Community Notes March 13th

Loop Walk Signage

New signage for two loop walks in the Timoleague area have been erected. Both loop walks are colour coded and begin at the car-park between the Abbey and the estuary. A look at the village map near the public toilets will help the walker to pick and choose the walk of their choice. There is a choice of two walks – The Abbeymahon Loop which is colour coded blue and The Argideen Loop, colour coded red.

The Abbeymahon Loop: There are blue arrows and walking men to guide the walker along the route. The walker proceeds on the footpath along the beginning of the Timoleague – Courtmacsherry Walkway. At the entrance to the Duck Pond you keep right as the signs indicate. Walkers should exercise caution on this short stretch as you are on the public road and there is no footpath. You leave the main Timoleague to Courtmacsherry road by taking a right turn and proceed on the Abbeymahon road until you come to a cross-roads. A sign post here tells you that there is a choice of two routes - a short route and a long route. If the short route is your walk of choice you veer left. The finger post sign tells you that it is 3.5km from here back to base. Continue on this quiet road before you make the decent down a pathway towards the estuary. Caution is advised as you cross the main road to the footpath. Turn left and walk along the footpath back to Timoleague.

If you are feeling energetic you may fancy a longer walk. The sign indicates that it is 4.9km back to base. Follow the sign and walk straight ahead.You now reach another cross-roads and the signage tells you to take a left. Keep walking straight ahead on this quiet country road until you come to a junction. Keep left and you can see the estuary ahead. Please be careful crossing the main road to the footpath. Take a left and you have a footpath all the way back to Timoleague. On your homeward hike you will see the ruins of The Cistercian Abbey, dating back to 1272, on your left. (To be continued)

100 Years Ago

Many deaths occurred during the month of February as outlined in these notes over the past few weeks. March continued in the same vein. Readers will recall the shooting dead of Denis Hegarty on the 19^th. of January. Denis was employed by John Good of Barryshall. On Thursday night of the 10^th of March, John Good was shot at the door of his home. He died on Friday morning. The late John Good was according to a report in The Skibbereen Eagle “ a respectable farmer of a retiring disposition with a keen interest in agriculture and cattle breeding and was little known in public life” He was accused of being a spy and his killing was carried out by a group of six volunteers, three of whom were armed. Two of the group acted as scouts.

 John Good’s brother-in-law Thomas J Bradfield, also a farmer, was shot dead two months before. He lived some four miles north of Bandon. Thomas Bradfield’s first cousin was also killed a number of weeks later. Both were accused of being spies. As a point of interest,twelve members of the Timoleague Company accompanied by a large group of other volunteers from the surrounding area were involved in removing cattle from Bradfield’s farm after his death. While one might think that these shootings were tragic, worse was to follow, especially in relation to the Good family.