The temperature
cooled overnight and there was a lot of condensation both in the
tent and outside. All the grass was sodden with dew so I had to be
careful packing up as I didn’t want to get my socks wet as I walked
round. The sky was clear but the sun hadn’t risen enough to dry the
tent. I was away by 07:10am and continued my way along the N71 to
the west but its route for the first few miles was very windy. I was
surprised how easy the riding was as the few gradients were slight.
The main problem was the volume of traffic but I put this down to
the rush hour.
Michael Mc Lean
Michael Mc Lean
memorial
Yesterday I’d
seen some wayside cross memorials by the road. A few miles after
setting off I saw another and stopped to see if it was a memorial to
the victim of a road crash. It wasn’t. A cross in a stone recess had
the following inscription below: Lieut.
Michael Mc Lean of Lowertown Schull 3rd West Cork Brigade I.R.A. was
tortured and murdered by British Crown Forces on the 8th Dec 1920
aged 23 years. Further
research revealed the following: I.R.A.
Lieutenant Michael McClean of Lowertown Schull was captured and
killed by soldiers of the Essex Regiment on the 8th of December
1920. McClean was involved in an ambush at Gaggin County Cork which
went wrong when one of the lorries of British Soldiers they were
attempting to ambush escaped the ambush and doubled back capturing
McClean.
After several
more miles I came to a Model ‘T’ Ford car monument by the road. I’d
just cycled past it and decided to return to find out what it was.
I’m glad I did because a plaque said this was Dearborn and home to
the original Ford family who emigrated to America. One of their
descendants was Henry Ford, the designer of the Model T Ford car.
The first car that was affordable to the general public. Henry
returned to visit in 1912 and in following years more of his family
and descendants returned to visit.
Model ‘T’ Ford
I continued to
make good time and reached Clonakilty where I stopped for something
to eat and a drink of water. I had a good mobile data signal but as
I was outside the UK I was charged £1.99/day for 200Mg of data.
Artist by the road
I thought it was
worth paying to be able to keep up to date with email, email &
social media. I’d planned to have my lunch in Skibbereen but when I
got there couldn’t see an obvious town centre or somewhere to sit
down. I continued to a bridge to the east where I stopped for
something to eat (that I’d brought with me)
Bridge at Skibbereen
I continued
along the N71 but after a short ride stopped to check out a sign
that said the adjacent cemetery was also a mass grave for some 1845
- 1850 victims of the
Great Famine. Within the walls of the cemetery
was the usual collection of crosses, stones and ruined, roofless
church.
Abbeystrowry Cemetery
Close by the
gate was large area of mown grass with a couple of flat stones
bearing a cross and a small stone reading: “In
Memory of the Victims of
the Famine 1845 - 48 who's coffinless
Bodies were Buried in this Plot."
It was the
mass grave of around 9,000 people who starved to death when the
potato harvest consistently failed, although there were many
other political reasons why it happened.
I continued west
along the N71. It varied from wide and fast with occasional narrow
sections. At Ballyedehop I turned north but on the same N71 road. It
was much narrower and thankfully much less traffic. The road started
to climb and I was on the first big pass of my ride. I continued up
for several kilometres, over the top then a long descent to Bantry
where the sun was shining.
In Bantry
The town centre
had a statue to St Brendan the Navigator but little else that I
could see. I stopped to buy water and 2 bananas. I ate the bananas
and continued by the various bays. I’d done over 60miles and wanted
to camp but couldn’t find anywhere due to houses being everywhere.
At Ballylickey
was a grassed area between the new N71 and the original old road. It
was maintained and mown with sets of benches. I pitched my tent
behind a bush where I couldn’t be seen from the main road but could
be seen by local houses. I took the chance. Shortly after getting
the tent up torrential rain started.
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Whittle Wanderer
