A few years ago, I cycled home to Kildare after a family weekend in Dundalk. The hook for my cycle was to connect the birthplace of St Brigid in Faughart, just outside Dundalk, with Kildare where Brigid lived and died. This year, to mark St Brigid’s Day, I decided on the shorter (and much flatter!) cycle to Umeras, a townland just outside Monasterevan. Local legend says that this is the actual birth place of Brigid.
Umeras is on the Grand Canal between Rathangan and Monasterevan so it was a good opportunity to try out the new cycle path along the canal. I joined the canal at Glenaree Bridge. At first I missed the old grassy towpath but soon found myself flying along without the bumpiness of before. I continued through Rathangan and on to Wilson’s Bridge. The new path currently ends here and the towpath ahead was blocked for works on continuation of the path.
I cycled out to the main road and down to my first stop of the day at Lackagh Crossroads. There is a shrine here commemorating the Birth of St Brigid – “Authentic tradition states that near this place Brigid, Mary of the Gael was born”. I cycled back towards the canal and over the bridge to the end of the road – no further evidence of Brigid’s presence was found! There is plenty of work going on here at present to create Umeras Peatland Park which will be a great addition to the community.
I retraced my path to Lackagh Cross and followed Brigid’s Course to the Red Hills. Here there is another shrine to St Brigid – this one marking the site of Brigid’s first church – “Dubhtach, St Brigid’s father lived here and here she built her first church”. The last stop on my cycle was Market Square in Kildare for a nice coffee in the shadow of St Brigid’s Cathedral. Happy St Brigid’s Day!
