A Warm C Walk: Tullahought, 9 August 2020

 It was blue T-shirt day for the Dungarvan Hillwalking Club C walkers as they enjoyed the tranquil countryside around Tullahought in South Kilkenny. Their blue T-shirts were matched by the blue sky, as they were bathed in blazing sunshine for the whole walk. The walk was led by Marie Jennings. 

Derbhile Graham captured some of the beautiful scenery ont he day - including the blue T-shirts. 

We're Back on the Hills

Dungarvan Hillwalking Club is delighted to announce that we’re back on the hills and we’re opening up our walks to new members again. We’ve been operating a full walk schedule for our current members for the past number of weeks, but now we’re inviting guests to join us.

You can enjoy our popular Sunday B and C walks and our Thursday B and C walks, but there’s a limit of 20 people per walk, including the leader. So, if you want to join us, give the leader for your chosen walk a call. To find out about our walks, check out the Walks section of our website.  

You can join us for two walks and then we will ask you to join our club so that you’ll be covered by our insurance. The annual fee is €40 per person. On walks, it is recommended that you use your own transport to get to the start point. You’re also asked to take responsibility for social distancing and for finding your own parking spot.

Photo Caption: A stunning socially distanced walk in the Sgilloges on 26 July, led by Helen Culloo. You can see the lake gleaming in the sunshine with the mountain above it. (Photo Credit: Patricia Hurley)

 

Lockdown, But Not Locked Out

With Ireland now on lockdown, we are now being told not to walk on the hills at all. We're sure this will just be a temporary situation and that we will be back out on the hills as soon as possible.

Until then, we've decided to keep our spirits up by putting up pictures of previous walks. Here's a pic taken by David Haworth on a walk in Coumsingaun in June 2019. It shows us that better days will be here again.

Keep on Walking

The hills, highways and byways are still available to us if we go in small groups, don't carpool and observe social distancing. So, we at Dungarvan Hillwalking Club are encouraging you to keep walking while observing HSE social distancing guidelines.

In the meantime, feast your eyes on these pictures taken on the last B walk that happened before our world went haywire, on Sunday 8 March. The walk was in the Comeraghs and was led by Tony Fitzgerald. You'll get two different perspectives on the walk from two different photographers.

The first three are from Marcus O'Halloran.

And the second three are from Goska Korejwo

Cancellation Of All Walks Until Further Notice

The committee of Dungarvan Hillwalking Club has decided to cancel all club Thursday and Sunday walks until further notice. We will let you know as soon as that changes and we're really sorry for any inconvenience and disappointment caused, but we feel we must play our part in slowing down the outbreak of COVID-19. We're looking forward to getting back out on the hills soon.

Thursday B Walk at the Seven Sisters

After the recent horrible weather, the Thursday walkers were able to enjoy epic views in glorious conditions on their B walk on 5 March last. The walk was led by Michael Daly and Patrick Murray was on hand to take gorgeous pictures.

March 2020 Newsletter

March 2020 Newsletter

What To Do When A Walk Is Cancelled

The February storms played absolute havoc with our walk schedule, so we just wanted to remind walk leaders about what to do if a walk is cancelled. As leader, you’re responsible for deciding whether to cancel your walk or not when a weather warning comes into effect.  If you decide not to go ahead, please contact club PRO Derbhile Graham on 087 6959799 and club website coordinator Marcus O’Halloran on 087 6202906. Derbhile will then be able to spread the word via Facebook and Marcus will geet the word out via text.

Club’s 25^th Anniversary

This year the club will mark its 25^th anniversary, as it was founded in 1995. We’re planning to celebrate this silver anniversary in style, and the committee is considering various ideas for the celebrations. They are working on a special commemorative logo for the anniversary too. We’ll reveal more plans in the coming months.

Summer Dates For Your Diary

In this horrible weather, it’s good to focus on the warm months ahead. A date has been fixed for our mighty Cunnigar Crossing: Sunday 7 June. Then we’ll have the Comeragh Crossing on Saturday 4 July and the club barbecue on 18 July. Both of these July events are fundraisers for South-East Mountain Rescue, West Waterford Hospice and Dungarvan Lions Club.

If you have any news or walk reports you’d like included in the club newsletter, please contact club PRO Derbhile Graham, derbhile.graham@gmail.com.

Companionship on the Hills for Valentine's Day

This is the time of year when hearts and flowers appear everywhere as Valentine’s Day approaches. But Dungarvan Hillwalking Club has an antidote to all the Valentine’s Day hoopla – come and join us in the hills for some real companionship and fun.

Dungarvan Hillwalking Club has a motto: friendship, fitness and fun. We take the friendship part of our motto seriously. We want to offer people an opportunity to walk in a warm, friendly atmosphere and to offer companionship to people who are new to the club.

If you turn up to one of our walks on your own, you will leave having made a tonne of new friends. We make sure no-one is left out and we’ll greet you and give you a lift to the walk start point. During the walk, you’ll always have someone to talk to. We’re always delighted to see new people joining us and you can expect lots of lively conversation on the walks.

Photo Credit: Eibhlin Power

We don’t just go on walks – there’s also a vibrant social scene for you to enjoy. We have a Christmas party night and a club barbecue in the summer. Again, we make it easy for you to come to these events on your own, because you won’t be on your own for very long. You’ll be swept up in the merriment, the delicious food and the lively sing songs.

We also give you the chance to spread your wings and travel further afield with our group holidays abroad and weekends away in Ireland. Lots of our members travel solo, so if you want, you can find someone to share a room with and avoid the dreaded single supplement. You’ll have company for the whole holiday, on walks and at meals.

So, if you’re a solo flyer this Valentine’s Day, come and join Dungarvan Hillwalking Club for one of our walks. A whole world of fun and friendship will open up to you. Love may blossom on the hills, but just as importantly, we can offer friendship that lasts.

Email us to find out more about all the brilliant walks and activities we offer, dungarvanhillwalking@gmail.com

February 2020 Newsletter

Walk Report: Portlaw Woods C Walk, Sunday 19 January. Walk Leader: Norman Graham

There was a massive turnout of 20 walkers for the Sunday C walk to Portlaw Woods, a Norman Graham Classic. The fact that the walk was in the east of the county failed to deter these brave walkers, though the clear bright weather was no doubt an attraction. There is nothing quite like crunching through woods on a bright blue winter day. The walkers climbed up to the Cross, where they enjoyed stunning views of Waterford County. The walk was completed in three hours and it finished in a graveyard, as you do!

John Foley to Speak at March Meeting

Photographer and film maker John Foley will be our guest speaker at our March meeting on Tuesday 3 March. He’ll be showing a film he made that is set in the Comeraghs. If you’d like to see the film and her about how it was made, come along to the Tudor House Pub at 8pm on 3 March.

Club Holiday Updates

As I write, there is one room left for the Northern Ireland weekend away. For further information, you can contact Mary Murphy on 087 2273825. Around 28-29 people have booked the club holiday to Hungary on 14-21 September. People are encouraged to book directly through the Travel Department, but if you’d like info, you can contact Margaret on 087 6326283 or Tatie on 0877672807. The price is around €1,039 per person.

Club’s 25^th Anniversary

This year, the club will mark its 25^th anniversary, as it was founded in 1995. We’re planning to celebrate this silver anniversary in style, so stay tuned for updates on that.

July Dates For Your Diary

July is a while away yet, but it’s never too early to plant a seed for our flagship club events. Our Comeragh Crossing is on 4 July and our club barbecue is on 18 July. Both events are fundraisers for South-East Mountain Rescue, West Waterford Hospice and Dungarvan Lions Club

Cunnigar Crossing

Peter Mangan has kindly agreed to study the tides and pin down a date for the Cunnigar Crossing, so stay tuned.

If you have any news or walk reports you’d like included in the club newsletter, please contact club PRO Derbhile Graham, derbhile.graham@gmail.com.

Sunny Sunday Walking for Dungarvan Hillwalkers

Lately, the spherical object in the sky known as the sun has become an unfamiliar sight for many of us. But it made an appearance last Sunday 19 January for both our B and C walkers. Here are pics from the B walk in the Comeraghs, taken by Michael Daly. Val Kenneally was the leader on the walk.

And here are pics from the C walk in Portlaw Woods taken by me, Derbhile Graham. 

John Foley To Feature At March Meeting

In one of our previous newsletters, we had mentioned that photographer and film maker John Foley would come to our February meeting to show a film he has made set in the Comeraghs. He will now come to our March meeting instead. Our March meeting is on 3 March at 8pm in the Tudor. We will confirm that he is coming in advance of that meeting.

Fitness, Friendship and Fun in 2020

Fitness, Friendship and Fun in 2020 with Dungarvan Hillwalking Club

At this time of year, resolutions are made – and then quickly broken. But at Dungarvan Hillwalking Club, we make it easy to keep your resolutions. Our motto is Fitness, Friendship and Fun and that means we’ve got all the basis covered. It’s not just about physical fitness – your social life and your mental health will get a boost too.

Here’s a flavour of how we can help you keep your New Year’s Resolutions past 31 January.

Fitness: Many of us want to get fit when a new year comes, and Dungarvan Hillwalking Club makes it easy for you to achieve that goal. We offer four walks a week, so there’s plenty to choose from, no matter how busy your schedule is. People often think you can only do hillwalking if you’re a rugged mountainy type. But we’re very committed to making hillwalking accessible. Whether you want to scale the heights of the Comeraghs or do a gentle ramble in a forest, we have the right walks for you.

Friendship: Have you decided this is the year you’ll expand your circle of friends? At Dungarvan Hillwalking Club you’re guaranteed to make friends. As soon as you arrive on a walk, there’s a friendly face to say hello, to offer you a lift and to give you advice about what to wear or what the terrain is like. And you’ll be able to bond with the other members on our holidays and weekends away.

Fun: You’ll be caught up in a social whirl of activity when you join our club. We organise nights out, fun charity events weekends away and even holidays abroad. There’s always something happening, and you’ll never be lonely or bored. Even if you just come on our walks, they’re full of laughter and crack. It’ll be your most fun year ever when you join our merry gang.

Here's a pic of some of our members having a fun day out in Crosshaven, which happened last September. (Photo Credit: Eibhlin Power)

If you’d like to find out more about the fitness, friendship and fun on offer at Dungarvan Hillwalking Club, visit www.dungarvanhillwalking.org or contact club PRO Derbhile Graham, derbhile.graham@gmail.com

January 2020 Newsletter

January 2020 Newsletter

Walk Report: Mulled Wine Walk, Sunday 15 December

This event was a success, despite the gloomy weather, with around 31 people turning up to walk. The walk went along the Ardmore cliffs, and the path along the cliffs has been revamped, making it much easier to access. Heroic attempts were made to keep the rain away, with Christmas carols sung at various stages of the walk, at varying levels of ability.

Peter Mangan led the walk, so many thanks to him. Big thanks also go to our catering team, Erich and Ronagh Baumann, who provided mulled wine and mince pies. These disappeared in no time. Thanks to all who brought cakes and other confections, and above all, thanks to all who contributed to our bucket collection for our three charities, the Lions Club, Mountain Rescue and the Hospice. The rain did come when we reached the carpark, but this did nothing to dampen our spirits.

Club Weekend Away 2020

If you’re planning to go on the club weekend away to Kilkeel Co. Down, happening on the May Bank Holiday Weekend, don’t forget to have your deposit in with Mary by the 7 January meeting. The deposit is €50, and the remaining €120 is due 3 March. For more info, contact Mary Murphy on 087 2273825. Thanks to Mary for her hard work in organising the weekend.

Club Christmas Party

This was a huge success, with some revellers leaving Merries Restaurant at unmentionable hours. The food was tasty and the crack was mighty.

Camino Inglese September Trip

Tony Fitzgerald is planning a trip on the Camino Inglese in Spain on 6-13 September. The Camino Ingles is one of the shortest routes to the pilgrimage city of Santiago de Compostela. If you’re interested, you can contact Tony on 0872588171

February Meeting

There is a plan to bring in a guest speaker for our February meeting, on Tuesday 4 February at 8pm in the Tudor. John Foley is a talented photographer and film-maker and he will share his experiences with the club members. We feel that having speakers adds an extra dimension to the meetings, plus you get all the inside gossip on what’s happening in the club.

If you have any news or walk reports you’d like included in the club newsletter, please contact club PRO Derbhile Graham, derbhile.graham@gmail.com.