Warning: This R.R. will contain words, photos, music and phrases that may offend some, this is not my intention & I apologise in advance if this is the case. 
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26+6=1. Or 2, depending. Alternatively: In search of a Hufflepuff.
- Thread starter Ex-Call Centre Chimp
- Start date
......?.....
I think the pharmacists in Lincoln have run out of lithium
Ireland: Land of Poets, song, myths, legend and histories and myself and a chum are heading that way later this week to bimble around and see what of them we happen across.
I've fancied going to the September gathering of the clans in Lennane for a number of years so determined this year I'd get there.
I have a friend (let's call him Phil) who, like me, has Irish roots, he's always said he'd like to join me on a trip there so I contacted him in March, he booked the leave, we secured a couple of rooms in Leenane and we leave late this week. Obviously, given my OCD, my panniers are already packed and I'm raring to go.
We have an itinerary for the 1st week, driven by places Phil would like to see) but shall play it by ear once we've done Leenane, depending on how wet we get/how sick he is of my company.
Day 1: Ride to Wales.
Day 2 : Cross to The Free State, ride to Co. Wicklow, overnight in the Wicklow Hills.
Day 3: Wicklow to West Cork via The Waterford Crystal Factory, Phil's keen to go here and tonight's accommodation has been booked based on a pub nearby where he's hoping to bump into Sting and Eddie Irvine.
Day 4: West Cork to Kenmare via The Beara Peninsula.
Day 5: Ring of Kerry, return to Kenmare.
Day 6: Dingle Peninsula, nothing booked tonight, let's see where we end up.
Day 7: Arrive in Leenane.
Day 8: Visit Phil's ancestral home in County Mayo, go to Ballina where there are a couple of people I'd like to visit.
Day 9: Ride out (hopefully).
Day 10: Croagh Patrick. Not sure yet whether to do it barefoot, on my knees or in sturdy walking boots.*
* I am sure, it'll be the boots option.
I've fancied going to the September gathering of the clans in Lennane for a number of years so determined this year I'd get there.
I have a friend (let's call him Phil) who, like me, has Irish roots, he's always said he'd like to join me on a trip there so I contacted him in March, he booked the leave, we secured a couple of rooms in Leenane and we leave late this week. Obviously, given my OCD, my panniers are already packed and I'm raring to go.
We have an itinerary for the 1st week, driven by places Phil would like to see) but shall play it by ear once we've done Leenane, depending on how wet we get/how sick he is of my company.
Day 1: Ride to Wales.
Day 2 : Cross to The Free State, ride to Co. Wicklow, overnight in the Wicklow Hills.
Day 3: Wicklow to West Cork via The Waterford Crystal Factory, Phil's keen to go here and tonight's accommodation has been booked based on a pub nearby where he's hoping to bump into Sting and Eddie Irvine.
Day 4: West Cork to Kenmare via The Beara Peninsula.
Day 5: Ring of Kerry, return to Kenmare.
Day 6: Dingle Peninsula, nothing booked tonight, let's see where we end up.
Day 7: Arrive in Leenane.
Day 8: Visit Phil's ancestral home in County Mayo, go to Ballina where there are a couple of people I'd like to visit.
Day 9: Ride out (hopefully).
Day 10: Croagh Patrick. Not sure yet whether to do it barefoot, on my knees or in sturdy walking boots.*
* I am sure, it'll be the boots option.
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We’re doing that in reverse
Cairnryan to Belfast and then down to Co Sligo and into Connemara
Then the Beara and Wicklow after Leenane
Reminds me of a girl I used to know...
Prelude.
Not many people know that Lincoln had a potentially crucial part in the creation of The Free State, I decided to spend a few minutes yesterday walking the paths and allotments and visiting the places in it's part of that story.
I started at Lincoln prison where Éamon De Valera was incarcerated in 1919.
From here to the allotments he made his way through during his escape.
You can barely make out the prison but it is just behind the houses in the distance.
The allotments are locked but as I was peering through the gates one of the allotment holders was leaving and not unnaturally asked me what I was up to. A little nonplussed by my story he was kind enough to let me in and feign a degree of interest in the subject matter.
Having made his way through the allotments Dev and his 2 colleagues walked up this little snicket......
....which comes out onto Wragby Road, opposite Christ's Hospital, now a school but then a military hospital.
They made their way along Wragby Rosd towards the city centre, past The Peacock Inn frequented by prison officers due to it's proximity to the prison, just a few hundred yards up the road opposite.
And from here to The Adam & Eve pub, one of Lincoln's oldest, where they were met by Michael Collins (more of him later in the trip insha'Allah) and freedom - well sort of.
Decades later when President he revisited Lincoln and gave a speech about his time and escape here at what is now a local radio station.
As we know, proven by Wapping and others excellent write ups, there is often history around us hidden in plain sight.
Hufflepuff count: 0.
Not many people know that Lincoln had a potentially crucial part in the creation of The Free State, I decided to spend a few minutes yesterday walking the paths and allotments and visiting the places in it's part of that story.
I started at Lincoln prison where Éamon De Valera was incarcerated in 1919.
From here to the allotments he made his way through during his escape.
You can barely make out the prison but it is just behind the houses in the distance.
The allotments are locked but as I was peering through the gates one of the allotment holders was leaving and not unnaturally asked me what I was up to. A little nonplussed by my story he was kind enough to let me in and feign a degree of interest in the subject matter.
Having made his way through the allotments Dev and his 2 colleagues walked up this little snicket......
....which comes out onto Wragby Road, opposite Christ's Hospital, now a school but then a military hospital.
They made their way along Wragby Rosd towards the city centre, past The Peacock Inn frequented by prison officers due to it's proximity to the prison, just a few hundred yards up the road opposite.
And from here to The Adam & Eve pub, one of Lincoln's oldest, where they were met by Michael Collins (more of him later in the trip insha'Allah) and freedom - well sort of.
Decades later when President he revisited Lincoln and gave a speech about his time and escape here at what is now a local radio station.
As we know, proven by Wapping and others excellent write ups, there is often history around us hidden in plain sight.
Hufflepuff count: 0.
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A little more information here for those who are interested,
Copied from t'interweb:-
Éamon de Valera was possibly the most famous and influential Irish statesman of modern times. The evening of 3 February 1919, Éamon, along with two other Irish rebels, dramatically escaped from Lincoln Prison. But why were they inside and how did they get out?
When the First World War started many Irish nationalists thought Britain’s misfortune could be exploited to help Ireland gain independence. During the Easter week of 1916 they organised an uprising in Dublin yet it was poorly supported and soon put down.
In the wake of the uprising, the British authorities, annoyed at what they saw as a treacherous stab in the back, foolishly decided to execute the leaders. Realising popular feeling in Ireland was turning against them, the British stopped the executions, leaving Éamon de Valera the most senior surviving republican.
In the final year of the war, the British tried to discredit the Irish republicans by falsely claiming they had been plotting with the Germans. On the 17th of May 1918, Éamon de Valera and about 70 other Irish nationalists were arrested: half were sent to HM Prison Usk in Monmouthshire, Wales, while Éamon and the rest were sent to HM Prison Lincoln. However the head of the Irish nationalist intelligence network, Michael Collins, escaped capture and was soon planning to get the Irish leaders out.
De Valera noticed a door in the exercise yard at the back of the prison that lead to the outside; if he could get a key he could escape. De Valera was a pious Catholic and served as the altar server in the prison’s chapel, allowing him to make an impression of the Chaplain’s key using some wax in a tobacco tin.
Drawings were made of the key and smuggled to Irish supporters outside the prison who made a replica key, baked it into a cake and delivered it to the prisoners. The authorities incredibly never noticed and allowed the cake to be given to the prisoners. However, the key didn’t work and it took three more cakes with blank keys and files baked inside before the prisoners got a working key.
The Great Escape
On the rather misty evening of the 3rd of February 1919 Éamon de Valera and two colleagues (Seàn McGarry and Seàn Milroy) used the key to escape the prison. Outside were a few helpers, including Michael Collins. They made their way across the allotments at the back of the prison towards Wragby Road.
Lincoln Christ Hospital School was a military hospital at the time and the prisoners had to bluff their way past some convalescing soldiers who were courting with some of the nurses outside the hospital.
The escapees hurried down Wragby Road to the Adam and Eve pub where a taxi driver was waiting (unaware of who his passengers were). They were driven to Worksop where another helper had a taxi booked to take them to Sheffield, and ultimately to a safe house in Manchester.
After the escape was discovered, the Irish nationalists told a variety of stories to the press as to how they had escaped: partly to cover their tracks and partly to make the British look foolish. Some of this propaganda was believed and many untrue stories spread about the escape. Even quite recently it has been incorrectly reported that the prisoners were dressed as women to escape!
While they had been in prison, the Irish prisoners discovered that a conscientious objector, who had been protesting against the First World War, was in solitary confinement in Lincoln Prison: Fenner Brockway. They smuggled in newspapers for him and managed to get a letter out to his wife. On the night of the escape, Brockway celebrated in his cell that somebody had got one up on the authorities.
Even with de Valera out, the path to Irish independence was not a smooth one. Michael Collins was killed in the civil war that followed Ireland’s 1921 Treaty with Britain that offered self-rule (but not full independence). Gradually, the Irish Free State became the Irish Republic and de Valera became a very important politician. He served as the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland (1932-48, 1951-54 and 1957-59) and the Uachtarán na hÉireann (President) of Ireland (1959-73).
In 1950, during a period out of office, he went on a speaking tour of Britain. He visited Lincoln in the company of Fenner Brockway (who was now a British MP). The pair revisited Lincoln Prison and were shown the cells where they had been held. It seems the past had been forgiven and de Valera was welcomed by the city he had so successfully escaped!
When you walk down Wragby Road, remember that more than one hundred years ago some of the most wanted rebels in Britain were secretly hurrying down the same street. If the escape had not been successful, perhaps Irish (and British) history would have been very different.
Article by historian Dr Erik Grigg.
Copied from t'interweb:-
Éamon de Valera's Escape from Lincoln Prison | Visit Lincoln
In 1919, influential Irish statesman Éamon de Valera, along with two other Irish rebels, dramatically escaped from Lincoln Prison. In this blog post, we take a look at how they did it - and why!
www.visitlincoln.com
Éamon de Valera was possibly the most famous and influential Irish statesman of modern times. The evening of 3 February 1919, Éamon, along with two other Irish rebels, dramatically escaped from Lincoln Prison. But why were they inside and how did they get out?
When the First World War started many Irish nationalists thought Britain’s misfortune could be exploited to help Ireland gain independence. During the Easter week of 1916 they organised an uprising in Dublin yet it was poorly supported and soon put down.
In the wake of the uprising, the British authorities, annoyed at what they saw as a treacherous stab in the back, foolishly decided to execute the leaders. Realising popular feeling in Ireland was turning against them, the British stopped the executions, leaving Éamon de Valera the most senior surviving republican.
In the final year of the war, the British tried to discredit the Irish republicans by falsely claiming they had been plotting with the Germans. On the 17th of May 1918, Éamon de Valera and about 70 other Irish nationalists were arrested: half were sent to HM Prison Usk in Monmouthshire, Wales, while Éamon and the rest were sent to HM Prison Lincoln. However the head of the Irish nationalist intelligence network, Michael Collins, escaped capture and was soon planning to get the Irish leaders out.
De Valera noticed a door in the exercise yard at the back of the prison that lead to the outside; if he could get a key he could escape. De Valera was a pious Catholic and served as the altar server in the prison’s chapel, allowing him to make an impression of the Chaplain’s key using some wax in a tobacco tin.
Drawings were made of the key and smuggled to Irish supporters outside the prison who made a replica key, baked it into a cake and delivered it to the prisoners. The authorities incredibly never noticed and allowed the cake to be given to the prisoners. However, the key didn’t work and it took three more cakes with blank keys and files baked inside before the prisoners got a working key.
The Great Escape
On the rather misty evening of the 3rd of February 1919 Éamon de Valera and two colleagues (Seàn McGarry and Seàn Milroy) used the key to escape the prison. Outside were a few helpers, including Michael Collins. They made their way across the allotments at the back of the prison towards Wragby Road.
Lincoln Christ Hospital School was a military hospital at the time and the prisoners had to bluff their way past some convalescing soldiers who were courting with some of the nurses outside the hospital.
The escapees hurried down Wragby Road to the Adam and Eve pub where a taxi driver was waiting (unaware of who his passengers were). They were driven to Worksop where another helper had a taxi booked to take them to Sheffield, and ultimately to a safe house in Manchester.
After the escape was discovered, the Irish nationalists told a variety of stories to the press as to how they had escaped: partly to cover their tracks and partly to make the British look foolish. Some of this propaganda was believed and many untrue stories spread about the escape. Even quite recently it has been incorrectly reported that the prisoners were dressed as women to escape!
While they had been in prison, the Irish prisoners discovered that a conscientious objector, who had been protesting against the First World War, was in solitary confinement in Lincoln Prison: Fenner Brockway. They smuggled in newspapers for him and managed to get a letter out to his wife. On the night of the escape, Brockway celebrated in his cell that somebody had got one up on the authorities.
Even with de Valera out, the path to Irish independence was not a smooth one. Michael Collins was killed in the civil war that followed Ireland’s 1921 Treaty with Britain that offered self-rule (but not full independence). Gradually, the Irish Free State became the Irish Republic and de Valera became a very important politician. He served as the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland (1932-48, 1951-54 and 1957-59) and the Uachtarán na hÉireann (President) of Ireland (1959-73).
In 1950, during a period out of office, he went on a speaking tour of Britain. He visited Lincoln in the company of Fenner Brockway (who was now a British MP). The pair revisited Lincoln Prison and were shown the cells where they had been held. It seems the past had been forgiven and de Valera was welcomed by the city he had so successfully escaped!
When you walk down Wragby Road, remember that more than one hundred years ago some of the most wanted rebels in Britain were secretly hurrying down the same street. If the escape had not been successful, perhaps Irish (and British) history would have been very different.
Article by historian Dr Erik Grigg.
As part of yesterday's trip I called into a great little café for tea and cake, we all know that's the law, and bumped into a couple of chaps I know, one of whom coincidentally has also booked a couple of rooms for the Leenane weekend.
He's a little camera shy so I've edited the photo at his request.
He's a little camera shy so I've edited the photo at his request.
whoopie doo !
where is the shot of the tarp up ?
where is the shot of the tarp up ?
I'm spotting a theme here.
you can cheat, and tie one side to a sturdy fence , i'll allow that ( it's what i do if i can ) .
If you go to Cork, there's a wee shrine to the Big Fellow (Michael Collins) in the hotel where he spent his last night before being ambushed and killed.
The Imperial Hotel (oh, the irony!)
The Imperial Hotel (oh, the irony!)
Thanks Pete, we're not planning on heading into Cork but on a previous trip I spent a night in Skibereen and saw a hotel that also claims he spent his last night there (I think but my failing memory may have skewed that claim).
I am hoping to see more Collins related spots along the way, including one in Wales. Phil, my riding Comrade isn't remotely interested in any of this stuff so has decided to visit the local garden centre at that point.
I am hoping to see more Collins related spots along the way, including one in Wales. Phil, my riding Comrade isn't remotely interested in any of this stuff so has decided to visit the local garden centre at that point.
