Cycle Trip to the Hell Fire Club ,Dublin Mountains 24th March 2011.

The Hell Fire Club ,Dublin Mountains /Club du feu de Enfer , Montaigne du Dublin.

I have never been to the Hell Fire Club,always wanted to go have a look at it but never did. So today as the Weather was so good a very mild Spring Day 14 C I decided to go for a Cycle up there. I left the House at 12. 35am and first went into the City then the South County Dublin off up Harolds Cross Rd then Rathfarnham Rd then Willbrook Rd then up Ballyboden to Scholarstown Rd . Turned right then up Stocking Lane then up up up over the M 50 Motorway up the Hills.

I had to get off and walk for a few KM then Cycled for a few more then off the Bike and more Hill walking. Then eventually the Forestry sign for the Hell Fire Club . I walked through two Gates then up through the Forest for more Kilometres up the Hillside. It was very Beautiful being surrounded by all the Trees. Eventually I got to the Top and I knew the Club was not far off but I could not find it. I asked a Chap with his Dogs and I discovered I had gone past it . I had walked past a Lane with out any sign to tell you .  Up this Lane which was a short Hill of about 1K until I came to the Building.

This Place is a very Foreboding looking Building with all sorts of strange Stories about it. The Story goes that in the 18th Century this Building was made as a Hunting Lodge for one of the Nobility and he had Wild Parties here. He had wild Orgies and unspeakable Bestiality and also Black Magic Ceremonies  went on together with non stop Gambling. One Night as the Party was in full swing in one Room there was Gambling as usual in another. One woman dropped her Cards on the Floor as you do and stooped down to pick them up.The man sitting beside her it was noted was a very Handsome Dark Complexioned Person with deep set strange Eyes and Black Hair. She noticed that instead of having Shoes on he had Cloven Feet,she jumped up and let out a scream and fled the Building. Other People noticed his Feet and they too Scattered out the door. Pretty soon there was a panic with People knocking down Candelabra and Oil Lamps with the mad rush to get out the Door. With the Result  there was a fire and many People lost their lives. People swore they could hear mad Laughter coming from the Interior of the burning Building and it was said the man was the Devil come to take his own back to Hell. The whole area is said to be Haunted and People have said that Black Masses are held on the Mountainside sometimes.

I could see the City far below in the mist about 570 M about 2'000 ft but the Camera did not resolve the view to well. I had arrived at around 3.00pm and after exploring for awhile and taking Pictures I had Lunch of a Baguette filled with Chicken and Salad Tomato and Onion and some Water. Then I headed off down the Hillside at around 4.00pm in the direction of Rathfarnham. It was much easier coming down than going up ,I flew down the Hillside through the Forest. The Tectro  Oryx Brakes on the Surly is not much good at stopping and I was not taking any chances,I did not want to go off the Hillside when coming to Hairpin Bends so I slowed down rather than having to rely on stopping the Bike in a hurry. It is something I must upgrade with new Cantilevers Brakes, I hear the Tectro CR 720 is good .

I got Home at 5.02 Pm Total distance for the trip was 43.7KM ,it was a very nice trip not tiring in spite of the Hillwalking. One problem that cropped up,the Pannier on my Carrier Bag disintegrated and the other Pannier is coming apart too. This bag is a few Months old and has not had rough use,I will have to rummage around for the Receipt to try and get it exchanged.

St Patrick's Day Parade Dublin 17th March 2011.Bike's are Brilliant.

On Western way Phibsborough  at the Assembly Point at 10.30 AM.

Astrid arrives with the T Shirts in the Bakfiets,Dutch Bike Shop .ie,in Mountjoy St.

Two Dutch Girls from bearbikes. com

Dutch Girls from bearbikes .com in Mountjoy St.

myself with a Girl Cyclist 

Myself with a Spanish Girl in Mountjoy St.

Smart Travel ,Bikes to School.in Montjoy St.

This young Cyclist was fascinated by the different Creatures.

Dublin Cycling Campaign on Parnell Square.

Astrid from the Dutch Bike Shop .ie.outside the Garden of Rememberence Cavandish Row.

Very nice Thorn Touring Tandem.

Thorn Touring Tandem.

The Royal Mace presented to Dublin by King John in the Norman Days,Traditionally the Firebrigade members have the Honour of carrying the Mace and Sword in Official occasions .The Mayor Gerry Breen.

The Royal Sword of Dublin,presented by King John in Norman Days.

Military Red Cap's Police,Very Pleasant Smile on this Girl.

Beautiful Thorn Tandem Tourer.

Dutch Bike's

Very Tall Girl ,Dutch I think she was on a Dutch Bike.

Gerty the Azor back Home.

I attended the St Patrick's Day Parade today with the Dublin Cycling Campaign Group of which I am a member and we had a Terrific time. There must have been over a Hundred Cyclists taking part with all sorts of Bikes and Parents brought their Children with them as well on Bikes and in a couple of Bakfiets. The Dutch Bicycle is starting to make its presence felt in Dublin with a few different Companies selling them all over Dublin and County,they are very comfortable as I can attest as I have one since 07 and it is easily the most comfortable Bike I have ever owned. There was at least three different Groups with Dutch Bikes and Dutch People,The Dutch Bike Shop .ie, Bear Bikes .com, Greenaer.ie.  I especially liked the Bakfiets with the Box in front,they are great for Transporting Children and Cargo of all kinds. There was a very nice Thorn Touring Tandem I liked that very much.

Unfortunately there was so much Pictures and I can only include so many. This is a Bicycle Blog after all so I have to concentrate on them but I have included some Pictures of the other Participants to show what the Parade was like. I left my House at 10.00am to be there for 11.00am but I had bags of time,things did not start until 12.00pm.

The Cycle Group let out the Chant every so often ,Bikes are brilliant,I suppose if it was longer People could not understand what was being said this was accompanied by Bells and Whistles and Horns from the Bicycles. We had White T Shirts with St Patricks Festival written on the front and that was  brilliant on the back. Sometimes the Spectators were more interesting than the Participants taking part. Load's of Children wanting to give high fives and also lot of Adults too,Holding out their Hand for you to Tip as you went past. All the People were very Colourful with all sorts of Hats and with Green Hair and faces. The Weather remained fine and moderately warm with Sun shining for most of the time and no Rain. Every so often some black Clouds came out and with them a cold Breeze but they soon went away and the Sun came out again. Temp was around 10C,a very mild St Pats Day,very enjoyable .

Sunday 13th March 2011 Trip to Drogheda

Samuel Beckett Bridge ,River Liffey/ Pont Samuel Beckett,Riviere Liffey

The Head of St Oliver Plunkett in St Peters Church

The Door of the Cell in Newgate Gaol presented by the Mayor Wm Clark of Wrexham Wales where Oliver Plunkett was Imprisoned for 8Months

St Oliver Plunkett was Hanged drawn and Quarted at Tyburn which today is Marble Arch in London.

The Barbican Gate,St Laurences Gate, Drogheda

Nayroka / Ricardo

Le Porte Barbican ou Porte St Laurence,Drogheda

Getting Pictures taken Drogheda

River Boyne and Viaduct

Murals on the Wall beside a Golf Club Baltray

Myself /Ce Moi tré froid

Baltray Beach/ Le Plage Baltray

Martello Tower ,Millmount/ La Tour Martello,Millmount,Produit par le Anglais contre le Armee Napoleon.

 

Drogheda from Millmount,About 5KM away along the left Bank of the Boyne at Oldbridge House is the Battle of the Boyne Site between King William of Orange against King James for the Throne of England on 12 of July1690.

Millmount looking down on Drogheda

Drogheda

On the Train heading back to Dublin

Distance covered overall 91.6 1 KM

Time I arrived back Home 5.18 PM

The Weather was bitterly Cold after a hard Frost Temp, 1Celsius ,as I set out for the City of Dublin at 5.54 am to arrive at 6.30am at Samuel  Beckett Bridge to meet up with Nayroka for our Trip to Drogheda by Bicycles. I arrived at around 6.20am and Nayroka arrived at 6.40am and we set off. It was just after Daylight as we set off down the Nth Wall Quay to the Custom House then up Amiens St to the Nth Strand then up Malahide Rd .

We continued to nearly Malahide then turn left for Swords then on to the R/132 or Old N1, we went through 5 then several more  Roundabouts to avoid the M1 on our way to Drogheda. Every so often we were hit with a Cold Icy Breeze coming from our left but it wasnt bad and we continued steadly on our way to Drogheda 52KM away.

Ricardo said he would met us in Drogheda by taking a short cut from Lucan through Blanchardstown rather than going into the City to meet us. He ended up somewhere in Rathoath lost and had to ask in the Local Garda Station but it was not open but met a Policeman on the Road and after meeting someone else he managed to get on the right Road.

We eventually got to Drogheda around 9.45am and anxious to get somewhere nice and warm and have some Hot Drinks and Food but nowhere was open. So after walking around for awhile we ended up at St Peters Church so we decided to go in to have a look at the Head of St Oliver Plunket and also get out of the Cold for awhile. I got a call from Ricardo to say he was in Drogheda at the wrong Church but would join us in awhile.

We met up outside and went to a very nice Café up from the Church which had just opened up. Nayroka and Ricardo had big Slices of Creamy Cake each and Coffee and I had a Baguette with Chicken and Salad.

We decided to have a look at the Medieval Town Gate,St Laurences The Barbican Gate before heading off to Baltray a further 6 Km up the Boyne at the Seaside to have a look at the Wreck.

We heard that the Weather was possibly going to turn very nasty with Hailstones and strong wind so we were anxious to get to Baltray and back to Drogheda.

We got to  the approaches to Baltray beside a Golf Club and saw these Murals on a Wall depicting Golf scenes so we took some Pictures of ourslves. Then we got to Grassy Dunes but no Beach so we Walked to where we thought the Sea should be and asked a Man with his Dogs,he said to keep going. Ricardo was a bit apprehensive as he did not like the Sand going near his Racing Bike. We came  to Two  Fences with Styles  about a hundred Metres apart that had these Wooden Steps that we had to lift the Bikes over then eventually the Beach. We had to walk about two Kilometres to come to the Wreck at last. It was not really cold on the Beach in contrast to everywhere else and we took more Pictures before heading back to Drogheda.

In Drogheda we had a look at the Martello Tower on Millmont  The big Mound overlooking the City which is said to contain the Grave of the Ancient Celtic Goddess Queen Boánn who gave the Name to the Boyne River which flows through Drogheda.The Story from the Old Myths says that she was told that no one was to look in the Well of Wisdom/Tobhair Segais but the King of the Celtic Millesians Mils Eremon but she had a look anyway. The Waters rushed up and hit her in the Face taking away her eyes and the Waters rushed down the Land and formed the Boyne River. These Martello Towers were Built all round the Irish Coast by the British because of the Threat from Napoleons Army in the 18th 19th Century.

We decided rather than be caught in the bad Weather on the way Home that we should take the Train back to Dublin,myself and Nayroka were glad because we were very tired anyway. Ricardo said he was not tired and could go for many Miles but he was the one who suggested we should take the Train.We left Drogheda at about 4.00pm and got back to Pearse St Station at 5.00pm if we had continued by Bikes it would have been 7.00pm at least.

Then I Cycled the 7 Km back Home from the Station. It was a very enjoyable Day out in spite of the Cold. I had covered 91.6KM all told and time I got back to the House 5.18PM.