{"id":247,"date":"2012-06-10T16:38:03","date_gmt":"2012-06-10T16:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nbg-irelandtrainingrides.posterous.com\/eagle-down-castle-bogs-ancient-churches"},"modified":"2023-10-18T20:09:27","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T03:09:27","slug":"eagle-down-castle-bogs-ancient-churches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/2012\/06\/10\/eagle-down-castle-bogs-ancient-churches\/","title":{"rendered":"Eagle Down – Castle, Bogs, Ancient Churches"},"content":{"rendered":"

Went on a car tour of the west of Ireland. Here is what we saw:<\/p>\n

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Kylemore Abbey was\u00a0built as a Castle and private home in 1887. From Wikipedia, I learned that there were 33 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 sitting rooms, a ballroom, billiard room, library, study, school room, smoking room, gun room and various offices and domestic staff residences for the butler, cook, housekeeper and other servants. \u00a0Now a convent, It has been the home to Benedictine nuns since 1920.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Also saw Balintubber Alley again. A church dating back to 1216, St.Patrick is thought to have begun his work of converting the Irish to Catholicism with the church built here in 441 AD. It was almost completely surrounded by graves…<\/span><\/div>\n
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Examples of sod (also called turf, I discussed it in more detail HERE<\/a><\/span>) cuts abounded on some of the hillsides we passed by. What used to be the most common way people heated their homes, it is carved right out of the soil and left to dry in brick shaped blocks that are then burned for warmth.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We passed by Ashford Castle. Built in 1228, the beauty was breathtaking, but we could not go in and explore as it was closed to visitors. Operating now as a world class luxury hotel,\u00a0John Lennon,George Harrison, King George V of Great Britain, Queen Mary, Oscar Wilde, U.S. President Ronald Reagan, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, John Wayne, Brad Pitt, Pierce Brosnan, and The Prince Rainier III of Monaco have all stayed here.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

My Eagle would have loved this trip. I am however running a bit scared now as all the months of truing and welding, etc, have left me with a rim that might just not be repairable……<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Went on a car tour of the west of Ireland. Here is what we saw: Kylemore Abbey was built as a Castle and private home in 1887. From Wikipedia, I learned that there were 33 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 sitting rooms, a ballroom, billard room, library, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ireland","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3VuuR-3Z","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":260,"url":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/2012\/06\/12\/greenway-heaven-in-ireland\/","url_meta":{"origin":247,"position":0},"title":"Greenway Heaven in Ireland","author":"awakeagainmartin@gmail.com","date":"June 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"In the west of Ireland, besides the castle and ancient church we found, I was lucky enough to bring my bike and explore some of the Greenway infrastructure they are starting to build here to support what will be a coast to coast bike way. In the t...","rel":"","context":"In "Duplicate"","block_context":{"text":"Duplicate","link":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/category\/duplicate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Inline image 1","src":"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/?ui=2&ik=22ede273a4&view=att&th=137e0625cc6b5ac6&attid=0.3&disp=emb&realattid=ii_137e039c51ad9ec4&zw&atsh=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":158,"url":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/2011\/07\/08\/castle-cuffe\/","url_meta":{"origin":247,"position":1},"title":"Castle Cuffe!","author":"awakeagainmartin@gmail.com","date":"July 8, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"When I was at Eviction Cottage several weeks ago, I took a few pictures of an interesting edifice a few hundred yards away. I had heard it was a castle and hadn't looked for it on the internet until now. I found it was called Castle Cuffe and was ...","rel":"","context":"In "Ireland"","block_context":{"text":"Ireland","link":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/category\/ireland\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/28835062-IMG_0576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/28835062-IMG_0576.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/28835062-IMG_0576.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/28835062-IMG_0576.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/28835062-IMG_0576.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5534,"url":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/2013\/07\/23\/irish-national-history-museum-grounds\/","url_meta":{"origin":247,"position":2},"title":"Irish National History Museum & 9th Century Round Tower","author":"awakeagainmartin@gmail.com","date":"July 23, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0They were closed when I got there The round tower you see on a ridge off in the distance was built sometime between the 9th and 12th centuries. Little is known about it even to this day but there are 120 examples of these stone buildings throughout Ireland. Wikipedia story\u00a0about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ireland"","block_context":{"text":"Ireland","link":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/category\/ireland\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/DSCN0442.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/DSCN0442.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/DSCN0442.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/DSCN0442.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/DSCN0442.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/DSCN0442.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5517,"url":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/2013\/10\/24\/farmer-joe-now-83-visited-a-year-later\/","url_meta":{"origin":247,"position":3},"title":"Farmer Joe, now 83, Visited a Year Later","author":"awakeagainmartin@gmail.com","date":"October 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Ran up with Farmer Joe today while out hammering the back roads on the Eagle.\u00a0Last time I saw him I was on my recumbent. On the HiWheel this time, I got a picture of \u00a0him with his beautiful wife Kathleen, who he went to the same one-room\u00a0schoolhouse with. You can\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ireland"","block_context":{"text":"Ireland","link":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/category\/ireland\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/DSCN0693.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/DSCN0693.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/DSCN0693.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/DSCN0693.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/DSCN0693.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/DSCN0693.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5599,"url":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/2012\/08\/02\/traveller-horse-racing-in-ireland-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":247,"position":4},"title":"Traveller Horse Racing in Ireland","author":"awakeagainmartin@gmail.com","date":"August 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Every few months here in Ireland I come across carts like you see in the video above. Made with bicycle wheels they are towed by horses. On several occasions I found it fun to see what kind of speed the guys sitting on them were doing. I got up to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Duplicate"","block_context":{"text":"Duplicate","link":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/category\/duplicate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/IEHu2blVblA\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8000,"url":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/2014\/04\/13\/first-tour-de-castlebar-ireland-coming-june-21-2014\/","url_meta":{"origin":247,"position":5},"title":"First Tour de Castlebar, Ireland Coming June 21, 2014","author":"awakeagainmartin@gmail.com","date":"April 13, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"On Sat, June 21, in the west of \u00a0Ireland, yet another town\u00a0that is catching bicycle \u00a0fever, Castlebar,\u00a0will be showing itself off for all the bicycle world to see. As the county seat for Mayo County (the Irish call it County Mayo) Castlebar is also the county's largest town as well\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Greenway"","block_context":{"text":"Greenway","link":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/category\/greenway\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/IMG_3246.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/IMG_3246.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/IMG_3246.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/IMG_3246.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/IMG_3246.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/IMG_3246.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17603,"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247\/revisions\/17603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}