CHAPTER XIV

Seechon or Slievebawn Mountain, Kilbride and Cloghleagh

If this journey be undertaken by cyclists, one of them must I be prepared to wait at the summit of the road on Seechon Mountain to take charge of the bicycles while the others make the ascent, for which about an hour will be required; but should the whole party wish to visit the top, arrangements might be made to leave the machines at a house some distance further along the road, although this will entail a considerable addition to both the journey and the ascent. For pedestrians the best plan is to proceed from Terenure by the steam tram to Tallaght, from which the ascent is often made, returning home from either The Lamb or Brittas. Cyclists and pedestrians alike should make their way to Ballinascorney Gap, described in another chapter, the cyclists proceeding by Templeogue, Firhouse, and Bohernabreena, and the pedestrians by the Oldbawn road from Tallaght. The Gap, which may be said to commence at Bohernabreena Bridge (called "Fort Bridge" on the maps), is a long, steep incline, somewhat trying in warm weather, but the picturesque wildness of its surroundings will amply repay for the exertion of climbing it. Cyclists will have to walk nearly the whole way to the summit level of the Kilbride road, a distance of three and a half miles, it being a mile and a half from Bohernabreena Bridge to the top of the Gap, and two miles from that to the highest point of the road across Seechon Mountain.

At the top of Ballinascorney Gap is a large plain granite cross, erected some sixty years ago, and at this point we turn to the left along a well-kept road, bounded by low hedges, interspersed with fern, foxglove and other wild flowers, and passing through a partly cultivated country, with occasional meadows and stunted trees. Some distance further, a pretty ford leading to a farmyard, crosses the little stream beside the road which here begins to rise sharply, having already attained an elevation of over 1,000 feet. As we continue the ascent, the character of the country becomes wilder, the whitethorn and hazel hedges give place almost entirely to those of furze, and rising majestically to the left of the road in front is Seechon Or Slievebawn - the great mountain dominating all this region, its rounded summit seared and scarred by the winter torrents, and its brown, heather-clad slopes variegated by patches of soft green sward. It will be noted that those portions of the top denuded of vegetation assume a whitish tint in dry weather, which circumstance may have originated the name of Slieve Bawn (the White Mountain). It should, however, be mentioned that the name Slievebawn, which has now disappeared from the maps, is quite unknown to the country people in the neighbourhood, by whom it is invariably called Seechon (the seat), corrupted by the Ordnance Survey in the more recent maps, into Seahan.

Looking back towards the Dublin plain, it will be observed that the view is greatly limited by the slopes of the valley through which we have passed, but as the summit of the road is approached, the prospect extends, and we enter upon a wild tract of moor, swept by mountain breezes redolent of the turf and heather, with little to remind us of our proximity to civilisation except the white road and the telegraph wires to Kilbride military camp. To reach the top of the mountain, we leave the road at its highest point, and follow the course of the little stream up towards the summit - 500 feet above the road - over a rather rough stretch which will take about half an hour to climb.

The chief attraction of this ascent is the extensive view due to the great elevation - 2,131 feet - as the summit is entirely devoid of any characteristic feature, and is simply a tract of bare mountain bog, surmounted by a small carn recently fashioned into a pillar by the Ordnance Survey. Viewed from this point, Howth, Ireland’s Eye and the Bay look very distant and the Three Rock, Two Rock, Cruagh, Killakee and Glendoo Mountains, then the two Sugar Loaves, and still further southward a number of high summits, the most conspicuous among which are Tonduff, War Hill, and Douce - all over 2,000 feet high. Considerably nearer is Kippure - dark and gloomy - 300 feet higher than where we stand, while almost due south and quite close is Seefingan, covered with green sward to the top. Away to the north will be observed the bold and rugged outline of the Mourne Mountains in County Down, and to the left of these the rounded form of Slieve Gullion in County Armagh. To the right of Kippure, but farther off, is Mullaghcleevaun, one of the highest summits in this region, then Moanbane and a number of lower elevations extending over towards Ballyknockan and Poulaphuca. Below, on the slopes of Seefinn and Seefingan will be seen the tents and huts of Kilbride Military Camp; westward, the Brittas ponds will be distinguished among the low hills around Brittas, and to the north, the whole Dublin plain, a great flat expanse, cut up into thousands of irregularly shaped fields.

Just at the top, beside the carn, is a well - the source of a small stream that runs down the western slope of the mountain - generally dry during drought; and on the south-western side, near the summit, is what appears to be the remains of an ancient sepulchral chamber, long since rifled of its contents.

Descending again to the road, which, it may be mentioned, is 1,602 feet over sea level at this point, we continue our journey now down hill, over a rather rough surface, to the Camp, a little over a mile distant, where the road crosses the head waters of the Shankill river. About half a mile further on, we turn to the right by the road leading to Ballinascorney, again crossing the river by a bridge on the site of the old Shankill ford. If, however, the excursionist is on foot, or if he is not afraid of taking his bicycle along a rather rough track through the heather, it will be well worth while to diverge from the road on the left, by the pathway which crosses the river, and leads to the Cloghleagh iron mine. The high mountains, Gravale, Mullaghcleevaun, and Moanbane present an imposing appearance from this point, traces of snow often remaining on their summits as late as mid-summer. Keeping to the pathway, we presently reach a curious-looking stone house, which was erected as a residence for the manager of the iron mine some fifty years ago. It would seem that no earnest attempt was ever made to work this undertaking to a successful issue, as the great stone segments of the crushing wheel, now lying beside the river, and other machinery obtained from England, were never put together, so that the whole concern was a failure from the start Just beside the house is the entrance to the mine, the shaft of which, now closed up, extended a considerable way under the hill.

A short distance beyond the house we reach a wooden gateway leading by a pretty bridge to a picturesque little defile, planted with firs and larches, through which the Shankill river tumbles and splashes along its rocky bed to join the Liffey a few hundred yards below Cloghleagh Bridge. This little glen is 50 pretty that I would strongly recommend persons who are not disposed to reach it by the route described above, to do so by proceeding to The Lamb station on the Blessington tram line, from which it is distant about three miles. It can also be reached from Brittas, whence it is about a mile and a half farther. In either case the road should be asked to Cloghleagh Bridge, which is also well worth a visit.

Some years ago a hermit took up his abode in this glen above Cloghleagh Bridge, and lived in a small, roughly-fashioned hut on a precipitous bank overhanging the river.

The lane passing through the glen leads out on the main road, just beside the bridge, where we turn to the right to reach the Lamb or Brittas Station on the tram line. It should, however, be noted that at Kilbride glen the road to the right leads to Brittas, and that to the left to The Lamb.

On leaving Kilbride Camp, if it be decided to proceed by the road instead of the pathway to Cloghleagh, our route lies for about a mile across a boggy mountain tract to Ballyfolan, where the road, sweeping to the right, enters a grassy country - much tamer and less interesting in character than that through which we have passed. A little beyond this point on the roadside will be seen a massive stone cross bearing the inscription; -

I. N. R. I.
I. H. S.
P. B.
1804.

This monument was erected to mark the spot where a resident of this neighbourhood named Bealis lost his life in a snowstorm in 1804. He was riding at the time, and body horse and rider were overwhelmed in a deep snowdrift on the side of the road, where they were discovered stiff and lifeless next day by a rescue party.

The road gradually rising from this point, crosses a high ridge on the western slope of Butter Mountain, and passing for a considerable distance through a pine plantation, descends sharply into the valley, where it joins the road from Ballinascorney. To avoid a needless descent to the bottom of the valley, turn to the left through a gateway beside an unoccupied gate lodge, into an avenue of yews leading up to Talbotstown House - an old country residence, with extensive gardens and orchards, now in a somewhat neglected condition. This avenue leads out upon a by-road, passing through a boggy and sparsely inhabited district, and at length joins the Ballinascorney road about half a mile from Brittas Inn, an old-time hostelry accidentally burnt in 1911, but since rebuilt. At Brittas, which is the junction of the new and old Blessington roads, the old road will be observed extending away to the right over Tallaght Hill or Knockannavea.

About a mile and a half further, the pretty police barrack is reached which marks the summit of the picturesque Slade of Saggart, and from here cyclists have an easy journey home via Jobstown and Tallaght to either Dolphin's Barn or Terenure, according to the part of the suburbs to be reached.

Distances from G. P. 0.: - Bohernabreena, 8¼miles; highest point of road on Seechon, 12½ miles; Talbotstown, 16½ miles; Brittas, 18½ miles; G.P.O., 31 miles.