Peaking

I had a wonderful drive from Dublin to Lisvarrinane in Cork to start (and end) the day. A trip to walk in The Galtee Mountains with the Ballyhoura Bears as part of The Ballyhoura Walking Festival. I had seen it mentioned in the papers a few months ago and decided if I was in Ireland and the weather was at all good, I would do their Seven Peak Challenge as the last big fitness test before the Scottish Three Peaks.

Atop Farbreaga

I made it up Farbreaga, Greenane, Galtybeg and Galtymore. Four peaks of the seven possible. After six and half hours, I was relieved that our guides took us down, leaving Slievecushnabinnia, Carrignabinnia and Lyracappul for another day. The Ballyhoura Bears were so welcoming and hostpitable that I intend to return. I was sorry for them that only twenty five people turned up for a walk that had drawn ninety in the past though someone told me over three hundred had registered for the overall walking festival (reduced numbers perhaps due to competing walking events and the unusual alignment of Easter and May Day giving people the opportunity for two week holidays, like me).

The Old Red Sandstones and Conglomerates being heavily jointed form blocky, rectangular shapes that contrast with the rounded granites I'm used to walking in Dublin and Wicklow. The soft heather, mossy, boggy ground was a tougher walking surface than I am conditioned for - too many degrees of rotation for ankles, knees and hips. The weather was good. Yes it was windy at times. Yes it drizzled on and off throughout the first five hours. Yes it was cold at times. Yes it was hazy. But from the top of the mountains, the views of the coums was exhilarating - lunch overlooking Muskry, snacks over Borheen and Diheen and then over Curra, some random walker was handing out Barley Water sweets saying they gave great energy boosts. A group of Chinese walkers sitting in the shelter of Galtybeg seemed incongruous at first sight because I was with locals who were more mountain goat than bear. 

Borheen Lough

I was last up most of the climbs, slower than the sweeper would have wanted. I zig-zagged my way up and eventually down. But on the other surfaces I was well able to stay at the front (of the slowest group, mind). People offered me their walking poles ('all our best walkers use them'). I was offered food and sweets and lots of verbal encouragement. I asked one lady how often she did this walk and was stunned when she said two and maybe three times a week. Then I began to feel a lot better, this being my first. I was among people who helped saying I was lucky it was not raining, it's often much wetter underfoot, the wind at your back is better than in front.  Meeting these people, it was as if "their lives had been one long vigorous walk". It seems OK to quote from Elizabeth Bowen ('The Easter Egg Party' 1938) because of her links with Farahy just the other side of Mitchelstown.

Munster's loss to the Harlequins in the League seemed more important than Leinster's fantastic win in the Heineken Cup Semi Final. I later listened to full pub cheers, with tea and ham sandwich in hand, when Kilkenny hurlers scored a goal against Dublin. Dan Breen has a memorial across the road from the muster point at Moroney's pub in Lisvarrinane - even the civil war didn't seem that long ago today. While Dublin felt a long way off, the M8 motorway was said to be the only good thing to result from The Celtic Tiger.