Month: October 2014

The Nire Valley Drop

Ireland is full of small village communities. Very often a group of neighbours in a rural village can come together to create something unseen in larger towns and cities. Being in such close contact with your limited amount of neighbours can create bonds that make the impossible seem possible. Ballymacarbery in County Waterford is a …

The Falls Hotel cycling movie

[iframe width=”1280″ height=”720″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/l71TPMGvgGE?rel=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe] Barry www.thecyclingblog.com

The Falls Hotel 110k

First stop as I headed off from the Falls Hotel today was the post office. It wasn’t that I needed to post a letter, I just wanted to stop and admire the handy-work of the local community. By making a feature of a derelict building that could have been an eyesore the people of Ennistymon have …

The Falls Hotel 30k to the Cliffs and back

The sun had yet to rise as I made my way from The Falls Hotel this morning onto the bicycle path that leads all the way to Lahinch. It was a real pleasure to ride along the four kilometre purpose built piece of cycling infrastructure. Arriving in Lahinch I detoured via the promenade where I …

The Falls Hotel 58k

Heading for The Falls Hotel in Ennistymon this morning I took a slight detour via Lahinch to watch the surfers in action. The morning was wet and windy as The Wild Atlantic Way lived up to its’ name. As I watched the neoprene clad adventurers walk gingerly towards the sea a thought flashed across my …

The Nissan Classic GC Sheet

Today I was doing a little organising when I came across a piece of paper that I had almost forgotten about. It was a GC sheet, not one from a race I myself had taken part in but from The Nissan Classic, and one stage in particular. The Nissan Classic time trial from Carrick on …

Riding in the rain

I normally don’t mind a dog popping out to say hello and often reply by giving them drink from my water bottle. The drink sometimes sprays into their face and they have to stop on the road before they can thank me but there was no offering this guy a drink, he was more interested in food.

Burren CC visit Dungarvan – The Movie

[iframe width=”960″ height=”720″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/-2eD5AAK7Fc?rel=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe] Barry www.thecyclingblog.com

The inspirational Burren CC conquer the Mountains

Cycling clubs, just like cyclists themselves come in all shapes and sizes. Some focus predominantly on racing, others on touring whilst some focus solely on the social aspect of people getting together to go ride their bikes. One of the best clubs in the country to take all of this in and more is The …

Gregans Castle cycling movie

Gregans castle makes a great base for exploring much of what County Clare has to offer. From spectacular coastal roads right into the heart of the unique landscape of the Burren it has everything a cycling enthusiast could ask for. Barry www.thecyclingblog.com

Gregans Castle 25k

As I sat down to dinner in Gregans Castle, one of Irelands blue book hotels,  last evening looking out at the purple hue form the limestone mountain across the valley I noticed the the sky beginning to change colour. As each course of my meal was presented the sky went form pink to orange to …