturesque Wicklow countryside. It was such a pleasant experience to set off on the walk with blue skies above and glorious sunshine warming our enthusiasm and the beautiful surroundings. Sunglasses and sun hats  were the dress code in keeping with the weather on this Indian summer’s day. Our rucksacks were well stocked with refreshments  and energy treats to sustain us during the trek. The focus of the walk was to visit the ruins of the seven churches , located between the upper and lower lake ,Glendalough deriving its name from the location of these two lakes in the valley.

Maura led the way to St Saviour’s Priory , our first place of interest. I was particularly impressed with this church as it suddenly revealed itself as we emerged from a wooded area, an oasis of tranquillity. This ruins of this Augustinian monastery were located on the banks of the river Glendasan while the lofty trees formed a back drop to this once thriving abbey with the monks busily attending to their tasks. The priory was built by St Laurence O’Toole between 1150 and 1160, while he was the abbot of Glendalough. The Romanesque chancel archway , leading into the chancel church, features highly ornamented capitals and was of particular interest to us all. It  is testament to the maintenance work of the OPW that some of the priory is still in tact  and of course the architectural prowess of the monks in the 12th century.

Having explored St Saviour’s Priory , we headed back through the woods and proceeded on the road to visit the most renowned churches located in this monastic site. As we strolled along ,we spotted the famous Round Tower peering among the trees and rising majestically into the air . This is a fine example of a round tower which served as a store room and a place of refuge during Viking attacks . It kept watch on all the visitors as we entered the Gateway of the monastic settlement as St Peter and St Paul’s Cathedral, the largest and most imposing of all the churches in Glendalough. The Priest’s House, situated in the main graveyard of the Cathedral was also a focus of interest, a building possibly dating to the twelfth century and it derives its name as priests of the parish were buried  there in the 18th century. St Kevin’s Church or more widely known as St Kevin’s Kitchen is also a main feature of this monastic site, being the only stone-roofed building to survive in Glendalough. This quiet , serene place was illuminated by the glorious sunshine on the day and made the trip all the more interesting and rewarding.

Having explored the monastic site , we ambled along to find a suitable place to  relax and enjoy our picnic treats which were stored in our rucksacks. While we enjoyed our picnic, we chatted and absorbed the spectacular scenery around us, relaxing and fuelling the bodies to continue the second part of our walk to the Upper lake and which glistened in the bright sunshine.

 It was a very picturesque scene and we all stopped to enjoy it and view the cave ,located at the other side of the Upper Lake, and known as St Kevin’s bed .Reefert Church was also another interesting place ; its name derived from the Irish term ‘ Righ Fearta’ meaning the burial place of the king. The chiefs of the local clans , the O’Toole and the O’ Byrne clans were all buried there. We continued on the woodland path with the Upper Lake sparkling on our left as we proceeded to The Miners’ Village. The earliest documented lead mine in operation in Co Wicklow was discovered in 1726 and mining work began as early as 1783. A rich vein of lead ore was discovered in the Glendasan valley. This was the final destination on this scenic Glendalough walk and we all took a moment to appreciate our surroundings and capture the scenic view in a photograph. 

We trekked back to our meeting place where we had assembled earlier that morning and chatted about the highlights of the day. A relaxing stroll in such a tranquil place was a very accurate summary of this Kildare RTA walk .An enjoyable day was had by all in radiant sunshine as we walked in the footsteps of St Kevin and all the people associated with this renowned ,monastic site. Many Thanks to Maura who complemented the experience ,contributing interesting information and facts about the site during the  walk .The Kildare RTA walkers look forward to the next walking adventure.

A Creative Writing Workshop has been suggested as an activity during November.

Stephanie Bergin contacted John Mac Kenna ,Kildare author and playwright, who has agreed to lead this activity over two days .
The suggested dates are Tues 19 th and 26th November commencing at 11am – 1 pm .Tea and coffee will be available during the break.The venue is Naas Library. The theme of the workshop is Writing of Life – the focus would be memoir. John Mac Kenna ‘s recent novel is entitled ‘ Father, Son and Brother Ghost which is his own memoir. You may like to read this book prior to attending the workshop , but not mandatory. The only requirement is to bring a photograph which will act as a prompt during the writing activity. This is an ideal opportunity to explore the creative writer within us all and share our ideas with others.Those who are interested, please reply to the text sent recently from Kildare RTAI.