Working, Living & Travelling In Ireland

Category: General

Are you due a refund from Revenue.ie ?
If you are reading this in January you are probably trying to figure out if there are ways to help you get over a super long month … maybe you are due a refund from revenue.ie ? Or maybe you are reading this and you are new to the Irish PAYE system, or maybe you have never claimed before and you have decided to up your game a little( yes, a deposit for your dream holiday could be on the cards!!)

Looking for Cycle Trails in South Galway, check out the loops I have documented so far here !

I recently did my ITR (Income Tax Return) on-line, and was pleasantly surprised I was due a refund from revenue.ie! The good part was, it was quite easy and it took only 3 days to get the refund from revenue.ie in my account.Read on to find out if you are due a refund from revenue.ie by doing your Income Tax returns ( ITR) online for the previous year(s). I say years as if you have never done an Income Tax Return before ,you can go back 4 years. Hurray 🙂 Wouldn’t be nice to get a refund from revenue.ie ?

Groundwork to do before you start the refund claim process

I know, you are itching to press buttons who doesn’t want to find out if they are due a refund from revenue.ie … let’s get organized 🙂 Before you even start registering, to find out if you are due a refund from Irish Revenue, I would do the following groundwork!

Start collecting all your bills :

->>Medical bills ( Doctor’s bill and health Insurance bills) , Tuition charges, nursing charges and if you are working remotely, your Broadband and Energy bills

>>Put them in a physical folder and take a picture of them if you haven’t got them electronically already.

->> If you are all new to this, I would recommend you start an online bills folder in Google Photos or any other solution such as DropBox or Microsoft One Drive.

TIP : I use Google Photos a lot, and as soon as I take a picture, it gets uploaded to my Google Photos account. To find out how to set that up on your phone, click here and select Android or Iphone. Once you have the picture, you will then be able to upload it to the Receipt Tracker on revenue.ie and any other places you may need to receipt to claim a refund.

Luckily these days many of the bills already come in electric format, so it’s just a matter then to download the document so you can then upload it on the revenue.ie website, so you can claim your refund. Particularly for medical bills, you may need to upload it multiple times to claim a refund, more about that later.

So where do you start to find out if you are due a refund from Irish Revenue?

Register at revenue.ie – Check out this video

There are a number of videos on their Youtube Channel that will help you to find out if you are due a refund from Irish Revenue and detailed instructions for various situations.

Select to do your Income Tax return ( Automatic)

If you haven’t claimed for 2021/2020 yet, you’ll see an option in the portal that offers you an automatic calculation of your Tax Return, based on the details they already know such as your salary and your tax credits. (not including medical expenses)

Did you know :
- If due to covid ( or any other reason), you were unemployed in 2020/2021 and got a new job since, you are very likely due a refund from revenue.ie The reason is that the monthly tax-free allowance assumes you work the full year. If therefore you only worked 20%, you are due a prorated refund from revenue.ie Keep on reading to find out how you can increase your refund.
- If you were so lucky to get married in 2021, you may well be due a refund too from revenue.ie ( more holiday money 🙂
Check out this video that gives you all the steps !

Have you Checked your Tax Credits, Reliefs and Exemptions.

There are all kinds of ways to reduce your tax bill through a tax credit, a relief and an exemption. The explanation of each can be found here. To find out what you can claim for, check out this article.

Have you added all our Health/Medical Expenses, you may well be due a refund from revenue.ie

In the past, claiming health expenses involved a cumbersome process of filling in a Med1 form you had to return by Post. A new feature has been added recently for Health expenses! They can be claimed now through your Income Tax (IT) return, making it that much easier to get a refund from Irish Revenue, using the Receipt tracker. Check out below video on how to use the new receipt tracker .

Find out about Health Insurance Premiums that either you or your employer pay and the reliefs where available. Particularly when your employer pays your health insurance, you may not be aware that you can claim a tax relief, as you are getting taxed at source for receiving this Benefit in Kind. You’ll need to go quite detailed and specify the contribution that is made per member of your family, all to be found in the policy of your Health Insurance Provider. Health insurance can run into a few thousand euros a year, so it’s worth doing it.

Don’t forget, If you have been/are going to the doctor, ask for a receipt. This receipt will come in handy when you do your Income Tax Return, regardless of whether you have health insurance or not. I say doctor, but there are many other health expenses that qualify, check out this article for more details.

Question : My employer pays for my health Insurance, and I have a consultant’s receipt for 150 Euros. I uploaded it with my insurer and they paid me 75 Euros. What do I do next?

Answer : Use the same receipt, upload it on the receipt tracker on the website of revenue.ie Add a new claim by clicking on “manage your Tax 2022” >Add a new Credit > health >expand all >Select Health Expenses >> enter Gross relief( total amount you paid) >> Add your receipt.

You will then come to a screen where you can specify the total amount, amount claimed elsewhere and the amount you wish to claim for. It is in that box you enter ( in this example) 75 Euros.

Nursing care expenses to consider

If you or your spouse or civil partner need nursing home care, there are schemes you can apply for.

Nursing Home Expenses Relief You can claim tax relief on the nursing home expenses you pay for.
- Nursing Home (Fair Deal) Loan Scheme : The Nursing Home, or Fair Deal Loan Scheme is run by the Health Service Executive (HSE). The scheme offers financial support to people who need long-term nursing home care. See the Nursing home (Fair Deal) Loan Scheme section for more information.
- Exemption relating to medical expenses of incapacitated persons : You may be permanently incapacitated due to physical or mental illness. If you are, any gift or inheritance you receive to pay your medical expenses is exempt from Gift and Inheritance Tax. This can include the cost of your nursing home care.
You can learn more about this exemption in Exemption for qualifying expenses related to physical or intellectual disability.

Are you availing of (all) Flat Rate Expenses ?

Do take a look at the Flat Rate Expenses you may qualify for a flat rate expense that increases your tax credit. Whether you are a teacher, a radiographer, a shop assistant, a plumber/welder, a member of the philharmonic orchestra, nearly all hotel-related jobs, your job is associated with a flat rate expense you can apply for.

Remote Working Relief ( E-Working), you may well be due a refund from revenue.ie

Some employers pay their remote employees a daily amount. This is however not a benefit an employer has to pay. It’s worth to enquire with the HR Department if your company offers this “additional” benefit.

For all other remote employees, you can claim a percentage for broadband and energy expenses.

Until recently, you could only claim at the end of the year, and as the amounts are low, it was a big effort to collect all the bills and upload them. So really, a pain in the neck if you ask me.

Fast forward to 2022 and there are a few changes… the energy percentage was only 10%, this has been increased to 30% in budget 2022. With rising energy costs, this is one to keep in mind. You can upload your bills as you get them in the receipt tracker in your account ( The app has been deactivated) and the credit gets applied instantly ( so you will see a small increase in your salary) aka “ Instant Credits” Or see it as a small bonus you’ll get in January if you do your tax return then, the choice is yours 🙂

Education : Tuition charges

Are you upskilling by learning a foreign language or improving your IT skills?
- You will receive relief at the standard rate of tax, 20%. Relief is available for the cost of courses where the fees cost between €315 and €1,270.
- The list of Approved foreign language courses and providers contains all of the approved foreign language courses.
- The list of Approved information technology courses and providers contains all of the approved information technology (IT) courses.
Tuition fees paid 3rd level education

Follow this link to find out how you can claim and approved courses and colleges

You can claim tax relief on qualifying fees (including the student contribution) that you have paid for third level education courses. The qualifying fees must be paid for an approved course at an approved college.

The maximum amount you can claim is €7,000 per course, per person, per academic year.

Each claim is subject to a single disregard amount of €3,000 or €1,500 each tax year.

The first €3,000 is disregarded for of a full-time student or €1,500 for of a part-time student. If you have paid fees for more that one student, this disregard amount will only be deducted from your claim once.

Good luck doing your tax returns, and hope you are getting a refund!

Katleen
April 3, 2022
My 2021 in review
This is a long blogpost with my 2021 in review

January : #100daysofcycling & #Keepwell and #KeepActive

#100daysofcycling

With the 2nd(!) lockdown announced just before the new year, I really needed something to keep me going, and started my #100daysofcycling in January. I saw it through and saw amazing places. And I stayed sane..this then motivated me to explore further… once the lockdown was eased, I couldn’t wait to go explore.. All I remember are bright sunny days and incredible landscapes- oh- I want to go back!! To check out the places I visited, click here.

#Keepwell and #KeepActive

Galway Sports Partnership organized this exciting programme – I became the leader for the Peterswell/Gort Community and combined cycling with walking every day!

February : #RedRoute5

Back in January 2021, I saw a Bridge that Gap posted a note on Facebook that there was a public consultation to get feedback from the public to connect Athlone with Galway by means of Greenway/Cycleway.

Announcement Public Consultation

When I saw the map, I noticed that one of the proposed routes, the Red Route ( because it was coloured red), was routed via Gort. I admit when I saw that, If had been on a bike, I would have fallen off it. But then I started to dream …..

Back in 2019 I cycled a lovely, safe route from Gort to Coolepark, I wrote about it here, and called it the #GortMiniGreenway – if we can have a Mini- Greenway, why not have a REAL Greenway

It was clear to me this was not an obvious choice, as all the other routes pretty much go via the middle of the country, some of them via old railway lines, and it was also the longest option, and there was also the added confusion with the yellow corridor… so we were outliers.

I recommend you read Malcolm Gladwell’s Book Outliers: the Story of Success ( Affiliate link)

The other communities had campaigned before, and as this outlier would be pretty much a Virgin Greenway ( as in not using previously made infrastructure) it nearly had a holy meaning to it all.

Still, having been part of the community here in South Galway for almost 20 years, there is an immense beauty, heritage, history, music and major potential for the development of the area and there are strong community groups! Rural regeneration must be prioritized before communities die( I hate to use that word, but the reality is that services in most of the smaller villages have been phased out with post offices and local shops closing and public transport tailed back) so except for the fact that people still live there, it has an eerie feeling at times.. ( sorry for the negativity here).

There is however the lifestyle factor, people wanting to exercise, get fit, and learn and explore their area — cycling and walking is ideal for that. Also, Failte Ireland seems to think this, and there is this massive shift from a far more experience bases experience, connected with places… and their people …

This time the development would have to be of a different nature, as constructing a huge factory up the Aughty Mountains just isn’t going to work is it.. So what else is there???

I guess I don’t have all the answers, but clearly Slow Tourism, sustainable tourism is high on the agenda of many.

For the next 6 weeks, we campaigned to create awareness of the opportunity/potential of the Greenway to come via South and East Galway.

Looking back ( as at the time it was all very agile as they say) 🙂
1. I organized a zoom call with the 5 local councillors to formulate our plan to promote and advocate this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of investment in our region and to ask for their buy-in
2. Set up a meeting with the project office, to understand what their priorities were and the scorecard used
3. Set up a FB Group ( not a page)
4. Set up a Free Website
5. Set up Twitter/Instagram
6. Agree on a few # to use #RedRoute5 #RedRouteCycleWay and later on #Route5IsAlive
7. Engage with the community, their leaders , groups, Schools and not to forget, Businesses
When I say “we”, there were a few drivers ( and a lot of supporters!!!!) that decided to give this a go and pull out all stops to have a go at this opportunity – sure, what’s six weeks …

David Murray, who has done/is doing tremendous work on various local projects, including South Galway Vision, South Galway Floods Bio Gas Plan, and the very exciting Gort River Walk. He has long been involved with projects to do with water and rivers and has a large number of personal connections with farmers and locals in the area. His knowledge and expertise in this area, coupled with his ability to visualise and connect the proposed Greenway as a way to connect communities and other existing initiatives such as the Shannon Master Plan, really helped us to shape our vision. David created the website, added content, wrote blog posts and as the FB Group developed, added content that was being shared in the Facebook Group.

Katleen Bell-Bonjean ( Me), blogging on this website for 10 years, self-confessed social media addict, with an interest in business, enterprise. nature, tourism, and a newfound love for cycling. I set up a Facebook Group called Gort Cycle Trails to document Safe Cycle trails in the region of the Burren Lowlands. Languages are also my thing and have always worked in Pan European Enterprises, primarily looking after customers, using my languages( Dutch, French, German and English).I had been made redundant in November 2020, and had just successfully completed a Diploma in Digital Marketing. I had time, time I wouldn’t have now, as I recently started a new job:)

I looked after the Social Media Channels, created content and had a taste of what it must feel like to head up a fully-fledged social media campaign and also what it must feel like when you are canvassing ( for votes). The lockdown really limited our ability to really talk to people on the ground as the furthest we could travel was 5 km and there were Garda checkpoints in various places. Living where I live, this barely brings me to my nearest petrol station. I had brochures that were destined for Gort and Oranmore. To avoid the Garda checkpoints, I travelled from Gort via Kinvara and Ballinderreen to Kilcolgan, Clarinbridge and Oranmore. I was never so happy to make it to Oranmore where I handed over the brochures to Mairin O’Reilly from Bridge That Gap that would distribute them to some of the estates there. It gave me a taste of what it must feel when you are a fugitive.I called into as many businesses as possible and talked to anyone that was willing to listen. Though our Facebook group was hopping, people on the street that were not on Social Media had not heard about it or needed help to read the map with the 5 routes.

Karen O’Neill – Up until recently, I was volunteer secretary and Social media person at the Burren Lowland CLG, whose objectives are to make the region of the Burren Lowlands a better place to live, visit and work. During my time volunteering there I worked ( and still do) very closely with another gem of a person Karen O’Neill. Grassroots community activist and a master at connecting with so many people, built relationships, achieving a true shift in the region. Karen also loves cycling and took me on my earlier trips around Ardrahan. In 2019 Burren Lowlands was successful in applying for funding for an Enterprise Business developer, who recently opened the first Remote working, Covid proofed Enterprise hub in Gort called Forgeworks. Karen also drove the completion of the rejuvenation of the Gort Market Square. ( And other projects, Karen never runs out of ideas!!)

Our 5 local councillors supported our maverick campaign, and as the Facebook Group grew, people were adding stories and most importantly images of places, places that most of us, had never heard about before. There was a fervour in the area that I have never experienced, all rooting for the same aim…. Promoting the potential of the Greenway, which David Murray wrote about on our website here.

Some of the highlights for me were when Hilda O’Grady suggested we’d reach out to the schools in Gort and Kinvara. Northampton school did a great project on the Red Route.

An outdoor meeting in front of Sullivan’s hotel at the Gort Market Square that was only meant to be with 1 or 2 teachers, turned out in a much bigger event with several teachers, including the principal Brian Crossan, Aoife Lynskey Keane, Marian Gardiner and Clora Neilan with their Transition year students, all supporting the Red Route 5. I had asked Susanne Wunsch to call over to do one video. Suffice it to say Susanne did a few videos, below are just a few of them!

As the campaign grew to a close, Gort Community School produced this video – I loved it . For some reason I can’t embed it, you can check it out here!

The last few days were exhausting, I created lot’s of short videos, all encouraging people to submit their feedback…. It took me about 2 weeks to recover .. Was it worth it???

March & Dangerous driving

Now that I was really getting into exploring, I wanted to record where I was cycling. One of my sons had a GoPro ( he never used it) so I bought it off him and set off. I am glad to tell the tale, as I very nearly got killed. You can check out my article about how to report dangerous driving As a follow-up, I received an update in September that it was indeed a case of dangerous driving and awaiting court proceedings.

April-May-June-July

As there are 18 communities in the Burren Lowlands, I decided I’d go to each and find a loop I could cycle. I wasn’t disappointed. I found many… I started to document them, you can find them here. This was for me a profound experience and really took me to places I‘d seen on the #RedRoute5 such as Ballinderreen. Highlights were cycling from Corofin to Carron, Boston/Kilkeedy via Loughbunny and the Father Ted House, and a bit off the path, Tawin Island – seeing them for myself really made me realize what a beautiful area we really live in. ( written articles in progress) My only reservation was that it’s ONLY accessible by bike /or foot and large throngs of cars let alone coaches wouldn’t be viable.

I raised almost 1000 Euros for Cycle Against Suicide – a tribute to my funky anty Leen Bonjean in Belgium.

Gort Cycle Bus – Aoife Lynskey started an initiative for transition years to cycle from Ardrahan into Gort, I helped out as a marshal.

August – Visit to Belgium

Visiting my parents in Belgium in August, gave me the opportunity to cycle there with them, and see what the cycle infrastructure looks like ( and what e-bikes are all about). A few things jumped out for me… no one was wearing helmets or high Viz jacket, and it looked like everybody over 60 was given an Ebike( no, they weren’t), and only those under 18 were on a regular bike. Cycled a beautiful country route called Trappist route and had a beautiful day too.

Bike in front of trappists Abbey Westmalle

I then went cycling in Ypres, as a friend of mine had asked me about Ypres/Ieper. I didn’t plan this very well( haha) and just caught the train, arrived in Ieper, rented an electric bike for the first time, no maps, no nothing. I followed a marked cycle route ( see markers) for the Vredesroute – 45 km – amazing cycle – great weather — it was an especially fantastic ride, as I had just had my final Zoom interview and was told I was starting a new job in September and that I got funding to set up a #bikeweek event too — hurray – persistency finally paid off. Feast of famine.. when it rains, it pours!

Seeing those marked signs, I thought to myself, maybe I should get markers for ( some) of my loops too – so that is my next plan

Around the same time, I also heard I was accepted on the Cyceright Training course ( evening course with a practical over a weekend)

September : Bikeweek and Cycleright Training Course

Bikeweek takes place in September, 30 people registered, 40 people turned up – it was truly a fabulous day…. Cycling our #GortMiniGreenway reminded me …what if we would get a Greenway ….Check out the write up here.

Completed the CycleRight Training course and took part in weekend practical – I am still dreaming about look – signal – look

November – Cyclist.ie Executive committee

I put myself forward as a new member of the Cyclist.ie executive team, as the voice for rural cycling in South Galway. The AGM took place and I was elected. I really look forward to working with other cycle advocates around Ireland, so much to learn!

December

Cycling the Limerick Greenway

The Limerick Greenway is the nearest Greenway to us, so a few of us got together to check it out. It was a particularly frosty morning, but it was dry.. And it was sunny…Great experience altogether

Cycling on this perfectly smooth surface, with windmills in the background my mind went into overdrive… we could have such views too if we are successful with our #RedRoute. I’ll be setting up an event soon, if you’d like to cycle the LimerickGreenway with others, sign up is here.

Big News #RedRoute5

Oh yes..so this was brewing in the background – the announcement was due on the 8th – I had been following the press, but didn’t have any insights… and then on the 6th of December, seemingly news had been leaked ahead of the “official “ announcement !! David Murray rang me to tell me that our route was chosen and I was sworn to secrecy… If I had been on my bike, I would have fallen off it. I was in disbelief… but also extremely ecstatic …. Omg …. We did it….

Within an hour of that conversation, the news was on Galway Bay FM. It was a Monday and poured myself a glass of wine to celebrate — when communities rally together, great results can be achieved! Check out the Blog article on our website for more detail!

Toasting to Red Route Preferential Corridor

The following day Galway County Councillor were briefed and announcements were made – Congratulations poured in… there were also many, many disappointed communities .. their disappointment was palpable. Really, all those proposed Greenways should be built( where possible) and serious investment and engineering is needed to once and for all have segregated cycle lanes — I am hopeful this will be the impetus for Galway County Council to really seize the day and do just that! I have always wondered if I have done anything to contribute to the next generation – my mind is at rest!

#GortChristmasCycle

Having attended the #OranmoreChristmasCycle, I thought, why not set one up in Gort. So I set up #GortChristmasCycle via Eventbrite.. Sullivans Hotel sponsored hot drinks. I thought there would be a good turnout..I hadn’t expected 143!! People to join… also that day, blue skies and not a drop of rain… I will be forever grateful to Nadine Reichel for taking pictures, Karen and Sean for locating a Santa Costume and the many people that turned up and the marshals that helped out to.

On another note, we had planned to celebrate Christmas in Belgium- It’s been 6 years since we celebrated Christmas there…. Flights were booked… Coronavirus levels were so high again, and as my parents are turning 80 next year, we decided not to go to at Christmas and stay home instead. It’s all a bit blurry, but managed to watch 8 episodes of #MarriedatFirstsightAustralia. I have learnt that even when the “professionals” match you with your perfect partner, they get it wrong…. Before starting to watch episode 9, I Googled to find out about a few of the couples ( that I thought were getting on mighty), and found out it hadn’t worked out, so I didn’t watch the other episodes

It was my big birthday at the end of the year … it wasn’t the tuxedo party with bluegrass music and champagne I have been dreaming about – I am hopeful there will be a time in 2022 to have a garden party to do just that!

Thank you for reading & happy, healthy 2022!

XXX

Katleen

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January 3, 2022
Visit to CastleTaylor Woodland near Ardrahan

Where is CastleTaylor Woodland?

Today’s blogpost is taking you for a visit to CastleTaylor Woodland near Adrahan. Join my Facegroup group here! CasteTaylor Woodland is situated on a road locally known as the ” Dark Road”. It’s indeed a dark road as you can see due to the number of trees on the road.

Castletaylor Woodlands is located off the R347 road north of Ardrahan village in Co Galway. The Woods themselves are in Adrahan, the road, which is quite long, brings you ultimately to Kilcolgan!

Here is a map that will help you find it. Click on the +/- sign on the bottom left to zoom in/zoom out.

It’s also on this road ( on the Adrahan side) you’ll find the Adrahan Pumpkin Patch and an impressive ruin of the estate of the Taylors. If you are into history, I recommend you read a book called” Tracing the Taylor’s of Kilchreest ” written by Gerry Kearney and available in local shops and online.

Funny enough I did know about the “Dark Road” but had never noticed the board for CastleTaylor Woodland. It was only when a friend of mine that lives near took me for a walk, I had the opportunity to explore it. I’ll have to return on my bike, and map another loop. Check out the loops I have mapped so far.

Picture of the board at CastleTaylor Woodland

Where to park at CastleTaylor Woodland

There are a few places you can park, the main place to park has an information board. The other places to park are smaller and don’t have a barrier.

The terrain at CastleTaylor Woods

The terrain at CastleTaylor Woods can be a bit rough, and it requires climbing some stones/walls, some of the paths can be muddy ( I walked it late October) so not suitable for buggies. It is a great place to take your dog for a walk and have a run in the woods! It’s also very much a great example of forest bathing – immersing yourself in nature, I highly recommend it!

Things to see at the CastleTaylor Woods

CastleTaylor Woods with its narrow lanes brings you deep into dense woods yet there are also some open spaces.

In the past, conifers and beech have been planted on the deeper soils overlying the limestone and these plantations have suppressed the native limestone flora. CastleTaylor Woods is part of a Coilte Project to restore priority woodland habitats. The restoration techniques within the project will be managed to allow for the natural regeneration of the native tree species such as ash, yew, holly and spindle. The bulk of the activity will involve removal of the non-native trees and invasive shrubs, securing the site and the manual planting of yew.

The limestone in this area is clint-gryke type ( the type you’ll also find in the upper Burren) and is largely undisturbed pavement with small pockets of limestone grassland and heath, dense scrub, and woodland. The diversity of species include blue moor grass (Sesleria Albicans), bloody cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum), devil’s bit scabious (Succisa pratensis), wood sage (Teucrium scorodonia), burnet rose (Rosa pimpinellifolia), and wild thyme (Thymus praecox). There are also ferns, bracken, mosses and orchids present. Juniper and mountain avens are common. The hazel is encroaching throughout the project site and stands of ash have developed among the diverse plant community. There are examples of blackthorn, whitethorn, rowan, spindle and whitebeam on the site.

Walks to do at CastleTaylor Woods

At the moment, there are no signposts in the CastleTaylor Woodland, so you are guided by the paths that other walkers have walked. i recommend you walk it with someone who has walked it before to guide you. The walk I did was a circular walk, where I walked back via the dark road. This walk was 2.6 km and it took me 46 minutes.

Halloween approaching, there was a lot of Halloween decoration, this was just one of the many decorations on the dark road!

The horse on top of the Sluice Valve definitely caught my eye!

My friend mentioned there is a way to do an 8 shaped walk so I’ll have to go back to figure out how to do that one!

If you are looking for other loops you can do on your bike or by foot, check out my ever-growing list!

PS. I am currently doing a fundraiser for Gort Cancer Care, Donations can be made via my Facebook Fundraiser!

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October 27, 2021
Custom Charges with An Post

Custom Charges

How are you all keeping?? It’s been a long 18 months since Covid hit us! Remember Brexit ??? Yup, that’s still going on as well, and with that, all those pesky scam calls and texts( how did they get my details, who made a fast buck with my details!!)

So far I hadn’t gotten stung with an unexpected bill. This changed the other day when I received a postcard from An Post letting me know there were Custom charges to be paid on a parcel – not a text message, not a phone call.

It took me a while to figure out what it was I had ordered, and then I finally remembered, it was a photobook. I have ordered from them before, so was a bit surprised that I had to pay these charges. Anyway, I paid up online as I was quite proud I had succeeded to make a photo album of our yearly InishBofin Trip.

Picture of Photobook

I wrote them a little message to let them know I hadn’t quite expected the “extra” charges. They were apologetic and refunded the extra charges.

What did I learn?

Ignore all those pesky text messages- don’t respond to them, simply delete or even better block the sender. If it’s coming by regular post, you’ll get a postcard with the bad news – it will have details on how to pay, and once paid, you’ll get your parcel.

If you hadn’t expected these custom charges, drop an email to the company, many companies are still implementing the new rules or An Post is still catching up getting the right rules in place.

Greetings from Peterswell,

Katleen

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October 19, 2021
Visit to the WildAtlanticSeaWeedBaths

Hi all,

Today’s post is about our visit to the WildAtlanticSeaWeedbaths!

If you are looking for Gort Cycle Trails, check out this link, with loops I have mapped in the Burren Lowlands.

We drove out to NewTownLynch Pier in Kinvara on Saturday– instructions below. It was a most beautiful day!

If you are familiar with Traught Beach, you’ll be heading the same way, until there is a fork, just before the Travellers’ rest. Take the left fork and keep to your right, until you come to a bend. Take the (small) road to the right, that brings you to the Pier.

Tell me more about WildAtlanticSeaWeedBaths

It’s a mobile business that sets up around the Western SeaBoard, check out the WildAtlanticSeaWeedBaths website here. They use Whiskey barrels also referred to as baths and fill them with lovely heated Ocean water, seaweed is added. A real treat to your skin and your mind!

How to arrange WildatlanticSeaWeedBaths

As this is a mobile business, you’ll have to join their email /text message service here or follow their social media pages here Facebook Instragram , where they advise where they are setting up next. Spots go every quickly – so once you get a notification, I recommend you act fast to secure your spot!

Okay, how much does a visit to the WildAltanticSeaWeedBaths cost?

It’s 40 Euros for one person, to be paid online. If there is a second person, you can pay an additional 20 Euros cash. Yes, two people fit in the barrel. More info here

How long is the visit to the WildAtlanticSeaWeedBaths?

Each visit is 1 hour – if the water in the whiskey barrel cools town, you can ask for a top up!

What to bring for your visit to the WildAtlanticSeaWeedBaths

The day we visited, the weather was dry and wind still, so all we needed to bring was a towel and a swimsuit. A while back we also went for a visit to the WildAtlanticSeaWeedbaths. It was one hell of a windy, cold day.. some people obviously had done this before and had brought a dressing gown and a hat! So it all depends on the weather really:)

Would you recommend a visit to the WildAtlanticSeaWeedBaths

Yes! Absolutely! It’s such a treat, overlooking beautiful scenery, immersed in hot water.. you really don’t want to leave. It would also make a great gift as it’s quite a unique experience! I am already planning our next trip!

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October 17, 2021
Stay Active & Proposed Red Route 5 Cycleway

Stay Active

With another lockdown confirmed late in December, I decided on January 1st to do #100DaysofCycling and #100DaysOfWalking to stay active! I am at #Day31 today, and walked part of the #GortRiverWalk – It was bitterly cold! So far I haven’t missed a day! Join the Gort Cycle Trails Group on FB, Twitter or Instagram to see my daily posts!

Visit to #GortRiverWalk on #Day31 of staying active

Shortly after starting, I Joined the Galway Sports Partnership Initiative to #KeepWell and #StayActive and exercise 100 km in 6 weeks. I am heading up the Gort/Peterswell Group with about 30 of us, and we stay in touch via Whatsapp. I really wish we could meet as there are still so many places I’d like to explore with people that know their neighbourhood. I made this video at the start!

There are some very active members who have clocked up over 300 km in 3 weeks!! It’s on days like this if someone posts a picture that motivates you to get out.. Once you are out, you glad you did .. just getting out of that warm bed/house can be challenging.. You can still join here – there are a few taster sessions coming up for Tai Chi, Yoga, Mindfulness, healthy eating. I had not bought into the “Exercise-via-Zoom” in previous lockdowns, so I was rather pleased taking part in taster sessions of Yoga and Tai Chi. Yes, I would recommend it and think of taking up Tai Chi.

Gort’s Mini- Greenway & Proposed Red Route 5 Cycle Way

Gort’s Mini-Greenway

About 2 years ago, I wrote an article about a newly discovered route I called the Gort’s Mini-Greenway, connecting Gort Town to Coole Park via a safe Cycle /Walking route. Since that Cycle, I have done a lot more exploring, and have started to document a number of cycle Trails and loops and set up a Facebook Group called Gort Cycle trails – come and say hello.

Red Route 5 Cycle Way

On the 25th of January, the 5 proposed routes for the Greenway from Galway to Athlone were announced, below is a map of the Red Route 5 Cycle.

Image of Proposed Red route 5 Cycleway

A few of us got together and set up a Facebook Group called Red Route Cycle Way to create awareness with the local population, community groups and request feedback via the on-line form. You can also set up a call with the project office for a virtual call, and ask any questions you may have.

Check out this video by Councillor PJ Murphy who has done trojan work with the Kilchreest/CastleDaly Community Develop who brought the proposal to the Project team! Thanks for sharing this fantastic video!

David Murray wrote a very interesting, in-depth article about what a Greenway is and what it can mean to a local, rural economy, check out the article here. I particularly love this image!

Route Map Interactive Map On-Line Submissions Red Route Cycleway Facebook Group Want to get involved? Email burrenlowlands@gmail.com

#RedRouteCycleWay

Let’s bring the Greenway to South Galway to connect the whole region and visitors will be awed by what the region has to offer!

Katleen

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February 1, 2021
Do you remember who shot JR Ewing?
Hello world,

Who shot JR Ewing?? I will come to that in a minute. To keep myself sane, and with the fabulous weather ( aren’t we just so lucky), I , like everybody else in the country, decided it was high time to give some much-needed love to picket fence. I had started the project two weeks ago, but had to stop, as the pain that I had was not the same colour.

When you realize the second bucket of paint you have is no quite the same colour

Luckily the paint shops have re-opened, so more paint was bought with a local paint supplier to continue the mission.The idea was also that the nocturnals teens might join in, so they could earn some pocket money.

Now you might ask yourself, what is the link between the picket fence and the phrase “ who shot JR Ewing? Who the hell is JR Ewing? Read on to find out:)

Some of you ( of a certain vintage) will remember the series set in the 80’s called “Dallas”. Dallas was this American prime time television soap opera that was on TV around the world from April 2, 1978, to May 3, 1991( amazing it ran for 13 years!) The series revolved around a wealthy and feuding Texas family, the Ewings, who own the independent oil company Ewing Oil and the cattle-ranching land of Southfork.

My stereotype of Texans was set, they all lived on a huge estate, drank scotch and wore a Stetson( cowboy) hat. I was in Texas many years after and I could not understand why they were not all wearing a Stetson (cowboy) hat! JR Ewing ( also just knows as JR) was the baddy, and eventually, he was killed. As soaps go, we were kept guessing who killed him and eventually we found out…

When we bought our house 16 years ago, and seeing the long fence on both sides of the house, reminded me a little of the opening scene in Dallas where you saw this (much longer) range fence.

Now that the fence has been painted ( partially also thanks to the nocturnal teens), I made a little video, adding the tune of the Soap’s tune.
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Enjoy:)

Sending you sunny greetings from Galway…. And eh.. #stayhome #washyourhands #keepyourdistance

Katleen

PS Do you remember who shot JR? Click here to refresh your memory !

PPS If you like my musings, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

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April 26, 2020
Gort Railway Station 150th Anniversary 15th of September 1869-2019

Hi all,

Welcome to my blog! Today’s article is about the Gort Railway Station. The Railway Station was first opened in 1869, and as this year is 2019, it’s the 150th anniversary!

The track at Gort Railway Station

Station Road Gort

Entrance to Station Road

Sign for Gort Railway Station – it has been repointed:) since this pictures was taken!

Storage area

Detail of the Storage area

I volunteer at the Kiltartan Gregory Museum, and to learn more about Lady Gregory, Yeats, and local history, I read a book written by Sister DeLourdes Fahy called Kiltartan, many leaves one root. It was in that book I learnt about the Railway Station and some of its history.

When did it all start?

Quoting from the book : ( I typed it via Google Voice, instructions here) It all started when William Gregory M.P. and his friend, Sir Colman O’Louglin, M.P. for Clare had spoken for many years about the advantages of having a railway to link Ennis with Athenry. Eventually, the first sod of the Western Line was cut at Ballyline, six miles north of Ennis and by February 1864, £ 52,000 was spent. The earthworks on the Ennis -Gort section were well advanced but less has been executed between Gort and Athenry. The work was suspended, temporarily, in October 1866 because Munro, the contractor, claimed London financial Association Ltd withdrew facilities when he was three quarters way through the work it should not complain it was like a landlord on his tenant cutting green core. The work which was at a standstill for over a year was resumed with the aid of £20,000 government loan and the final £40,000 of £60,000 loan was received in 1868.

The main earthworks were situated at Corker and in the vicinity of Ardrahan and Athenry. Baldwin’s house had to be demolished because It lay in the projected path of the Railway and, consequently, the family was transferred to Caheravohanaun/Balllyaneen. The railway stations were built according to “Rigid Economy”.

I went to the Gort Library to find out if I was able to find articles/pictures about the official opening. I found some articles, but nothing specific about the actual opening. The librarian mentioned she knew the son of the last station master, so I gave her my number, in the hope he would contact me. More about that later:)

I then went to a Facebook group called Gort, Kilmacduagh, Peterswell & surroundings Genealogy,DNA & History with lot’s of helpful members that have access to other sources, and very quickly I had a number of articles!

Here is the job add for Traffic Superintendent – check out his wages!

Cost of a Ticket

I can’t quite decipher the fares, so I am using the info from Sister DeLourdes book that says that a first-class ticket from Ennis to Gort cost Three Shillings; a second class was two shillings and a third, and third-class one shilling, which was quite prohibitive when one considers that a labourer’s daily wage was seldom more than sixpence. The journey took one hour but a certain traveller complained that at a speed of 18 m.p.h. was “alarmingly” rapid 🙂

The Official opening in 1869

Prior to the official opening, Gort was privileged to have the then Lord Lieutenant and Countess Spencer use the railway line. They even stayed in Gort for the night at Lough Cutra with the Goughs. Reading the article, there were placards all over the town of Gort to spread the news of the opening of the Railway and the town was exceptionally well decorated. It looks like that 150 years later, nobody remembers the history of the railway line.

Newspaper Article describing the visit of the Lord Lieutenant and his Wife

Here is an image of John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer, don’t you just love his red beard!

Lord-Lieutenant Spencer

By John Charlton – BBC, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24738524

And his wife

Steam Train out of the Book : Gort Inse Guaire – a Journey through Time

Money trouble

After the bankruptcy of the first contractor, there were more money issues ahead. Another book I consulted is the Gort Inse Guaire – a journey through Time. This book talks about the three engines ( Drumconora, Lough Cutra and Gort), and how on several occasions (!) the bailiffs came to Gort to seize/impound the engines, as there were outstanding debts!

The Lawlor Station Masters

The first Station Master was Thomas Lawlor. Coincidentally, the last Station Master was also a Lawlor. During my research, I found an interview dated 1979 with the last Station Master, Martin Lawlor in the Guaire Magazine.

Article in Guaire Magazine with the last Station Master

But this was not the end…..

Reopening of the Railway Station in Gort in 2010

After a gap of more than thirty years, train services between the cities of Galway and Limerick commenced on Tuesday the 30 March 2010, on budget at a cost of €106.5m, a figure which included building new stations in Sixmilebridge and Oranmore. Check out this website with some fascinating images of some of the work that was done prior to the reopening.

The service provides five trains per day between Galway and Limerick. It serves existing stations at Limerick, Ennis, Athenry and Galway, as well as new stations at Sixmilebridge, Gort, Ardrahan and Craughwell. The Limerick to Galway service also feeds into expanded intercity services between Limerick and Dublin and between Galway and Dublin. Iarnród Éireann planned for both routes to gain hourly services at peak and two hourly off-peak, however recession ( at the time) has resulted in a delay, with some services withdrawn. I was hoping to get more info on the Transport21 program, but it looks like this website http://www.railusers.ie hasn’t been updated in a while:)

Gort Railway Station 2019

Fast forward to 2019, there no longer is a recession, and heading into Galway is serious gridlock, morning and evenings!! There has been a healthy uptake of the train, particularly for students who are commuting to the universities and colleges in Galway. There are also trips from Dublin to Galway on the super the luxe Belmond Grand Hibernian.

But yet again, there are talks to close the railway, as the Ennis to Gort part is not very much used. The Oranmore to Galway section, however, is the busiest section of all. Having travelled it myself, the trains are very packed, the car park is bursting out of its seams, and it really is the best way to travel into Galway city, where gridlock is rife.

Here is an article suggesting that busses would be much cheaper to run, and could possibly be ran more regularly. I think it would be interesting to do a study to find out if more trains are added at peak times going into Galway from Ennis/Gort, if people in South Galway would switch from using their car to using the train.

If anyone from Irish Rail is reading this, please do a trial! It may well turn out people are keen to avoid gridlock traffic. ( or maybe they don’t want to travel at all, and they just want to work from home, check out Grow remote!)

As for me, back to my lead, the librarian gave me – John Lawlor – the son of the last station Master! The librarian passed on my number, and we met at Sullivan’s in Gort.

John Lawlor

He tells me that his father was stationmaster in Ardrahan from 1957 to 1966. When the then station master in Gort – Jack Donovan – was promoted, his father requested a transfer to Gort. At the time both stations had the same status. The station house in Gort was less draughty and bigger, so it suited them better. Soon after his transfer, Ardrahan railway station was degraded. I was surprised to learn that until then, Ardrahan station was the largest station in Ireland transporting beet. This article describes the demise of the sugar industry in Ireland. Although not a recent article( 2016) may be a return of the sugar beet industry might be in sight?

As far John, he has stayed in the transport world and drives a mini-bus for the school run.

When I was talking to John, I realized I had never really seen the house at the Railway Station in Ardrahan, as it is a short stroll from the current platform. So I ventured out to have a look and had a lovely conversation with Marion who has been living at the house since the late eighties and made a great job to restore it! I even got a sneak peek inside:)

Ardrahan Station House

The original ticket window

Ladies Waiting area is now a cosy kitchen

View over the railway line

This is where the beet used to be loaded onto the wagons

Did you know you can order your tickets online these days? Did you also know that if you plan ahead, you can get yourself a return from Gort to Dublin for less than 40 Euros. Book your ticket online at www.irishrail.ie and collect them at any railway station!

Do you know where the Gort Railway Station is? Did you know it has ample free parking?

Gort Railway Station House

Did you know it even has an electric charger for cars?

When was the last time you used the train from Gort to Galway? If there were more regular trains, particularly in the morning, would you use the train? What do you think is a fair price for a one way/return ticket? I’d love to get your feedback!!

Thanks,

Katleen

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September 15, 2019
Walking the Flaggy Shore in NewQuay Co. Clare
Belated Happy New Year! If this is the first time you are visiting my blog, I have started to document cycles and walks in and around the Burren Lowlands. So far I have documented Gort’s mini Greenway, Gort’s Golden Mile, Mary’s walk in Peterswell. Full list can be found here.

** Interesting fact – this is the most visited page on my blog**

Join my Facebook Group Gort Cycling Trails and let me know if you cycled this trail, what you thought about it, and if there are other cycle trails or walking Trails that should be mapped in the #burrenlowlands

Walking the Flaggy Shore

This time I headed out to nearby Co. Clare to walk on the Flaggy Shore. If you like what you read, please share or why not follow me on Facebook.

Looking for a walk to clear your head, walk the 10 000 steps you had committed to in your new years resolution? Check out the below walk or cycle at the Flaggy Shore in Co. Clare

We are just back from a walk at the very popular Flaggy Shore in Co. Clare., bordering Co. Galway.

How to to get to the Flaggy Shore ?

To get to the Flaggy Shore, you’ll drive on the well established Wild Atlantic Way, passing through picturesque Kinvara.

When we were driving through Kinvara there were road resurfacing works going on. It just made me realize the roads are pretty narrow, especially with the tour buses. Drive carefully( and on the left!!)

The Flaggy Shore is one side of a small peninsula that stretches from the village of New Quay to Finvarra Point, and is one of the most northerly parts of County Clare. Famous for its limestone pavements and fossils that are embedded in the rock, including sculptured rocks along the shore called ‘Biokarst’. Backdrop of rising undulating landscape of the Burren Hills. The shore itself is most beautiful but what makes the Flaggy Shore so distinctive is, wonderful the views to the west and north to Galway Bay and the mountains beyond.

It’s about an hour’s drive from Galway city, 90 minutes from Shannon airport and a 4 hour’s drive from Dublin. All I can say, it’s worth it!
It has been a while since we were here last, so it was great to see the new signs for the Wild Atlantic Way.

Wild Atlantic Way sign for the Flaggy Shore

We definitely weren’t alone there either, the car park was packed with cars, and plenty of people walking, kids on bikes, roller skates, it reminded me of walking the promenade in Salthill, only difference was that we were in Co. Clare! I am guessing it’s very busy in the summer months! ( We were there early January!)

Car Park at the Flaggy Shore

Lot’s of people walking!

Here is a few images I took as we walked from the Cark Park to just past the lake. As you can see the weather was just amazing, and we truly enjoyed the views and the sea air. Its’s always pretty windy there, so we were very grateful we brought hats, gloves and a scarf to keep us warm!

The Beach at the Flaggy Shore, Co. Clare, West of Ireland

View over the Beach at the Flaggy Shore

View over the Atlantic at the Flaggy shore. If only you could smell the fresh sea air!!

As we walked we a saw a sign for Linnalla Ice cream parlour. Unfortunately, we turned back just a little too early, and didn’t get to sample their famous ice cream. To wet your appetite, check out his video ! There is always next time:)
We walked for about 2,5 kms, and turned back just after the lake. There was also a house that looked like it may have been a schoolhouse in a previous life. The Martello Tower was in view. Next time we are bringing the bikes !

Can’t wait to go again, with the bikes, explore the Martello tower and of course sample the Linnala Icecream.

Greetings from Peterswell in the Burren Lowlands.

Katleen

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January 20, 2019