On your Marks, Get Set- – – Hold On!
The giddy energy to be off at the start of a walk is not always easy to control.
Our leader, Tadhg Harrington, was brave and decisive enough at 10.30am to say “NO! We will
stay in the cars and let the almighty shower pass over”. As we in doubt reluctantly returned to
the cars the shower of alarming intensity duly arrived. By 11.00 it was over.. exactly as he said it
would. At 11.01 we started the 2025 edition of our beloved Gougane Barra walk.
There was much speculation as to how our leader had called it so accurately. That St. Finbarr
had whispered it to him in a dream seemed the most likely explanation. Tadhg’s own
explanation gave the internet as his source. That however was dismissed out of hand. In this
age of dodgy information sources we just could not accept possibly tainted fruit from a known
tainted tree. Internet me eye!
Had we started to walk at 10.30 as planned we would have been sodden before our small “sos”.
Such a start would have most likely squeezed much of the joy from what turned out to be a very
happy outing.
The walk had four elements: two climbs to start, each short but they brought us to our second
wind and sharpened our appetites. We enjoyed our picnic in comfort with scenic views for
sauce. Next we headed near where the River Lee rises. The paths we followed held firm without
too many wet patches. The rough stone steps we met could be slippery and sure enough we
had a faller. Happily the worst damage was a bruised ego and after two minutes halt the group
reformed and walked on. To finish we had returned to ground level as we wound our way
through pleasing surrounds to where we had started.
The decisive early call to delay our start was without doubt the correct one. The later minor
shower or two did not put a damper on our day. Being with others who share a past makes
contact in the now so easy.
Thanks to all in RTAI and well done, Tadhg!
Seán Ó Callanáin
RTAI CORK BLOG - Suíomh na Múinteoirí Scortha Chorcaí 