GREAT DRIVES SUIR VALLEY DRIVE:A road that sometimes hugs the river bank and sometimes wanders off to higher ground, reveals the beauty of the local landscape
CARRICK-ON-SUIR and Clonmel have interesting histories and connections with the Ormonde family, who were powerful lords in this area in medieval times. Both also share the river Suir that flows through each town and both are located in beautiful countryside, which adds to their appeal.
Carrick-on-Suir (Carraig na Siúire – rock of the river Suir) is the more easterly of the two towns in Co Tipperary and was the site of one of the chief strongholds of the Duke of Ormonde. The river dominates the town and several bridges cross it to the southern side of the town, which is in Co Waterford.
The waters of the river Suir flowing through its environs also dominate Clonmel, 15km (nine miles) to the west of Carrick-on-Suir. Clonmel’s Irish name is Cluain Meala – meadow of honey or Mel’s meadow. Like Carrick-on-Suir, most of Clonmel is in Co Tipperary but the river forms the border with Co Waterford. A part of the city walls, the West Gate, was rebuilt in 1831, and the town suffered badly in the Tudor and Cromwellian wars. Cromwell besieged the town in 1650 and lost 2,500 men to the ingenious defenders of the town. When their reinforcements failed to arrive and their ammunition ran out, the town governor, Hugh Dubh O’Neill, led his garrison across the river under cover of darkness and escaped over the mountains to Waterford.
Today, these two historic towns are linked to the north of the river Suir by the N24 that continues on to Waterford city.
A second road joins the towns to the south of the river and winds its way sometimes close to the river and sometimes close to higher ground. This is the subject of our exploration today.
We crossed the river Suir on one of Carrick-on-Suir’s two bridges and headed east through a series of places with interesting names – Toberagattabrack, Kilroughtaun, Jenny’s Cross Roads, close by Kilsheelan, past Tikincor and then on into Clonmel from that town’s southern side.
On all sides this is a lush landscape and higher ground accompanies the road on its southern side as it heads towards Clonmel.
The first sign of the even higher ground of the Comeragh Mountains is the small hill of Carrigcaum (259m) that is followed by a wooded valley through which the river Glasha flows to meet the Suir. At the junction of our road and the road up this valley is a small, weather-beaten cross on which the lettering is too faint to read. This road is worth a short diversion but beautiful as this valley is, there is little chance to see its beauty from the road, so dense are the trees.
There is a car park and picnic facilities at Glenpatrick Bridge near the top of the valley. It is worth walking a short distance through the trees to get a glimpse of this small but beautiful valley.
Having returned to our original road and once again proceeding towards Clonmel, the ground to the south rises to the much more substantial hills of Burnt Rock (300m) and Carrickatober (344m), both of which mark the foothills of the Comeragh Mountains and lead us to journey’s end at Clonmel.
Before finishing, it’s worth recalling Charles Bianconi who came to the town as a poor Italian peddler of pictures early in the 19th century.
He saw the need for reliable transport and eventually founded a very successful coach network that operated all over Ireland. At its peak in 1845, Bianconi owned 1,400 horses and his vehicles covered an average of 6,115km (3,800 miles) each day in 23 counties. Bianconi coaches continued until the advent of the railway system and had Clonmel as their base.
This is a pleasant drive through a lush and historic countryside on which time should be taken to explore the many interesting features to be encountered along the way.