Creggs to Glinsk to Ballymoe

Trail Description

Leaving the village of Creggs, the Suck Valley Way follows local roads and lanes to the townland of Kilbegnet. Here, you will see the old primary school which was closed in the 1970’s due to a declining population. The walker will also pass Kilbegnet graveyard, many graves here date to the Great Famine of 1846-1848. It is thought Kilbegnet may have been part of an earlier settlement due to the discovery of an ogham stone.

The Suck Valley Way then takes to the fields and continues onto Rosmoylan Bog. This section of the walk passes many ringforts, the largest of which is associated with Queen Medb of Connacht, most commonly known for her role in the famous Irish Legend ‘The Cattle Raid of Cooley’. One of Queen Medbs husbands, Tinne Mac Connradh is said to have lived in this particular ringfort.

To your right is Doirin Woods, an oakwood with hazel and holly and also Peters Lough, whose shores are a natural garden with a variety of bog land flowers. From here, the Suck Valley passes Lough Doo and takes us onto a boreen leading to Lough Loung. This boreen brings the walker back into a field where there is a very high footbridge spanning a tributary of Lough Loung, its height makes for a perfect viewing platform over the Lough. The walker then follows a series of boreens towards Glinsk Island. Glinsk Island is no island but a forested area of old deciduous wood with silver birch as the predominant species. The Suck Valley Way follows a path through the woods with the trees arching high above it, for some this is the most beautiful section of the Way.

The walk continues onto a lane leading to the main Glinsk road. One of the highlights of this section is Glinsk Castle. The castle was built in the 17th century by the Burke family, one of the leading families in the Norman invasion of Ireland. On the opposite side of the road is Glinsk Heritage Park, the perfect place to enjoy a picnic and refuel before you continue on your walk! The Suck Valley Way map board is also located here pointing the walker to Glinsk village.

Once in Glinsk, the walker will be directed to the right into fields and boglands. The boglands are covered in heather with an occasional smattering of willow and birch and in the summer you will see the banks of machine cut turf laid out to dry in long vertical rows. The Way continues through a mixture of pasture and bogland where lots of gorse and bog cotton can be seen.

The Suck Valley Way then takes you to the village of Ballymoe. When you enter Ballymoe, the community centre also known as the Father Flanagan Centre will be located on the opposite side of the road. The community centre was named in commemoration of Father Flanagan’s charity work, he founded ‘Boystown’ in the USA, an orphanage for boys. Ballymoe is also the birthplace of Eamonn Ceannt, a signatory of the 1916 Proclamation of Independence for Ireland. The Suck Valley Way follows the road through the village with the walker now on route for Ballintubber and Castlerea.