30th December - Day 1 - Dunboy Castle to Glengarriff

A large congregation of people was gathered at Dunboy Castle in Castletownbere Co. Cork to take part in the launch of the commemoration march which was to re-trace the epic footsteps of O’ Sullivan Beara from the Beara Peninsula to O’ Rourkes castle in Leitrim village from the 31st Dec 1602 - 14th Jan 1603. Among the congregation were many locals from the peninsula along with many who travelled from all over Ireland and three enthusiasts who travelled from the USA to take part in the gruelling 16 day march that lay ahead. There were speeches from John Murphy, Chairman of the Beara Breifne Events Greenway Committee; Connie Murphy, local historian; Bernie O’ Sullivan, former head master of Cahermore primary School and Deirdre Purcell, who officially launched the march. Three locals from the Beara Peninsula rowed into the inlet by Dunboy Castle in a currach and joined the walkers on their way. Local and nationwide press were also present along with a crew from RTE who accompanied the entire march as they are producing a documentary for RTE and for international viewing.

Over 50 people set off for the first leg of the day which was as far as Adrigole. The group were led by Max Fell on horseback and some of his fellow horse riders from Dunboy Riding School. Darragh O’Sullivan was next in line followed by many local O’Sullivans and then the rest of the group. In Adrigole a warm welcome awaited them in the Glenbrook Bar, where a lunch was served by the local community group. After some informal discussions with local historians the group of 40 people set off for the next stage which was to be as far as the woods just outside Glengarriff. There, the people who had marched from Tuosist and Lauragh in Co. Kerry joined the walkers from Castletownbere. There was another big reception set on for the three groups. There was ceoltas and traditional music with set dancing. There was a B-B-Q and all types of refreshments laid on also. A very informative historic discussion was given by Dr Denis O’ Sullivan, who is in the process of translating the book about the epic march by Don Phillip O’ Sullivan from Latin to English. There was also a display put on by Max Fell, his fellow horseriders and various horses and carriages, which were a great source of entertainment for old and young.

Later on that evening there was entertainment and dinner for the group at Casey’s Hotel in Glengarriff where the first stage of comradery that was to become more evident over the coming days, began.

31st December - Day 2 - Glengarriff to Ballingeary

Over 150 people turned out in Glengarriff at 9 o’clock at the local community centre. Some who would join the group for the day of walking and others who were there just to wish them well. Either way it was very much appreciated by all involved and got the day off to a great start. 60 people set off for the day’s walking. Geraldine Lambert officially launched the day and walked as far as Keakill and she said she thoroughly enjoyed her day. Again the weather was on our side and it was a nice dry, crisp and relatively mild day. The first stop was at Ballylickey, which was supposed to be for approximately 10 minutes but turned out to be nearer to an hour as the hospitality by the local group was so sublime. Again there were beverages of all sorts laid on to keep the group warm and the craic was good but off they headed for their next destination which was Keakill and in particular Cariganass castle. There was a huge bonfire alight inside the walls of the castle where the local clan chieftain met Michael O’ Sullivan. Again there were refreshments laid on by the local community group and there was a tree planted just outside the walls of the castle to mark this auspicious anniversary. Then the group were on their way again to Ballingeary and about 8 miles from there the weather turned nasty which made the last trek of the day quite a battle but the determined group marched on and arrived into Ballingeary to be greeted by a brass band and a large group of locals who walked with the group from the outskirts of the village into the centre where they unveiled a plaque marking the occasion. There were speeches by local historians and dignitaries before everyone retreated the local pub for some more refreshments and “craic agus ceol” for the evening.

Click here for day by day photo gallery of the march