Tullaherin Monastic Site

“Located about 15 kilometres south of Kilkenny near Bennetsbridge is Tullaherin Church and Round Tower.
This is a 9th Century well preserved six storey round tower, the top storey originally had eight windows. Tullaherin is the site of continuous religious worship for well over a thousand years.

It is claimed by many as the burial site of Saint Kieran and the fine round tower is visible from many miles away.

Features to note are: the regular layers of finely chiseled blocks of stone, the elevated entrance door, the small square-headed windows lighting each storey and the top storey (now partly eroded) which originally had eight windows – a feature Tullaherin Round Tower shares with that of Clonmacnoise. The whole tower leans slightly to the South.

The adjoining church dates from the 11-13th century with additions to the East from the 16th century. There are two ogham stones near the tower: a fragment discovered in 1852 and an almost complete example discovered in 1983. Tullaherin Folk Museum is housed in the nearby old parochial residence. Established by Duchas – Tullaherin Heritage Society – in 1981, it contains many interesting household and farm items which were in everyday use in the locality in days gone by.” - [excerpt from lookaroundireland.com: Link]

Find Kilree Monastic Site on Google Maps here.

Looking for some more information on Kilree Monastic Site?
Have a look at some of these useful links:

• www.lookaroundireland.com
• www.megalithomania.com

** All images property of www.photography-ireland.com **

During national tree week 2010, why not visit Castlecomer discovery park and woodlands. The woodlands consist of 30 hectares set on the banks of the river Deen.

The woodlands contain two fishing lakes and some 6km of paths for you to walk.

Sculptures that were created on site in September 1999 can be found along the walk .

You will also find plenty of places to stop for a picnic, many tables are located throughout the park and are kept in good services.

You can visit the woodlands all year around.

Nigel

www.studio63.ie

www.studio63.wordpress.com

National Tree Week will take place from 7-13 March. The theme is ‘Twenty Ten – Plant Again’. We are asking people to make a renewed effort to go out and plant more trees during the week.

The aim of National Tree Week is to raise awareness about trees and encourage local communities and local authorities to participate in over 300 events which will take place around the country during the week. Events are organised all over the country which include forest walks, tree planting ceremonies, workshops, talks, competitions and even tree plantathons!

This year 15,000 trees, sponsored by Coillte will be distributed to community groups by local authorities all over the country – contact your local council for a supply of trees.

Every year a poster competition is held, this year’s winner is Fiona Cooney as student of NCAD, Thomas Street. Posters for the competition will be presented on Wednesday 3 March at Charleville Mall Public Library, North Strand by Éanna Ní Lamhna.

Despite the great advances in the past 100 years, Ireland remains one of the least wooded countries in Europe with only 10% of our land planted with trees compared to the European average of 40%. approx. This initiative will provide thousands of new jobs build our forestry industry and help improve our environment.

Why plant more trees?
•The forest industry is worth €1.65 billion annually.
•It is estimated that more than 10,000 people are employed in the industry mainly in rural Ireland.
•More than 17,000 farmers own and manage farm woodlands.
•Forests absorb carbon dioxide and give us oxygen
•The non timber benefits of forestry include bio-diversity, carbon sequestration, wood biomass energy and recreation.
•Ireland’s forests provide an opportunity to conserve bio-diversity at local and national level.
•Ireland’s forests provide a potential for wood to displace fossil fuels.
•Over 20 million visits are made annually to Irish forests.
•Over 200,000 people use forest trails for exercise.
•Trekking through forests is an important aspect of ‘Walking Tourism’ which attracts 500,000 visitors who spend €138 million annually.
•Wood is uniquely renewable among building material.
Do not despair, even if you have very little space to plant. By doing something as simple as planting one tree, you can play your part in helping the environment.

By thinking locally, we can act globally!

All Tree Week events are free and everyone is welcome to attend.

Nigel

www.studio63.ie

www.studio63.wordpress.com

Kilkenny Flying & Gliding Club

Of all the activities that Kilkenny has to offer, booking a flight through the Kilkenny Flying club has to be one of the most interesting. Getting up into the air to get a clear view of the city and its surrounding areas is one of the best ways that you can see the county and its surrounding areas.

Kilkenny Airport is located on the Ballycallan Road toward Tullaroon. The airport is clearly sign posted and is about 3 miles from the town.

If you have a “sat nav” the gps numbers are : 52.39° 31″N 07.18° 50″W

Kilkenny Flying & Gliding Club has been running since 1969.

During this time numerous pilots have been trained here; some have progressed to national and international carriers, The majority are recreational pilots who still get a buzz from exploring Ireland, and further afield, from the air.

KFGC provides safe and realiable aircraft at a reasonable cost to it’s members so that they can enjoy their hobby in a relaxing, stress free environment. Kilkenny Airfield, now known as Conor Airpark, is home to three flying clubs and also a number of private owners and groups. Visitors are made to feel welcome.

Pat Nolan is one of the pilots and committee members at the airfield and it was a pleasure to meet him. He talked about the safety aspects of the fight and the route that we would be taking for the afternoons flight. I was decided that we would fly from Kilkenny to the Waterford coast and back again, first passing Callan towards Fethard – in Tipperary. We would then fly along the River Suir over Clonmel passing Carrick On Suir and from there down towards Tramore and along the Waterford coast before finally heading passed Slievenamon and arriving back at Kilkenny airport.

Before we set out Pat got us seated safely in the aircraft and went trough a very detailed routine of all preflight safety checks. This helped to settle the mind and reassure the passengers.

Ready for take off pat notified the air traffic controller that we intended to takeoff and the route we intended to travel.

The airport consists of a simple grass runway and we took our place in the queue ready to start the fight to Waterford. We waited about 5 minutes and then positioned the aircraft at the end of the runway before proceeding to takeoff.

Once in the air we headed towards Callan.

The view above the Ballycallan road

On reaching Callan we circled the town and could see clearly how the new housing estates had grown over the last years, however some have only grown to half the intended size and remained unfinished.

From Callan we flew above Fethard in Tipperary. The walls of the town could be clearly seen from above showing the size of the original walled market town.

This part of the country is known for it love of horses, this was evident by the many training tracks and exercise rings.

From the Fethard area we moved down to the River Suir just north of the town of Clonmel. The river can be seen in the photograph some 1500 feet below.

We continued along the River Suir and we flew above the Bulmers site, the site of Merck Shark and Dohme was also viewable at Kilsheelan.

From Kilsheelan on the River Suir we passed the town of Carrick On Suir, this photograph looks back at the town toward Clonmel and both the new and old bridges at Carrick can been seen below.

From Carrick On Suir we continued down the river to Fiddown and looked towards Waterford, the island below and the two bridges that link the north and south of the river can be seen. The island contains one for the biggest nature reserves on the river Suir.

The house and grounds at Mount Congreve, sit on the banks of the River Suir as the river widens and begins its passage into the harbor at Waterford. From the road the house is hidden behind the wall but from this airial view one can see just how beautiful and well keep this house is.

From this point we flew from Kilmeadan towards the Waterford coast and Tramore.

Tramore is one of the largest tourist destinations on the south coast of Ireland. To some it offers images of fish and chip shops and holidays as kids in small apartments or caravans, fond memories. From this height however its true setting and beauty can be enjoyed. The beach heads off into the distance, this along with the inland sand dunes offer a great walk on a Sunday afternoon.

From Tramore we headed west along the Waterford coastline towards Dungarvan and the south Comeragh Mountains. This stretch marked the turning point of our journey and we soon turned back towards Carrick On Suir and Clonmel passing the cloud topped Mountains to our left.

We climbed approximately 2000 feet at this stage in order to speed our journey home. The view back towards kilkenny was breath taking.

Once back in the kilkenny area we flew over the centre of the town. The full layout of the city came into view before we turned back towards the airport and our landing strip.

The landing itself is one of the most breath taking experiences you could have. The airfield is set in a very beautiful location facing the hills towards Ballycallan. The green landing strip offers a very soft landing.

Once down on the ground we were delighted with the trip and very gratefull to Pat for such a fantastic experience, possibly one of the best experiences you can have in the County and well worth repeating again and again.

Highly recommended!

You can contact Kilkenny Flying and Gliding Club using the following details.

Team Dynamics Kilkenny offers Indoor and Outdoor Team Building Games and Activities specifically tailored to your  team building requirements.

Set in the midst of a 200 acre riverside estate and within minutes of Kilkenny city, Team Dynamics Kilkenny is the ideal location for your  team building day out. All team building games and activities are supervised and run by our experienced facilitators.

With Team Dynamics, you can overcome obstacles and learn how to work cohesively together. Our interactive team games range from easy/non-physical activities such as lateral problem solving games and mental team challenges to more advanced physical activities and games such as canoeing, rock climbing and abseiling.

All team activities are fun and help in relieving stress, and at the same time they foster team building by assisting participants in improving communication, listening skills, trust, and the ability to work together.

The location includes a natural 18th century cut-limestone climbing tower, they have every level possible available, even if you are afraid of heights you can try your hand at bouldering.

You can Explore the River Nore by Canadian Canoe and at the same time have fun doing so, the center has river side access.

Archery is just one more of the activities that take place in a unique walled in garden.  The centers resident archer will inform you about the whole history of Archery . This is a chance to go into great depth and detail into the art or Archery and also enjoy yourself.

The Gables & Longbowe

The center also has available two very special self catering holiday homes, one of them being an eco-friendly holiday home. Overlooking the secluded Nore valley on the 200 acre Archersgrove Estate, a mile from Kilkenny Castle but with space for children to roam safely and to enjoy the peace of the farm.

The Gables:

The Gables self catering accommodation is a spacious 18th century coach house restored in 1989 and dates back to the original Archersgrove house on the grounds.

Longbowe:

A very special new world eco-friendly holiday home, adjacent to Kilkenny City.
Ever want to feel like you’re living amongst the green leafy branches of a tree? Come to Longbowe and enjoy life in parkland setting.

You can contact Team dynamic Kilkenny as follows:

Team Dynamics Kilkenny
Archersgrove
Bennetsbridge Rd.
Kilkenny

Tel: +353 (0)56 7763635
Mobile: +353 (0)86 8286863
E-mail: info@tdk.ie

To book the holiday homes:

Contact Kevin and Joan Mahon

The Gables and Longbowe, Archersgrove, Bennettsbridge Rd, Kilkenny, Ireland.
Phone : +353 (0)56 7761869
Mobile (Kevin) :
+353 (0)86 8286863
E-mail: info@gables.ie

Nigel

www.studio63.ie

Yesterday (Wednesday) was the launch of this year’s annual ‘Guinness Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots Festival’. Featuring over 80 acts from several countries, this music festival is sure not to disappoint.

From Friday 1st May to Monday 4th May, Kilkenny is bound to have a unrivalled atmosphere in the country for the May bank holiday weekend.

Here is a list of the gig guide and the current line up for the festival.

www.kilkennyroots.com/gigs

Not all gigs are free so remember to book early if tickets are involved.

• Website: www.kilkennyroots.com
• Email: info@kilkennyroots.com
• Phone: 056 7794828