Anyone know of any old "Mass Paths" in Carlow county?

Fighting Irish

I can't seem to find any online, anyone know of any?

Super-Rush

There is one we used to take back in the late 80's that my parents and grandparents used to take to Drumphea church.

Looking at it now it would be quicker to stick to the road.

Carlow2011

There's one out at the long mile in Palatine that passes through that new estate Limegrove

foggy_lad

Fr Pender’s Church & Well at Dunleckney,

http://glasnost.itcarlow.ie/~feeleyjm/archaeology/10-knocknacorrah.pdf

This link describes a walk which uses part of an old mass path from Arles church,

http://www.laoistourism.ie/lieve-margy-way-and-the-swan-loop.html

C) Take the next right down a laneway, later left along a track and follow through the fields to enter the village of Arles through the Church grounds.
Arles – the Verdant or Fortified Hill. The local Norman Family, the Grace’s, built the Church of the Sacred Heart (1866). The famous architect Pugin designed the Church. The Grace family owned the land on which the American Empire State Building stands. William Russell Grace founded W.R.Grace & Company (1854) and was the first Catholic Mayor of New York. In 1885 he accepted the Stature of
Liberty from the French on behalf of the American people. The graveyard contains a fine mausoleum to the Grace Family.


D) Cross the road, follow along the old mass path, climb uphill through the fields before descending along a laneway to a tarred road and turn left. On the route of the mass path is St. Abban’s Holy Well (650 A.D.), a place of local pilgrimage. The path rises up to Maidenhead, where in 1650 Cromwell’s army is reputed to have camped. Nearby in Castletown Church, Cromwell’s officers stabled their horses.

Cobs

Foggy_Lad would you mind tell me where you got his info from as I have heard about this before and would like to do some research on this.

madmaggie

There is a mass path at the top of Newtown Hill, at the junction of the three roads there. The entrance is a gate beside the bungalow. It goes through a field, the forestry, and exits on the Clooneen/Ballytarsna road.

paddysdream

madmaggie wrote: »

There is a mass path at the top of Newtown Hill, at the junction of the three roads there. The entrance is a gate beside the bungalow. It goes through a field, the forestry, and exits on the Clooneen/Ballytarsna road.

That particular one caused a bit of a stir in the 1960s !!

madmaggie

Not aware of that, paddysdream. Any idea what happened? I just heard it referred to as 'the Mass Path'.

paddysdream

madmaggie wrote: »

Not aware of that, paddysdream. Any idea what happened? I just heard it referred to as 'the Mass Path'.

There was a dispute between the owners of the land through which it passed and the people using it.Made the papers(local and I think national).

Have a photo somewhere at home from the paper of all the people gathered outside Newtown Church with their forks and shovels after clearing it. Think it all fizzelled out in the end.Most if not all of the people involved would be dead now.

If you want any more detail then pm me as some people have long memories!!Are you local?

ps All this happened long before I was born!

madmaggie

Thanks, the 'good old days'? No, not local, but have a friend living near the path.

doughef

Hi all

Possibly a stoopid question,..

but my understanding of mass paths are paths people used to get to mass during penal times when it was against the law to attend mass and it was celebrated in woods / secluded areas?

And I thought I had it bad getting dragged out of the bed every Sunday morning

foggy_lad

doughef wrote: »

Hi all

Possibly a stoopid question,..

but my understanding of mass paths are paths people used to get to mass during penal times when it was against the law to attend mass and it was celebrated in woods / secluded areas?

And I thought I had it bad getting dragged out of the bed every Sunday morning

They were more like short cuts through fields etc which people would take to their nearest church as in rural areas taking the road route could add miles to the trip. Many also passed by local grottos and holy wells which many peole would walk to in procession on holy days throughout the year, an example would be first holy communion recipients would have a procession to the local Marion grotto.

doughef

foggy_lad wrote: »

They were more like short cuts through fields etc which people would take to their nearest church as in rural areas taking the road route could add miles to the trip. Many also passed by local grottos and holy wells which many peole would walk to in procession on holy days throughout the year, an example would be first holy communion recipients would have a procession to the local Marion grotto.

Thanks for that

foggy_lad

Many rural parishes still have a yearly communion procession to the Marion grotto, or walks to local mass rocks or holy wells for novenas or other holy occasions.