Monthly Archives: May 2018

One thing is certain; whether Pat Cashin is present on a walk or not, his ability to entertain the troops is ever present. Pat was to meet us at Woodend Triangle but was nowhere to be seen on our arrival. A phone call later and we were entertained by the telling of a tale of woe which included a puncture, no spare, Tony Kavanagh and the ever present watchful gaze of the Child of Prague from the sitting room window, but no possibility of Pat Cashin starting on the walk from far off Drumcondra. Our Master in the Field, [...]

A welcome and colourful (more on this anon) return to walking of Pat Cashin who was the fourth member of the group and met us at the Shay Elliot start point by prior arrangement. The three who met at the official meeting place Ballinteer House were John Cruise (back from Spain) Ken Keaveney and Hugh Sweeney. Apologies from Tom Barragry and Dermot Gunn. On the way we left a car at Jack the Rag’s Path where the walk would finish. As soon as we cleared the wind tunnel that is the Shay Elliot the bright sun warmed us inside [...]

Three stalwarts turned up at Ballinteer House at 10 o’clock; Dermot Gunn, Ken Keaveney and myself. Tom Barragry and Nick O’Neill were starting from the Hell Fire Club car park and planned to walk through Massey’s estate and do the walk in reverse until they would meet us and would accompany us back. We set off on the well identified track just North of the Noel Lemass monument. Two walkers ambled towards us and from their pace and demeanour we thought for a moment or two they could have been Lugs. We stopped and chatted. They are a group [...]

Apologies were received from Tom Barragry, Noel Doyle and Dermot Gunn. The three who turned up at Ballinteer House were John Cruise , Ken Keaveney and myself. We were to meet Nick O’Neil at the start point at 11.30. Right along the Blessington Road the snow deposited by the snow ploughs lined both sides of the carraigeway to four or five feet in height and narrowed the road in places. It was, nonetheless, quite safe for driving. The minor road had been cleared to the width of a single car and that was successfully negotiated with the polite, helpful [...]

Just two Brothers turned up at Ballinteer House car park, Ken Keaveney and myself Hugh Sweeney. Apologies were received from Dermot Gunn, Robin Bailey and Nick O’Neil. We stayed a little longer than usual in the forlorn hope that there might be some latecomers. As we arrived close to the starting point the oncoming car of Tom Barragry passed by, heading for home. We regrouped with Tom and togged out to face a bone-chilling wall of cold. Robin Bailey phoned with very helpful advice about a new Mountain Meitheal track up onto the Wicklow Way leading to the refuge [...]

It was a crisp coldly bright morning as four intrepid Lugs arrived in Ballinteer House carpark. John Cruise the organizer and purveyor of the new on line program had said that he was not attending, probably, we guessed, for reasons of modesty. The weather forecast, which was threatening deluge in the afternoon, was discussed. This led to a clandestine agreement amongst the four conspirators to do the DD walk and tell no one. This decision was abetted by the absence of Robin Bailey who texted that he had slept it out after a particularly hard night so there would [...]