Welcome from the Con. Gen Chair
Riverwalk
10 Visionaries of the 90's (contd)
Window on the World
Issue 1
Walk by the River Shannon
By Mikael Fernström
One of the most exciting and beautiful experiences you can have while at UL is to go for a walk by the river Shannon. The best entry point is to go down to the river is by the Sports building (18 on the campus map). From there you can either choose upstream (right) or downstream (left). If you go downstream you can walk all the way to Limerick City, c. 1-hour walk. Also downstream, after 5 minutes walk, you have a footbridge (the Black Bridge) that takes you to the County Clare side of the river. The ruin nearby is Plassey Mill, built in 1824.
Upstream, you get to the mouth of the river Mulcair, (unless you negotiate the old Pipe Bridge at your own risk). Before the Mulcair you pass the ruins of the actual Castle Troy, also known as the Black Castle (c. 20 minutes walk).
There’s an interesting story about Castle Troy…. It’s haunted! It was built during the reign of Henry III (1216-1272) by the O’Briens clan. Some years later it was the seat of the MacKeoghs who were often in conflict with their neighbours. MacKeogh had a beautiful daughter whose hand was sought in marriage by another local chieftain but she didn’t want to marry him. It was a warm summer’s night and the sentinels were dozing. The chieftain and his men attacked the castle to abduct the maid. They rushed up the spiral staircase and grabbed the maiden, but before they could make their escape MacKeogh and his men rushed to up the stairs to rescue. After a short fight the thief lay dead but also the lovely girl was dead too, a spear from her father’s men thrust through her heart. It is said that even today, the night faring fisherman sometimes hears her screams of death ringing out from the castle.
All along the Shannon there are ample opportunity to see herons, swans, kingfishers and many other birds. Sometimes you see the salmon jumping. There are a multitude of plants and herbs growing along the riverbank, for example wild garlic and black mint. If you explore the local flora, just be careful with the Giant Hogweed, it can cause serious blisters on the skin.
The plant, a native of the Caucacus mountains in southern Asia, was introduced to large gardens and estates circa 1893 where it was used for its bold architectural form and from where it escaped into the wild. Each plant produces 5000 or more seeds resulting in steady colonisation of new areas mainly via water courses. It is a member of the Parsley/Carrot family (Umbelliferae). Again, because of severe skin reactions associated with its sap, care should be taken to avoid contact with the plant.
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Caroline Kehoe