I set off one day to visit an investment of mine West of the Shannon. As a senior citizen, it’s great to get free travel on the Irish rail network. It’s my favourite form of travel for many reasons, including not getting travel sickness when I’m reading on board! These days, the great majority of train travellers are on their mobile phones and much less readers. I see nobody reading a physical paper, which is worrying for the newspaper industry. Irish Rail have now introduced open-plan carriages to their inter-city routes which means more  bikes can be accommodated on trains. You don’t need to hook up your bike in a rack, which is good when travelling on a heavier electric bike.

As an environmentalist, I own a few casks in a zero-energy emissions distillery in Ahascragh, near Ballinasloe Co. Galway. It is the only distillery in the world run exclusively with renewable energy and heat pumps. I was travelling down to see my casks in the warehouse and to sample the spirit! They won’t be considered whiskey until they are 3 years in storage. The old Ahascragh mill alongside the Bunowen River (tributary of the Suck) dates back to the early 1800s, and up until the 1950s processed grain into flour. Located in the heart of the village and steeped in history, the mill complex remained derelict for the past 60 years. They have done a great job in restoring the old building to house a modern distillery.

The round trip in rural Co. Galway from Ballinasloe train station to Ahascragh is 30k. Again, I found a lot of traffic went too fast and many of the cars were big models. I always wonder about the speed: what is the rush to get from A to B? Like me on my bike, can people not slow down and enjoy the countryside on their journey? Many pedestrians and cyclists are being killed and injured on Irish roads – we need to go at a slower pace. In the 25km. countryside journey, I only passed 1 cyclist, 2 pedestrians and 1 runner. I didn’t spot any public transport, so everybody else was charging around in their vehicles.   I noticed anti-dumping signs along the road, but unfortunately I spotted a lot of household and general rubbish in the ditches. I benefited by bringing home 4 bottles and cans for 60c credit!

I couldn’t help noticing the extent of one-off houses on my journey and the size and curtilage of them. The contrast with the dereliction in the town was striking. Many houses and businesses were boarded up or falling into decay. Why do people prefer to live in the countryside and not in the town? One-off houses are not sustainable on many levels and is accelerating the demise of urban spaces in rural Ireland. The extent of lawns and minimisation of hedgerows was striking. Quite a few gardens had robotic lawn mowers at the ready. It would be good to see more re-wilding and nurturing of existing hedgerows in rural gardens. In Ahascragh, I called into St Cuan's, the local church, as I do on my trips, to get some quiet time. I noticed that the east window looked like a Harry Clarke work. The parish priest, who was in the church when I called, said that it’s from his studio and that Clarke visited the church during it’s installation.

On this rural outing, the extent of tree damage caused by recent storms Darren & Eowyn was striking. Large trees were totally uprooted and lying on their side. The impact of climate change is being felt now, and will only get worse unless we reduce carbon emissions immediately. However, the birdlife was considerable and birdsong voluble.

Then back on the train to Dublin and to finish my book on the history of my local area – Crumlin, Kimmage and Dolphins Barn. From the train elevation, I noticed all the new houses being built without chimneys and the number of solar panels on roofs was impressive. It’s on my list of things to do when I get home!

By An Taisce member Eric Conroy — May 2025