Clough’ celebrates Bike Week

A number of events took place during Bike Week in Cloughjordan, with the weather (mostly) favourable for getting out and about on a bike. National Bike Week takes place annually across Ireland with events big and small that celebrate the many benefits associated with cycling and movement.

For many years now the Cloughjordan Community Development Association under the banner of ‘Cycling Cloughjordan’ have been organising local events that provide opportunities for the general and occasional cyclists to explore their local area, get that bike back on the road and have fun doing so.

Bike Week kicked off with free check-up and puncture repairs workshops on Main Street with Tom Morkan and Mike Holden. Often it can be the reason people put away their bikes and stop using them, the ‘ bike clinics’ provide an opportunity for people of all ages to bring along their bikes to get them checked over, cabling tightened and are shown how to carry out basic minor repairs that will enable getting their bike back up and running. Tom Morkan runs a local bike repair business in Cloughjordan, The Solar Bike Shed.

The CCDA teamed up with the Cloughjordan Parish Heritage Group once again for a guided heritage cycle with Caimin Ó Brien from the National Monuments Service. Caimin has been guided our bike week events for many years now and our deepest thanks to him for his generous time and for his insightful and informative guiding through local historical places and history. With the sun shining the cycle group took in an easy 20 km loop the highlight being a visit to Emmel Castle where all were warmly welcomed by the owner, the well-known actor, Patrick Bergin. Once an Ó Carroll stronghold, Emmel from the Irish Imill, boundary or border, was one of 25 castles in their possession. Emmel Castle was on the very Southern edge of ‘Ó Carroll Country bordering the lands of the Ó Kennedy’s.

Uniquely the castle has been in near continuous habitation since first constructed and this continuity has prevented dereliction and the loss of historical fabric.

The group then cycled on to Templeharry Church, made famous internationally by its ancestral association with the US President Barak Obama and our thanks to Joyce and John Wakefield for opening up the church for the visit. The last historical stop before the turn for home was at the ruins of Ballintemple Church, an example of an early Anglo-Norman Parochial Church site.

As part of local events once again there were some easy social cycles to encourage all ages to get out on their bikes for short fun cycles around the village.

The CCDA thanks Tipperary Sports Partnership and the Irish Cycling Campaign for all their bike week event support, a key part of which is supporting local business by purchasing refreshments and snacks as part of the events schedule.