Community website for Millstreet, Co. Cork, Ireland
The cattle in the farmyard sheds bellowing for silage or hay
It is cold and wet by the Mountain of Clara today
The weather temperature a chilly minus three degrees
And the cold wind is soughing in bare deciduous trees
In the old rushy fields west of Millstreet Town
Every waterway bank high in flood waters of brown
Where grass growth is dormant not any wildflowers
And nothing does grow in cold January showers
[read more …] “By The Mountain Of Clara Today”
Andrzej may have gone a little extreme on burning off a few extra calories after Christmas, but while being a bit wet and muddy, i’m sure it was loads of fun going up and down Clara with his bike.
With nice weather today, lots of people went up Clara, and some more were up tonight to view the Perseid meteor shower. Above is the transformation from day to night.
The little mottled brown skylark of human kind shy
Up to the cloud World does sing as he fly
A musical speck in the blue and gray sky
Above Clara mountain in summery July
When the whortleberries the tiny blue fruits of the heather are ripe for to eat
From Nature to the taste buds such a tasty treat
From the slopes of Clara on a clear day on the higher ground
The scenery breathtaking for many kilometers around
Beautiful views on top of Clara Mountain today as a light blanket of snow has covered the mountain and hills around.
Click on Michelle’s photos to see them in full (more photos below)
A lone walker reaches the cross on top of Clara during a fine evening last week.
Photos thanks to Mary Irish Daniels who was visiting here at the time
An old local saying about the weather locally:
‘Ceo ar Mhusire’s Clárach lom, an comhartha soininne is fearr ar domhan.’
The photo right is of Musheramore taken from the top of Clara with Clara’s triangulation point in the foreground
Local photographer Tom Corbett of TMC Photography sent us these photos of the two charity walks in Millstreet this morning.
Some of the group that walked the “Up a Hill for Jack and Jill” to the top of Clara
Some of the group that walked for the Irish Cancer Society’s Action Breast Cancer from Coleman’s Centra. There’s more photos from Tom below: [read more …] “Charity Walk Photos by TMC Photography”
Trek 1: Claragh Mountain in Millstreet.
(Decend , hop in cars and drive to …)
Trek 2: Mount Hilary near Banteer.
9am Sunday September 21st 2014
Meeting point; Kanturk car park
€10 (or more if you wish) donation for Marymount Hospice
This is being organised in honour and memory of the most amazing woman that climbed many mountains in her life physically but mostly mentally .
She loved nature and walking was her real love it was her medication she said walking in nature was her time to pray (probably for patience so she wouldn’t kill me for robbing her perfume or lipstick!!)
This woman is [read more …] “MOM Trek … Mind over Mountains”
The Toonsbridge 10 Walk Challenge 2014 in aid of the Childrens WARD at CUH, will take place around the Clara Loop on this coming Sunday (June 1st ’14).
Officially the walk starts at 12noon, but this year many people prefer to start earlier so organsiers will be there with registration book at 11am. Starting point down Clara Rd. Many of our walkers have sponsorship cards but most prefer to make a donation in the box when they register.
The organisers would be delighted if people from the Millstreet locality joined us on this.
For more details or details of the remaining 6 walks, email <email>, or check their Facebook Page
Update (4th June): Photos from the very successful walk can be seen here
[read more …] “Toonsbridge 10 Walk Challenge 2014 in aid of the Childrens WARD at CUH”
Millstreet Juvenile GAA Fun Walk May 5th @ 12pm from the GAA Hall.
The sponsored walk is to raise funds for our club and the Mercy Hospital.
There will be a choice of two routes (Weather Permitting)
All children must be accompanied by an adult for the walk. Light refreshments will be served afterwards in the GAA hall. Your support is greatly appreciated !
contact Eileen for details: <email>
Millstreet Juvenile GAA braved inclement weather on Bank Holiday for fund raising walk in aid of Mercy Hospital pic.twitter.com/nLWFk4TmFv
— John Tarrant (@jgtarrant) May 5, 2014
A light cover of snow lay on the mountain and the air had a wintery chill
And the cold damp winds of Winter blew across Clara hill
As we climbed up towards the wooden cross Jerry and John Mahony, Donal Hickey and I
A memory to remember until the day I die.
The Mahonys had their working dog Sandy with them and Donal had Jerry his cattle dog
And the climb up through the snow clad bracken for Schoolboys a hard old slog
The dogs bored without a fox or hare to chase suddenly commenced to fight
For Jerry a bloodless victory though not a pretty sight.
We climbed to the cross on Clara hill overlooking Millstreet Town
The uphill journey it was [read more …] “A Day on Clara Hill”
At the start of July mountaineer Stephen McAulliffe from Banteer trekked from Millstreet train station over Clara, Caherbarnagh, the Paps and onto Rathmore. Blessed with lovely weather, he’s written down his trek in his blog, along with some stunning photographs.
“… By the “Grotto” you turn left and enter a magical little shady lane that rises steadily through woodland. After a while a right turn takes you through some fir trees and then an open trail traverses the slope and offers great views eastward to Mushera and beyond to my home patch of Mt Hillary. There is more than a grain of truth in the saying that Ireland, when the sun shines is one of the most beautiful places on earth and today it was living up to its billing. The problem is getting the sun to shine. Soon you enter the open mountain and it doesn’t take long to reach the summit at 452 meters. There are some masts on the top but it is easy to ignore these as the whole of north Cork and Kerry is laid out below you. It is a great spot to rest a while and soak up the views and sunshine…” Read the full article with photos on the HowlingMist blog
Late Sunday Evening John Mac Naboe and his wife Linda returned to Millstreet to conquer Claragh and fulfil a dream held since he was a child.
During a childhood summer holiday visit he had started the climb but for reasons lost in the mists of time had failed to reach the summit.
[read more …] “Spectacular Millstreet Sunset Marking Official End of Summertime”
Earlier this year Clement Carroll took this photo from near the top of Clara, looking towards Kippagh & Caherbarnagh. Clement (of Carroll Wedding Photography) has kindly given it to us to share with the millstreet.ie readers. [click the photo for full size]
For further information please contact Finbarr Cole on 086 8630577
Read the brochure for the Clara Mountain Loop for what to expect
Read more on National Trails Day at nationaltrailsday.ie [read more …] “National Trails Day – Clara Mountain Loop”
Walkers can now choose to climb Clara Mountain OR complete the Drishane Castle Loop via Station Road. This is to suit our younger walkers who may find Clara Mountain a little too adventurous! Meeting point for both walks is the GAA Hall at 11am. All sponsorship cards to be handed up before the walk.
Thanks to Thomas Duggan for allowing us use Drishane Castle.
Hope to see a large crowd tomorrow 🙂
A light cover of snow lay on the mountain and the air had a wintery chill
And the cold damp winds of January blew across Clara hill
As we climbed up towards the wooden cross Jerry and John Mahony, Donal Hickey and I
A memory to remember until the day I die.
The Mahonys had their working dog Sandy with them and Donal had Jerry his cattle dog
And the climb up through the snow clad bracken for Schoolboys a hard old slog
The dogs bored without a fox or hare to chase suddenly commenced to fight
For Jerry a bloodless victory though not a pretty sight. [read more …] “A Day On Clara Hill”
There has been a change of plan for the walk up Clara and blessing of the new cross, which had been scheduled for this Friday evening (July 20th @ 5pm). The walk is going ahead but only to the viewing point as the weather has left the path to the cross in bad condition. (Update: The walk has now been cancelled also). The cross will be blessed on another occasion. It would be great to see everyone on the walk anyway. Registration as planned in the GAA hall at 4.30. Refreshments afterwards. – from the Millstreet Development-Group
Also, check out the new Brochure / Map for the Clara Loop Walk.
The concept for ‘A Day of the Region’ was first established in 1999 in Germany as an ‘Open Doors Event’ where organisations and communities in rural areas promoted what was in their own community in an effort to educate locals in an informal way about the opportunities and possibilities available to them in their region. Since this the concept has grown substantially with 8 other European Countries taking the initiative to develop it in their own regions.
‘Discover Duhallow… A Day of the Region’ is about capturing the essence of life in Duhallow and encouraging both locals and visitors alike to take part in the wide range of amenities, clubs and activities throughout our region. This 10 day programme will be a celebration of rural community life and will showcase what Duhallow has to offer those living here as well as those visiting the region. Many people who are new to the area and working outside the region are unaware of the wealth of activities and resources available right here on their door step.
Events organised for Millstreet are: [read more …] “Discover Duhallow … A Day of the Region”
Many thanks to Jerry Healy (formerly of Kilmeedy) who sent us these photos of the cross being erected at the top of Clara Mountain in 1984.
[We’d like to get the names of all the people in these photos. can you help us please by leaving a comment below, or by emailing us at 
]
Dan Duggan (West End) and William Corcoran prepare the base for the cross
[read more …] “Erecting the Clara Cross in 1984”
The old cross on top of Clara Mountain in the evening sun with Millstreet in the valley below to the right. The cross had been there since 1982 but was so dilapidated that it was recently felled to make way for a new one. Tradition had it that the Leaving Cert students would go to the top of Clara before the final exams. That year (2010), one of them tied their old school shirt up high around the top of the cross, and it lasted there for a few months. It makes for a very interesting and peaceful photo.
[click on the photo to see it in full]
Seán arranged to travel to the summit to record this truly historic happening at Clara Mountain. Eily also was present for the recording. The Cross will be bolted on to the steel which is already [read more …] “Seán Murphy’s Pictures of the Clara Mountain Cross Replacement Project”
On 
top of Clara Mountain yesterday evening (Palm Sunday) it was noticed that someone earlier in the day took the effort to place a piece of Blessed Palm on the cross on top of Clara (as can be seen from the photo).
A nice touch by whoever did it.
And here we feature a selection of images of the Runners beginning the Race and later returning [read more …] “Clara Mountain Run As Viewed From Clara Road This Evening”
