Journey into the past

RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW:Even if you're not going to Tullamore, it's worth taking a detour to view Maurice Harron's wonderful monastic sculptures, which were unveiled just before Christmas at the northern end of the new bypass.

The best time to view these dramatic creations (left) in stainless steel is when they catch the evening sun from the west.

“The road men wanted to bulldoze the hills but they listened to my plea to let them stay for the figures,” says Derry-born Harron.

Harron wanted to celebrate the rich monastic heritage of this area. “The sculptures are semi-abstract in design,” he says, “based loosely on Irish manuscript patterns . . . The church referred to here was not the Roman church but the Gaelic, aristocratic one, derived from and inspired by the likes of Colmcille.”

Turn off the Galway-Dublin motorway (M6) at Kilbeggan (junction five). The N52 connects to the bypass. It’s no more than a 10-minute diversion.