A celebration of pedal power

The Cloughjordan Community Development Association ran three main events for local Bike Week celebrations this year in Cloughjordan and all were very well attended.

On Sunday, May 10, there was an 8km Social Cycle around the Burntwood-Barna Rds Loop with a stop at Clarke’s Lane to learn more about Cloughjordan’s aviation history. The evening of Tuesday, May 13, there were free Bike Check and Puncture Repair Workshops with Re-Cycle Mike with people and bikes of all ages attending.

Last Saturday, there was a great turnout for the guided Exploring our local Townlands with Caimin Ó Brien from the National Monuments Service. The group were brought on an easy 20km Cycle Loop around Cloughjordan learning about the names, origins and histories of local townlands. A townland is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland.

The townland system is of Gaelic origin, pre-dating the Norman invasion, and most have names of Irish Gaelic origin. However, some townland names and boundaries come from Norman manors, plantation divisions, or later creations of the Ordnance Survey.

Thank you to Gillian and Clifford Guest for hosting the group at Gortavalla, where refreshments and a tour of their historical farmhouse renovation works. The Knockanacree Woodlands stop heard about the woodlands medieval history including it`s possible location for being the inaugural site of the local Ó Carroll Gaelic clan. The CCDA have been running Bike Week events for 16 years now.