On Saturday, May 28th, an eagerly awaited Edmund Rice event took place. The Province Vocations Committee had been planning for some time a walk from Kilmacthomas to Clonea Strand in County Waterford, taking “Together in Mission” as the thme for the walk. It was also intended to signal our solidarity with refugees who currently are walking the dangerous migrations routes into Europe.
The people who came on the walk were from O’Connell Schools in Dublin, the Edmund Rice Heritage Centre in Waterford, the Cork Life Centre, Callan, Kilkenny and many others. It was a glorious day, one of the first inviting days of the Irish Summer.
With the support of Waterford County Council a Greenway from Kilmacthomas in County Waterford to Clonea Strand is being developed. Much of this route across the foothills of the Comeraghs and the River Mahon is already in place. Only the section from Kilmacthomas which follows the bed of the old Dungarvan to Wateford railway line is still far from complete. Work is continuing on this section.
The route takes one across some of the best farmland in Ireland with views towards the Comeragh Mountains and towards the end of the walk, the Irish Sea. Clonea Strand is a beautiful location which attracts people not only from Waterford but also from as far away as Cork City. It is a coast studded with wonderful coves and sandy beaches.
The area itself has been hallowed by ancient Irish saints such as Saint Declan, the patron saint of Waterford, whose church and monastic enclosure is at nearby Ardmore. A perfectly preserved round tower is a feature of this outstanding locatin.
The walk was completed in Mount Sion in Wateford with a shared reflection led by Dr Phil Brennan of the Romero Institute, which is based in the Edmund Rice Heritage Centre.
The walk was organised by Brother Phil Ryan, the Vocations Coordinator and Manager of the Edmund Rice Heritage Centre at Mount Sion.
Clonea Walk from Donal Leader on Vimeo.
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