Saturday 28^th October 2017

Bank Holiday Weekend

There are many ghostly tales and scary stories told about all sorts of ghoulish creatures who have scared and haunted the people of Wicklow and Wexford for hundreds of years. Many of the stories are passed from generation to generation in local folklore and tales of the unexplained. Some of the best known are Wicklow Gaol which is said to be haunted by several ghosts of condemned inmates, while Loftus Hall in Wexford is said to have been visited by the Devil himself.

But the scenic, barren mountains of county Wicklow are said to be home to the largest array of ghosts and lonesome spirits in Europe. The most fearsome of these is known locally as the “Headless Horseman of Newtownmountkennedy”. A common description among those who have witnessed the horrific spirit is of a figure of a man sitting atop of a large white steed which moves really fast across the winding mountain roads. It is reported locally that sightings of this evil spirit have actually increased in the past few years. More and more horrified people have reported seeing the horseman gallop across the mountains, never slowing down for bad bends, bumpy roads or on-coming traffic. Locals living along the Wicklow Way are especially terrified by the recent sightings and seldom leave the safety of their homes. Especially in bad mist or fog which can descend on the mountains surprisingly quickly.

Last Saturday, 28th October 2017, was one such day. Despite blue skies only a short distance away at Kilmacurragh, a thick fog had fallen across the mountains early in the afternoon and visibility worsened as the rain also arrived. It was an eerie sight as the grey blanket descended from the hill-tops and smothered the heather and ferns, reducing visibility to only a few feet. Silence gripped the valleys with only the faint sound of a chainsaw in the far distance. The locals had all gone to the safety of their houses, bolting their doors and closing the shutters on the windows. Only a handful of unsuspecting tourists who had been caught out by the sudden change in the conditions braved the treacherous mountain roads.

One such tourist, out for a motorbike ride, got the fright of his life as he rounded a tight bend. There, at a crossroads, almost glowing in the mist, stood a tall, straight figure standing beside his powerful white mount. The figure just stood motionless. He appeared to be holding a cigarette in his right hand and seemed to be oblivious to the rain and fog. The tourist at first thought that it might be a stranger lost or maybe someone caught out in the fog. He drew alongside and stopped his motorbike to offer his help. But as the creature turned around and approached, he saw his ugly face tucked under his arm and realised straight away that it was the Horseman. The tourist knocked his motorbike into gear and took off as quickly as he could as the Horseman let out a spine-chilling laugh and walked back over to his mount. “Go on”, shouted the monster in a menacing bellow, “I’ll catch you before you get down the mountain!”. The tourist sped off but secretly managed to take a couple of photos of the Horseman.

If you look closely at the photograph, the frightening outline of Headless Horseman of Newtownmountkennedy can be seen at the edge of the road, where the yellow dotted line ends.

The tourist rode on and eventually the fog cleared as he descended the mountain roads. Just as he was approaching the main road only a couple of miles up ahead and thought that he was safe, the Horseman suddenly appeared behind him in his mirrors. He sped up, going dangerously quick around the wet, slippery, narrow bends but the Horseman was gaining ground. Faster and faster he rode but he couldn’t shake off the evil creature who obviously knew the roads so well, having ridden them for hundreds of years. As the creature caught up, the tourist succumbed to his horrible fate and slowed down, making way for the creature to pull alongside. But, mysteriously, the Horseman just sped past, never even acknowledging him, and seemed to disappear instantly into the distance.

It was a day the tourist will never forget. He still has nightmares when he remembers the creature’s horrible face as smoke billowed out its nostrils. But he took the only known photographs to exist of the Headless Horseman of Newtownmountkennedy.

Paul never believed the legend of the headless horseman. He did find a turnip on the way back from the allotment though.

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Saturday 14^th October 2017

Glaslough and Castle Leslie, Monaghan

This was Pat’s second suggestion for a venue and it proved just as good as his first (Black Mountain near Jonesborough). Despite the damp conditions, we had a great turnout of 13 riders on 10 bikes. Darragh and Mark had come just for the breakfast (I won’t mention the raw, fatty pig meat and “fancy” sausages at The Donkey Shed near Ashbourne….) and to collect their fabulous new CRRG embroidered tops. Karl also turned up for the breakfast on his classic Kawasaki GPX600 which was much to Marco’s taste and, after his test ride, I can see him trading in the big GSA for one, if he can afford it. It was great to see JP and Therese out again too on the trusty European. With Pat and Ger also arriving on their big Honda , it meant that we had a set of pans….

After the “breakfast”, once Karl and Pat had finished off everyone else’s breakfast, the three BOBs headed back while JR, Marco, Vincent, Andy, JP & Therese, Pat & Ger and Sandra & I headed on towards Slane where Marco left us and headed back as the GSA was getting dirty. The roads were filthy and there was a lot of muck and stuff left on the roads by farmers. We headed on up the N2 via Ardee (the usual chaotic traffic and bottle-neck) and Carrickmacross to Crossmaglen and Monaghan. The Sat-Nav took us up a “short-cut” to Glaslough but, in the wet and mucky conditions, we’d have been better off sticking to the main roads. I could have done with learning the “Rossi anchor” manoeuvre a couple of times !! But we all arrived safe and sound in the lovely “Tidy Town” award winning Glaslough and parked at The Olde Bar. It was closed! But the owner is a biker and opened up especially for us and we were treated to great hospitality by him and his wife.

After warning up with tea/coffee (and cidona and Tayto) in the quaint old bar, we bade our farewells and headed for a quick gawk at Castle Leslie before heading back down towards Dundalk.

Pat and Ger left us to join the motorway back at Dundalk while the remaining “Magnificent seven” (Andy, JR, Vincent, JP & Therese and Sandra & I) pushed on into Dundalk and out along the coast road by the seaside town of Blackrock. We stopped there for JR to have a paddle and try out his new inflatable arm bands. We had more coffees and even some whippies along the promenade, listening to the lovely dulcet tones of the local Louth accents. The cold icecream had given JR a headache and he had to ride the bike back to the Chemist shop, 20 yards away.

Blackrock

Once again, the battery booster was called into action as two damsels in distress couldn’t start their Ford Focus. Within a matter of minutes, the car was started and the two ladies were ever so thankful.

They said that I was a fine example and a suitable ambassador for motorcyclists.....JR agreed whole-heartedly

Andy’s arthritis was playing up by now and he decided to head home after Blackrock. The rest of us took some very tight little country roads along the coast, squeezing past a couple of on-coming cars and even a cattle truck in the muck. We ended up going a lovely scenic route via Annagassan and Clougherhead and Termonfeckin back to Drogheda. Then Vincent took us up a race track towards Duleek and then on to the Snailbox for another stop and chat.

The bikes were filthy at this stage and probably the dirtiest they’d ever been since the sludge in Slane Castle last year. It took a rinse with jet nozzle on the garden hose, a spray of Muck Off, another rinse, a wash with warm suddy water and another rinse to get the K1600 clean again. Then a polish and spray with protectant on Sunday and it’s back looking like new again.

I hope that everyone got through storm Ophelia unscathed. It wasn’t quite as bad in the East as we had been expecting. With their previous experience and expertise in fallen tree removal, the CRRG Tree Surgeon Unit were called upon by the government and Emergency Services to assistant in the clean-up across the country….

Well done lads !!!

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Saturday 7^th October 2017

Kells Priory, Kilkenny

It’s hard to believe that we are into October already. But the weather is still fairly mild and it doesn’t bother the CRRG hard-core anyway! Most of the “Usual Suspects” were ready for another spin – Vincent, Andy, JR, Paul and Sandra and myself – and we were joined by Gordon, who had been specially flown in only hours earlier by Michael O’Leary, after his holiday in Bosnia and Croatia.

The morning was dull and overcast. A typical morning in Tallaght. And although our friends in MetEireann had not forecast any rain, it began to drizzle as we avoided the confusing roundabouts in City West and went via Saggart instead. The M7 was busy as usual but we soon hit the M9 as the skies cleared and the roads dried up a little. It was time to stretch the legs of the BMWs, Yamahas and KTM ! That M9 is a great stretch of road and there’s never much traffic on it. Big Blue was cruisin’ !

Kells is a quaint, tiny, sleepy little village. As you go through it and out the road, Kells Priory appears on your left, just after the bridge and watrmill. It is really impressive with massive walls and towers set in beautiful scenery in the middle of nowhere! The walls and towers are in great condition but the old Priory itself is just a ruin. That f#@%er, Oliver Warty Cromwell, probably destroyed it just like many of our other ancient sites!!!

Avoiding more farmers’ crap on the twisty roads, we reached Kildavin and decided to stop for another break.

We pushed on from there and took the fab scenic Mount Leinster Drive back to Kildavin. At one tight corner, up a little slip road, we spotted two jet black heifer calves were just standing in the shadows on the road, looking down onto the main road like a pair of runaway slaves wondering if they had been spotted.

Avoiding more farmers’ crap on the twisty roads, we reached Kildavin and decided to stop for another break. Vincent seemed a little edgy and didn’t get off his bike. He pulled up and said that he was pushing on as it was late. Gordon went with him. The rest of us thought that we had made good time and we were even a bit earlier than our last few longer spins. But we thought no more about it – maybe he was going out later….??

The rest of us - Paul, Andy, JR and Sandra and I - had a great spin back up the N81 with almost no traffic to slow us down until we hit Blessington.

It was another great day out. We were blessed with the weather, even some nice sunshine. Let’s hope that we get a good few more days like that before the winter really sets in.

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Saturday 23^rd September 2017

Ambushed!!!

A number of CRRG members are under investigation following an attempted ambush of a CRRG patrol in the border regions of county Cavan on Saturday. The Leadership is concerned that there may be a “mole” in the organisation, giving away secret information about the movement of our patrols.

It was strange (and far too much of a coincidence) that, at the last minute, a few members had mysteriously dropped out of the planned raid on Castle Saunderson near Belturbet (former home of the founder of Ulster Unionism). Under suspicion are Claudio, Arek and Kamil as they had all said that they might be available for the raid, but dropped out at the last minute. They will be placed under secret, covert 24-hour monitoring, with hidden cameras watching their every move. Their bikes will be tagged with sophisticated tracking devices, their mobile phones tapped and their homes fitted with hidden spy cameras.

However, the chief suspect is Paul N. Paisley Carson-Nugmeister who accompanied the riders on the day - (Paul C “the Republican”, JR “Fenian Man”, Vincent “the Shinner”, Pete “the Provo”, Sandra “the Rebel” and myself, “Mad Dog McLynchey”). He had accompanied us only as far as Cavan town but left us there saying that he was going to do “some more of the Wild Atlantic Way”. And he had been last to leave the café in Dunshaughlin and had been spotted on his phone just before we left. Was he calling Arlene Foster? Or maybe Teresa May ? Or even the Security forces? Attempts are being made to trace all calls he made on that day. Luckily for our investigators, he uses several internet-based tracking apps so it should be easy to check his route, his average speed, his top speed, length of time stopped, how many times he went to the toilet, price of fuel in Ballydehob, his tyre pressure, nearest whippie ice-cream seller, his cholesterol level and his Amazon purchases and Ebay account etc.

Once the CRRG Investigation Branch has finished torturing the vandals who damaged Derek’s bike, followed by compulsory knee-capping, they plan on calling in the above suspects one-by-one. Each of them will be interrogated based on evidence gathered and any supporting data obtained by surveillance. Any witnesses who may need to be called for the investigation can submit a claim to Head Office for their Travel and Subsistence expenses.

THE PATROL

The day began with riders meeting at Clonee and heading the short distance for breakfast at the Village Grill in Dunshaughlin. The sky was overcast but there was no rain and we were hoping that the rain forecast to arrive later on from the Atlantic would not blow over until the evening time. After Paul N. had finally finished his healthy fry and put away his mobile phone, we headed on up the old N3 to Navan, Kells, Virginia and Cavan. The roads were fairly busy but the patrol managed to stay together pretty well as Paul N. left us at Cavan town and the rest of us headed towards Cloverhill. We passed through a load of towns and villages which I had never heard of before. Then, at Butler’s Bridge, we headed towards Clones direction and the border and on to Castle Saunderson.

The long driveway to Castle Saunderson was still wet and full of pot-holes and patches of loose gravel. But “Psychic Sandra” felt that there was something odd about the driveway. It was really quiet with no other vehicles around. She could feel it in her waters that something just was not right. (Or maybe it was all the tea at breakfast?) Anyway, she decided to get off the bike and go on foot, searching for land mines or booby traps, but found nothing.

After a look around the castle, (which was already derelict and in a bad state of decay before we got there!), we headed back down the dreaded driveway. Chief Scout, JR, led the patrol. As he rounded the corner, Psychic Sandra’s premonition was realised. JR must have clipped a trip-wire and a massive tree fell right in front of him, blocking the road. Quick as a flash, he jammed on his brakes, jumped off Big Blue like an Olympic athlete and hit the deck, expecting enemy fire. But all was silent. Vincent and Paul were following close behind and offered cover while JR got up and inspected the fallen tree. Pete and I were covering our retreat and soon arrived at the scene of devastation. Pete stayed on his bike to watch our backs (or so he said) while the rest of us proceeded to dismantle the roadblock.

After dragging the tree and clearing a path through the debris, we quickly got back on the bikes and rode away. Well, all the others did but I had dropped my key fob but was lucky to spot it in the branches we had cleared. Phew! Panic over!! Thankfully JR was uninjured but it could have been a lot, lot worse but for his training and experience.

Undeterred, we continued with our patrol and headed on to Belturbet, stopping at a “safe house” there for some refreshments.

We took some more fab roads on to Ballyconnell and then the N87 towards Swanlinbar, turning on to the R202 and R200 for Glangevlin. That is a lovely scenic mountain road - heading along the Bellavalley way towards Glangevlin, through the Iron Mountains. The scenery is magnificent and it would have been nice to have gone a little further along that road.

We took the sharp right turn off that road and up to the Tullydermot Waterfall. You wouldn’t realise that there is a waterfall there as it’s sunk down in a little valley and obscured by trees and shrubs. But it’s definitely worth stopping and walking the short path to the waterfall. There is a bit of a car park just off the side of the road.

Tullydermot Falls

We went back via Cavan town, on to Granard and Edgeworthstown before stopping for a coffee in Feericks at Rathowen. Then on via Mullingar, Kinnegad and the M4/M50 home. We had no rain and the sun had even appeared a few times during the day.

We had covered almost 370km according to Paul C. But Cavan is surprisingly beautiful and well worth a repeat spin there some day. We’ll just have to do that mountain road again – maybe on some fine, sunny summer’s day. But, until the mole is found, I’m not letting anyone know where we are going or any route plans on future patrols………

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Sunday 17^th September 2017

It was Sunday 17th September - the day of the All-Ireland GAA/MMA Final in Croke Park between Dublin and Mayo. Conor McGregor was not available for selection for the Dubs but the standard of grappling, punching, gauging and kicking was nevertheless of a very high quality on both sides. And, despite all other 31 counties being against them, it was Dublin who narrowly won out in the end.

But while most of the GAA/MMA heads in the country were watching the skirmishing unfold in Croke Park, the” backbone” of the CRRG – Vincent, Andy, JR, Claudio, Sandra and myself- were doing their civic duty by officially commemorating the 6⅜th Anniversary of the visit by President Barack Obama to his ancestral home in Moneygall.

Brendan had joined us as far as breakfast in Treacy’s near Portlaoise, and was hoping to go as far as Moneygall with us too. But he had an appointment with “Arthur” later and we were running a bit late so he had to head off after breakfast. His fab LED flasher units (only available to the top Cycling Marshalls) came in handy to warn following riders when he spotted a “pet” hanging out the driver’s window of her patrol car with a speed detection camera just along the edge of the M7. Luckily we were all well under the speed limit, as usual.

We also had to wait for Andy to join us at Treacy’s, once his electrician had finished installing the 30 Smoke and Vape detectors around his house (and in the front garden) (and along the driveway) (and around the perimeter). …… But fair play to Andy, he managed to arrive for breakfast just minutes after his pre-ordered omelette was placed on the table.

JR was in top form all day and, following his earlier couple of laps of the circuits around the roundabouts in City West, he managed to watch Vincent’s indicators behind him and took us the right way to Treacy’s. After the great breakfast there, and Brendan had left to meet “Arthur”, we headed on for Portlaoise, Mountrath, Roscrea and Moneygall. With all the GAA heads busy watching “de telly”, we had the roads almost entirely to ourselves so we made great time getting there. Moneygall was deserted. JR complained about it being another kip which I had dragged him to. There was nothing there apart from a plaque on a wall and Ollie Hayes’ Bar !

(A special prize awaits whoever spots the tying error on the plaque….Andy is excluded).

The salty rashers had us all dying with the thirst so Claudio kindly offered to bring us into Ollie’s Bar and he bought us all a pint.

Fully refreshed, we headed off again. Andy and Claudio had a few too many in the bar and got their bikes mixed up. It wasn’t ‘til we got to Birr and they had sobered up a bit that they realised that they were on the wrong bikes. We stopped while they changed bikes and then headed off again towards Tullamore and Kilbeggan.

Big Blue was going really well and the KTM boys, fuelled by Dutch courage, decided to try and pass her. But JR always has a few tricks up his sleeve and took them on another merry –go- round just past Tullamore. It was funny watching all 3 bikes go round and round and round as Vincent, Sandra and I left them to it and pushed on way ahead of them to Kilbeggan.

As Vincent, JR, Sandra and I were having a coffee in the car park at Kilbeggan Distillery, Andy and Claudio wanted another drink and eventually came back from the shop in Locke’s Distillery with even more bottles of whiskey. We had a tough time trying to persuade them not to open the bottles and, after JR had done some technical adjustments and fine tuning on Big Blue, we headed on again towards Kinnegad.

Despite the long trip to Moneygall, it was still early so we decided to have another “re-fuelling stop at the Topaz station at Kinnegad. Chief Recruitment Officer, Andy, is on commission for the number of new members he recruits and has made a fortune already this year. But he spotted a couple on a BMW R1200ST who had also stopped at the petrol station and he went straight in for the kill. I am still awaiting contact from them.

Despite the grey, drizzly start to the day in murky Tallaght, the further West we rode the brighter the day got. We had brilliant sunshine all day and dry roads and it wasn’t at all cold. We covered a lot of miles but, with nobody hanging back or not having to wait for anyone (apart from JR doing his merry-go-rounds), we were back really early. Taking some fab scenic back roads with hardly any traffic also helped. And we were home in time to watch the last few minutes of the big fight game and watch the Dubs claim their 3-in-a-row All Ireland title.

Looking forward to finding another “kip of a place” to take you all to next week. !!

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Saturday 2^nd September 2017

Shankill Castle, Paulstown, Co. Kilkenny

The original plan was to go to Parke’s Castle, way over West, almost in Sligo. But the forecast changed and the heavy rain which was forecast for later on Saturday was now set to arrive a bit earlier. So, seeing that, for once, Kilkenny weren’t involved in the GAA All Ireland Hurling final, it’d be a good time to get around the roads of Kilkenny with not much traffic about. Steering well clear of the Electric Picnic in Stradbally too, we picked a great route down some roads which I think we’ve only ever been on a couple of times before. The venue – Shankill Castle – was suggested by Vincent a while ago. It turned out to be one of our best and most entertaining days out ever – despite only 6 riders being available. And a very eventful day too.

The first “event” was the arrival of another new rider, Neil on a practically identical KTM to Andy’s. There are only 6 of these black versions in Ireland and, on the way back, we passed a third one coming into Blessington!! Neil has only been riding bikes a few years but he was quite capable of keeping up and seemed to enjoy the many twisty roads we took him on throughout the day.

The breakfast stop was Bia Blasta in Baltinglass. We were looking forward to the usual great grub there as we headed off towards Blessington. Then the next event happened. A chap on a Ducati went past us but we soon caught up and noticed that his back tyre looked low. We signalled him and we stopped along the roadside with him. Sure enough it was a “JR-type” puncture – there was a hole but whatever had punctured it must have fallen out. My can of tyre-weld worked and inflated the tyre but he delayed getting on the bike and riding it to circulate the foam and in a couple of minutes it went flat again. Without expert Darragh to plug it, the task was left to newcomer Neil who did a great job and my mini pump soon had the tyre inflated and he was able to ride to Blessington to top up the air at the petrol station.

Our good deed done for the day, we headed off again and stopped at Baltinglass for a well deserved hearty breakfast. There must have been a shortage of sausages there as Vincent’s usual order of “” comprised of rashers and eggs and my own Full Irish arrived minus the sausages too! But the food is always great there.

We were warmly greeted by Elizabeth Cope, the owner (and artist!). She was really nice and friendly and we had a great laugh as she took us on a very entertaining tour of the house

We left Baltinglass and headed out the town, taking a right turn to Castledermot. They were nice, twisty roads with hardly any traffic. From there we skirted Carlow and soon arrived at Paulstown and entered the gateway and up the gravel path to the castle (more of a tower house than castle!). We were warmly greeted by Elizabeth Cope, the owner (and artist!). She was really nice and friendly and we had a great laugh as she took us on a very entertaining tour of the house. We were only sorry that JR wasn’t with us – I can only imagine what he would have thought of the paintings on the walls.

There is a nice coffee shop down in the coach yard and stables area. We had lovely coffee and cakes there before taking a ramble through the fabulous gardens and orchards.

It was getting a bit duller as we left Shankill Castle and it looked as though the heavy rain which was forecast was pushing in. So we pushed on at a good pace and took the fabulous Mount Leinster Scenic route to Kildavin. Everyone always gets confused at Kildavin!! It’s left at the junction! From there we joined the N81 all the way up to Blessington, having a bit of fun overtaking slow trucks and tractors with on-coming traffic. It was a long spin up so we decided to have another quick stop and chat at the West Wicklow Hotel. It was packed!! And loads of bikes passed by (all probably heading for Laragh as usual). One chap pulled in on a lovely homemade trike –

It had been another fab day out. We all really enjoyed the day – the venue was great, the roads were fab and we had a great laugh. It was great to meet Neil and I think that he enjoyed the spin too. Although he works a lot of Saturdays, I hope that he manages to come out with us again soon.

So far, we have managed to tick off loads of the venues which we had listed to visit in 2017. With a bit of luck and some decent weather like we had last year for September and October, we should tick a few more off the list too!

‘til the next one,

Ride safe.

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Saturday 26^th August 2017

After finally setting a date for the spin to Christy and Ger in Rosslare, all that we needed was some good weather for the trip. Thankfully, all Arek’s prayers were answered and “the preacher” granted us a perfect, fine day. While it’s understandable that family, work and other mundane commitments can unfortunately interfere in a biker’s freedom to enjoy a day out, it was a bit disappointing that a few more were not available, especially as plenty of notice about the one “Special” CRRG day had been given. It would have been great to have around 20 bikes arrive at Rosslare !!! Nevertheless, we still had a good turnout of 14 riders on a dozen bikes. Attendees were (in no particular order) :- Vincent, Paul C, JR, Arek, Mark, Darragh, Karl, Pete, Andy, Derek, JP & Therése and Sandra & myself.

I had planned on having more than 12 bikes on the day so had set the TEXACO station at Exit 11 off the M50 as the meeting place and a slightly earlier start time of 9:30am. But with all the chatting and messing and meeting the other bike group there, we didn’t head off ‘til 10:00am. We had a great spin down the N81 with the group sticking together very well despite getting stuck behind several tractors along the way. We were all together as we hit the N80 and all arrived at The Forge together only 10 minutes later than expected. Tables were reserved by Mary, the owner, and we all tucked into the fab brown bread and orange juice while we waited for breakfast to be served.

Bellies full and bowels emptied, we bade farewell to Mary (who later e-mailed to say “Thanks” for our custom and she hoped that we had a great day) and headed on to Bunclody and then Wexford. Once again, the group all stuck together with no stragglers or people getting lost or waiting on anyone to catch up. It makes such a difference when riders make the effort to keep together – after all, we all ride big, powerful machines and a safe overtake only takes a couple of seconds so, on such good roads, there is no reason for anyone falling behind. Therefore, we made good time and soon arrived at the lovely Johnstown Castle. We parked up the bikes and walked around the beautiful grounds and past the “pea soup” lake up to the coffee shop and the courtyard. After some refreshments and a chat, we walked back to the car park and headed off again on the last leg of our trip. Rosslare was only a few minutes ride away.

Everyone did really great again to stay in a group and we all arrived together at the caravan park. The local residents were enthralled by the arrival of the 12 big motorbikes and everyone came out to see us ride into the park and up the path leading to “Chez Christy”. Once we were all parked up, we were treated by Ger, her sister and friends to some fabulous food and cakes, washed down by loads of tea and coffee. It’s hard to beat genuine Irish hospitality!!

To mark the occasion of the 3rd Annual Spin to Rosslare, Christy was presented with a designer baseball cap. (Replicas will be available to CRRG members shortly).

After spending almost a couple of hours there, we all said our goodbyes and headed off. It was getting late and a few had to be home so we joined the motorway after Gorey and booted along. Andy, Arek, Vincent, JR and Sandra and I stopped at the very run-down looking Bee Hive pub for some refreshments while the others continued on for home.

It had been a memorable day out. Once again, Ger and Christy’s hospitality was excellent and they made everyone feel welcome. Their neighbours in the caravan park (a few of whom had baked cakes for us) all came to say hello. Andy in particular was a big hit with the ladies as he explained to them all about suspension, tuning and ergonomics. We had brilliant weather, a great spin up and back and some great craic and laughs as usual.

So a “Special Thanks” to all those who took the time and made the effort to come along and show their support for Christy and also the CRRG. It is very much appreciated by both Christy and myself.

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Saturday 19^th August 2017

Return of the Mark!!

It had been a while since the extremely handsome, wily grey fox had ventured out with the CRRG for a spin on the bikes. Most of Mark’s spare time has been taken up going glamping with the boys, visiting his posh villa in Spain or out shooting with Reggie, Harold and Norman. But he couldn’t resist an invitation from Mick to an overnight in Lanesborough with Derek so he had decided to join in the trip to Corlea Bog Trackway and Saints Island on Lough Rea.

The summer holidays have literally “flown” by for Iwona as poor Arek has either been working on a lot of Saturdays or been trying to get in some flight hours so that his pilot’s licence doesn’t expire. The schools re-open next week so nothing was stopping her from going on a spin this time. Accordingly, I planned a special very special educational trip to the 2 historical centres.

The usual suspects – myself, Vincent, Andy and Sandra – as well as the new “regular” rider, Paul N, made up the rest of the crew of 10 riders on 8 machines. We met at McDonald’s in Lucan where Andy was the first to arrive. We took the motorway from there to our breakfast stop at Mother Hubbards. While most of us enjoyed the usual good feed there, the mushrooms didn’t go down too well in certain quarters and wanted to come back up (by whatever means possible).

The spin from Mullingar across to Ballymahon on the R392 is always fab. The surface and bends are great and the hills are like riding a rollercoaster! We made good time and arrived at the impressive Interpretive Centre (funded with the help of Charlie Haughey) where there were only two other visitors – a Spanish couple from Barcelona. Noel, the tour guide, did his best impression of Pat Shortt (from “D’Unbelievables”) and was as entertaining and informative as always.(Don’t know if all his jokes were understood by everyone..). After some local 3,000 year old bog butter, in its “original plastic wrapper” according to Noel, was displayed, we headed in to see the section of unearthed oak trackway. I was impressed by the interest shown by our lads and the usual witty talk provided by Noel. After we said our good-byes, we travelled the short distance towards Saints Island nearby, with Mick leading the way. Andy was first to be ready to head off.

The road to Saints Island was no better than a small “boithrín” at times, with grass in the middle of the tracks and some gravel around. I was glad that we took the GS instead of the heavy K1600 as the conditions really suited the adventure-type bikes. Fair play to Vincent, Derek and Mick on the sports tourers for excellent control on such unsuitable roads. We went through the lovely, picturesque town of Newtowncashel and crossed the causeway on to Saints Island and parked on the grass slope just up from the old abbey (which most people didn’t even bother to see! – so here’s a picture).

Derek and Mark weren’t used to such a long spin and had to have a rest before we headed on to Lanesborough. We had sent Paul N ahead to check out the coffee shops (and the toilet facilities….. before it was too late…….)

After a coffee stop at Lanesborough, (where it took ages just to get a coffee and tea) we left Derek, Mark and Mick and headed on towards Roscommon. Andy was first to be ready to go.

Vincent knew a shortcut by-passing Roscommon and we soon arrived at Lecarrow and then Athlone where we took the lovely R390 back to Mullingar. We had gone right around Lough Rea and hadn’t stopped so we had a quick stop at the Texaco station in Mullingar to fill up and grab a coffee and a couple of whippies. Paul N inspected the toilet facilities again and swore that he will never eat another mushroom. It was getting late so the Lucan contingent of Arek and Iwona and Andy decided to push on. The rest of us followed soon after, once Paul N had wired his iphone, set his coordinates, plugged in the sat-nav, set Google maps and put back on his gloves. We went back via the motorway from Mullingar and took the Kilcock exit back to the city.

It had been another great day out with the usual good craic, a great group, fab roads and a couple of interesting venues. The weather was kind to us too.

It was great to have big Mark join us again and we all hope that he’ll come out again, regularly. Maybe some of the other “retired” CRRG veterans will also make a welcome return too?

‘til the next one,

Ride safe.

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Saturday 12^th August 2017

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

All the plans had been laid – venue picked, the route planned, meeting points sorted, times worked out, numbers counted, breakfast venue booked, Darragh told for the third time where we were meeting, Sterling bought for JR in case he wanted a “whippie” in Newry, Mick begged to just go along with the arrangements as we had planned, and finally some candles lit in the hope for some good weather for the spin up North to Spelga Dam in the “Mourne Rockies”. Nothing left to chance, or so I thought. It had all been going so well – everyone turned up at Topaz, Clonshaugh as arranged and on time. Apart from Andy who was only slightly late due to forgetting to fit the SuperNintendo keypad to the KTM. The others from “the sticks” would be waiting for us, revved up and ready to go, as we rode into Balrothery, just like Marlo Brando and his pals.

We left Topaz as Andy and Paul N put the finishing touches to their “See who can be last putting on their gear” dance routine. (It was a tight contest but I think that Paul N slightly edged it). The rest of the group - Paul C, JR, Vincent, Darragh, Adam and Anna and Sandra and myself headed up the M1 towards Balbriggan. It was Anna’s first spin with the CRRG and boy she was in for a treat…….. !!

As the 8 bikes took the Balbriggan exit, Darragh copped that JR’s rear looked a little flat. And he also noticed that his back tyre looked like it was punctured as well. We pulled over, Vincent got out the tyre-weld, all the “experts” gave advice and looked on. We eventually got JR motoring again as far as the Apple Green garage just down the road. In the ensuing confusion, my brand new and very expensive bike jacket got destroyed with foam from the tyre-weld and I’ll be lodging a claim. Chief scout, Paul C, was sent ahead to tell the waiting riders at Balrothery – Pat and Ger, Gordon and Isabel and Mick – that we could be delayed. It looked as though all our best laid plans were falling apart……..

But there was no need to panic. Up stepped big Darragh to the mark. Despite 3 broken bones in his hand, he was calm, cool and collected as he strolled over like John Wayne (Darragh probably doesn’t know who John Wayne is!!). He took out his tyre plugging kit and plugged the gaping hole in JR’s rear……(ahem)…… Anna couldn’t look and had to sit down and text her friends about what was going on. When everyone was ready, including Andy and Paul N who were still practicing their routines, we left the garage and rode into Balrothery. Sure enough, the others were all ready to go and joined in with the group as we headed for the Monasterboice Inn for breakfast. I had booked breakfast for 11:15am and, despite all the motorcycle maintenance and delays, all 15 of us arrived in the car park at 11:20am. !! Zen ?!?

Isabele hadn’t spoken to me since the time I forgot to give her one of the CRRG 200^th spin lapel pin badges so I made sure to bring one each for her and Gordon and we were soon all friends again. Mick hadn’t been seen since he disappeared around 2015 and it was great to hook up with him again. He tried to sell his lovely Triumph to JR but JR just couldn’t let Big Blue down after all they’ve been through together. We all moved inside and we were like the apostles at the Last Supper as we were given a big, long table sitting together in one of the dining rooms. The food was great as usual and I later sent them a message to say “Thanks”.

Paul C and Mick were doing BOB’s (breakfast only bikers) and headed back while the remaining 13 riders (9 bikes) headed on for Newry. We had a nice spin via Dunleer and Castlebellingham as Paul N rushed ahead to get some fuel. Andy thought it was a race and sped after him but forgot which way to go and then had to slow down for the rest of us. We seemed to get to Newry really quickly and between Pat & Ger and Sandra & me, we negotiated our way through Newry and on to the Hilltown Road. Along the way, Paul N stopped to check on some “stuff” he had buried in barrels in Mayobridge a few years ago….. Poor Darragh thought that Paul N had gotten lost and had turned back to look for him before I realised that Paul had said during the week that he might have a “bit of business” to do in Mayobridge. Fair play to Darragh all the same - A hero for the second time on the day !

The road after Hilltown was fab with spectacular scenery and the sun came out. There were 2 very sharp and tight hairpins which had to be taken just right but everyone got around them ok and we soon arrived at Spelga Dam. It is a beautiful spot and seemed to be the “Glendalough” of the bikers up around there as loads pulled in for quick stops before heading on again. Pat and Ger are big fans of local legend Joey Dunlop and took the opportunity for a bit of road racing of their own around the lovely bends.

I had heard about a “magic road” beside the dam where cars appear to roll UPHILL if you park on the slope. Sandra and I walked down to the small road (the others were too lazy to walk!) and sure enough there were a couple of cars trying it out. And it DOES work !!

After a “toilet” break, we headed on again and down the mountains to Kilkeel. Along the narrow road, a Loyalist lady in a Royal blue car must have spotted my 1916 Commemorative badge and tried to ram me off the road as I went to overtake her !!! (It must have been hard for her to spot 2 X Hi-vis jackets, 2 X white helmets on a massive white bike with headlights and auxillary lights plus miss the sound of Adam’s CBR purring behind us…..but she did!!).

We went on along the beautiful coastline with JR doing the navigation (he has an amazing gift for direction and has a brain like a Garmin Sat-Nav……..and he watches in his mirrors for my indicators!!!). Once we hit the motorway after Newry, all Hell broke loose ! Earlier plans to follow Paul N to Ardee were just ignored as bikes whizzed past at 109 mph. JR followed Pat and Ger to get some washing powder. Darragh, Adam & Anna, Andy, Gordon & Isabel all opened up and disappeared into the distance. But Vincent and Sandra and me followed the plan and stuck behind Paul and we took the lovely N52 to Ardee and Collon.

Amazingly, as we pulled into Watters, all the others had just arrived with JR following just a few minutes later. Was that Zen or what ???

We had teas and coffees there and a chat before heading home via Slane and Ashbourne. It had been a great day out and I hope that Anna enjoyed her first outing with the CRRG and will join us again. I just hope that our hero, “Duke” Darragh, never misses any spins and always remembers to bring his motorcycle repair kit……..

‘til the next one,

Ride Safe.

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Saturday 27^th July 2017

The Oscars

Talk about the Oscars ! There were more awards going on last Saturday than you could shake a stick at !! First up was Paul who plays “Paul” in the hit American biker series “Sons of Anarchy”. It was his 3rd Rideout with the CRRG and he was presented with his special CRRG keyring and exclusive Emergency I.D. helmet strap. He was so emotional that, unusually for him, he was left speechless. For a few seconds anyway ……

Then it was on to the highly decorated veteran star, JR. JR and his good looking co-star, Karl (he is Swiss you know), were just back from filming in Holyhead in Wales where they are doing a re-make of “The Rescuers”. They received their CRRG Merit Award for their long Service to Welsh Bikers (along with a very nicely written certificate I might add, but neither of them can read).

(Photos Courtesy of “HOWYA” magazine )

The ceremonies ended with the prestigious award for “70 years in the CRRG” to Vincent and he was delighted with his embroidered patch. JR doesn’t believe that he is 70 years already but that might just be jealousy on his part. After all the presentations were over, we eventually left Bia Blasta in Baltinglass around 12:00 - after I had promised Andy that “some day” we definitely will try the other café there (though a local told Sandra that Bia Blasta was much better). There were no BOB’s on this trip and all 13 riders (Paul N and his mate, Derek, Andy and Andrea, Darragh, Karl, Vincent, JR, Claudio, Mark, Paul C, Sandra and I) continued on and headed over some nice roads to Athy and then on via the lovely N78 to Castlecomber. At Castlecomber, JR caused some confusion in the group by wanting to go “green laning” instead of taking the road to Ballyragget. After some delay, he was eventually persuaded to turn around, follow the signposts, and go the right way for a change…

We arrived at Attanagh Fly Fishing & Game Shooting Museum and parked up the bikes while the proprietor, Walter, came out to say hello. He was delighted to welcome us all and was amazed by all the bikes. He was a really nice man, full of knowledge and obviously dedicated to preserving the history of fly fishing and hunting in Ireland. The Museum was full of all sorts of collections – thousands of books, displays of fishing flies and lures, fishing rods, old guns, stuffed birds and animals, snares and traps and even some boats. We had a good look around before taking some photos outside and then heading off.

Just to keep Andy happy, we stopped for tea and cakes at Quinn’s Tea Rooms in Abbeyleix, which wasn’t far from Attanagh. It was getting late so, when we pushed on again, Paul, Mark, Karl and Darragh continued on the motorway while the rest of us weren’t in any hurry so we took the scenic route via Monasterevin and Rathangan to Allenwood. They are fairly bumpy roads and the hump-back bridges would put the heart crossways in you, but it was a lovely spin in bright sunshine. It was nearing time for Claudio’s afternoon siesta and some “whippie” ice-creams so we had another stop at Robertstown along the canal.

Paul N asked around everywhere but couldn’t find anyone needing a lift to Dublin. So we left Robertstown and headed for Celbridge and the motorway home. All the tea and coffee eventually caught up with Paul and he had to have a quick stop to visit the little boys room but caught up with us just as we left the M50.

It had been another fantastic day out. Apart from one short shower on the way to Baltinglass, the weather had been lovely all day and the roads were dry. The venue was quite interesting too (although Mark probably thought it was a load of sh*te). We had a great bit of craic as usual and the awards ceremony was the highlight of the day.

It was nice to see another new rider join us too and we all hope that Derek enjoyed himself and will come out again with us.

‘til the next one,

Ride safe.

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Saturday 22^nd July 2017

Glenbarrow Waterfall, Mountmellick, Co. Laois

Despite the heavy downpours during the week and the forecast of a chance of more showers on Saturday, the day turned out completely dry and sunny. We had 9 riders turn up for the spin to Glenbarrow Waterfall near Mountmellick in Laois. Apologies to anyone with Laois blood, but there aren’t too many “tourist attractions” in Laois - apart from The Rock of Dunamasse, Heywood Gardens and Emo House. So I was surprised to hear from a “Rambler” work colleague about this venue and just had to see it for myself.

We met in Lucan where Andy was already waiting with Mark, Vincent and JR. When asked how come he was actually early, Andy put it down to not having to wait for someone. Paul arrived on a very shiney FJR with “New” Paul following close behind on his Ducati. Mark kept us entertained as we waited in case Pat was going to put down his hurley and join us. But he must have decided to stay put and watch the stick fighting on the telly instead. We had also hoped that poor Claudio would cheer up after the bad news the previous week and maybe he’d fancy coming for a spin too. But he too decided to stay at home and test his brakes instead………

Finglas Feckers Paul and Mark were just doing BOB’s (breakfast only bikers) and we were all looking forward to a nice breakfast at Mother Hubbards. We hadn’t told “New” Paul about the big feed there and he had stuffed his face earlier that morning with a massive bowl of Alpen, 2 bananas, a grapefruit and a litre bottle of power drink before setting off on the bike. But that didn’t stop him going for the Full Irish in Mudders ! The lady in Mudders knows us quite well now (well, we must have eaten a ton of bacon and eggs there at this stage) and even got Andy’s order correct! No mean feat that! JR- Full Irish…….Vincent – 3 sausages and 2 eggs…….. Karl – pancakes…………Mark – a plate of beans………

After the usual great feed, we said goodbye to the Finglas Feckers and headed off towards Kinnegad. We took the scenic route to Mountmellick, via Tyrrellspass, Kilbeggan and Tullamore. Lovely roads with little or no traffic so we made good time. After a slight detour at Mountmellick, I found the road for Rosenalis and Clonaslee and then spotted the brown signpost to Glenbarrow…. on a bend. It was a very narrow trail to the car park which was surprisingly packed with cars (someone must have read our plans!).

Glenbarrow is a beautiful, picturesque spot and was well worth the trip. JR was worried about Big Blue being stolen so he volunteered to go back and mind the bikes. Andy was in immense pain and also went back after a short walk up the forest trail. The rest of us had a long walk through the tall forest and on up to the waterfalls.

It was worth the walk as the river was in full flow and the waterfalls looked fabulous. There is a further, steep climb up to a ridge where there are supposed to be spectacular views but we weren’t in the right attire and it was roasting hot so we decided to leave that for another day.

The salty rashers had taken their toll and “New” Paul couldn’t wait any longer for a big mug of coffee. We headed off on the bikes and he took off up the country lanes like a bat out of hell and took a shortcut down what the locals call “The Goat path” - down a tricky, narrow, dangerous mountain trail. The rest of us waited for him but he didn’t return so we rushed to Mountmellick to get help from the local Mountain Rescue. But as we approached the main street, there he was, sitting on his bike, playing with his iphone again, asking it repeatedly, “Show me a coffee shop, Elana. Please find me a coffee shop!” and sobbing uncontrollably. Luckily, we found a nice coffee shop just in time, in the hub of the bustling Mountmellick town centre……

Fully refreshed, we headed off again trying to lose JR but he spotted us and followed us down a twisty back road which we thought would take us to Portarlington but we ended up in Portlaoise instead. Along the way, a farmer had abandoned his massive tractor and trailor right on a blind bend !! It was okay as he had left his hazard lights on. But it just shows you that you never know what to expect on the country roads and it could have been dangerous had there been an on-coming car which would have had to overtake the tractor on our side of the road on the bend. Anyway, we headed on from Portlaoise via Kildare and Naas and had a bit of fun on the nice twisty road from Naas to Blessington.

We stopped at The West Wicklow for another coffee. There was a Welsh bloke having trouble starting his Honda Varadero. The fully equipped BMW GS came to his assistance with a portable powerbank. But after finally getting the bike started, it died and we reckoned that the battery was probably not holding the charge. His wife was sitting inside and they had planned to head to Paul’s favourite band’s concert later that evening – Bozo and U2 were playing and they had tickets for it at the hotel in City West. Paul piped up and kindly offered to take them both on the bike to City West. But it ended up that JR and Karl took them. It turns out that they own a shop and café near Holyhead and they said that we are all welcome to call in any time. Derek is already on the ferry………. !!!

It had been another great day. Fabulous back roads, good weather, great venue and the usual craic and laugh. Plus we did a good deed for the Welsh couple.

Looking forward to our next adventure!!!

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Saturday 8^th July 2017

The Ark

Noah was tired after refilling the coffee-maker, cleaning the sink unit and wiping down the microwave oven fitted as standard equipment on his BMW K1600 GTL Exclusive. He decided to go to bed early and was soon fast asleep when a blinding white light appeared in the bedroom and he heard a heavenly voice quietly say “Wake up Noah. I am God and I have an important message for you”. Noah sat up in the bed and listened intently as God told him about the impending heavy rain and floods forecast. “You must build an ark and take 2 of everything on board”.

The next morning, Noah awoke and quickly set about making plans to fulfil God’s wishes. He enlisted the help of his good friend, Vincent MacGyver, who had only just recently received a bag of new tools and would a great help in building the ark. For Health & Safety reasons, he got another good friend, JR, to supervise the building of the ark as he had a new, really bright orange hi-vis jacket with loads of badges. Another good friend, Andy, had calculated all the measurements for the ark’s capacities, unladen and laden weights, required horse power, engine displacement, brake horse power, centre of gravity and Newton’s Laws. A local photographer, Claudio, was asked to record the building of the ark and the impending journey for all posterity but he had forgotten his camera and had lost his memory anyway!! Fellow Italian, Marco, had only just put on his summer holiday clothes so he didn’t want to get them dirty doing any work and he was sent off instead to look for 2 of everything to bring back to the ark.

Using only a Swiss Army penknife, a knitting needle, a stapler and some paperclips, MacGyver soon had the massive ark nearing completion and it looked really strong and sturdy. Former roofer, Karl, put the finishing touches to the ark by sewing on clumps of straw as a waterproof roof. (His sewing was a bit crooked but it did the job!). And market-gardener Paul C. loaded up tons of fresh fruit and vegetables which he had grown on his massive farm near Dunboyne. Arek had a sixth sense when it came to predicting rainfall and he warned that it would not be long before the deluge came as he painted the ark a nice duck-egg green with his wife, Iwona, supervising.

Soon the ark was ready to take on-board all the pairs. Marco appeared over the horizon riding a BMW R1200 GSA which he paired with Vincent’s R1200RS. Next came Karl’s red Ducati Multistrada paired with Paul N’s white model. Then it was Paul C’s Yamaha FJR and the lovely “Big Blue” (as it is tenderly referred to) Yamaha FJR of JR. Next in line were the two KTM’s owned by Andy and Claudio. Taking up the rear, were a pair of rare Aprilia’s, almost extinct in Ireland, but lovingly cared for by Arek and his pal, Mike.

With all the pairs safely on board, the ark fully laden and ready to sail, Noah and his wife, Sandra, took all the crew to their thatched cottage for a big, hearty breakfast to keep them sustained during the long voyage that awaited them. …….

(Well you all know what happens in the story !!!)

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Saturday 17^th June 2017

The Prospectors

The sun rose high into the blue sky once again as another dawn arrived. The baked earth was warming quickly from the heat of the relentless sun as JR awoke and checked his numerous injuries. In the lawless mining town of Tallaght-Dega, knife fights are a common occurrence and only a few days ago he had been badly wounded in the stomach and leg. He was in a lot of pain but managed to put on his patched-up jacket, saddle up his trusty mare, Big Blue, and started off on his journey to meet his partners. There was no food in his log cabin so he reckoned on stopping at a watering hole along the track leading to the hills where his mine was located.

JR had been left the deeds to a claim on a goldmine in the Arignazona hills by his great uncle, General George Custer. It was too hard to work the mine on his own, and he was too lazy, so he had enlisted the help of Handy Andy, Vincent McGyver, Knowall Paul and Tracker Alan. His good buddy, Noel, had been missing for several months after wandering off into the wilderness but was also going to join them for the ride up at the mines. Sandra and Andrea would be riding shotgun in case of attack along the trail by the natives.

The Magnificent 8 met at John Hubbard’s mother’s log cabin. She was well known in the area for providing good grub to miners travelling the path to the hills and the 8 enjoyed a big feed and a rest out of the bright, burning sun. Tracker Alan showed them an old treasure map, pinpointing the location of JR’s gold mine and the group set off again along the old En-For trail.

It was a long trek and Sandra and JR were beginning to feel faint from lack of nicotine but Tracker Alan pushed them all on as it was not safe to stop along the track as they were in native Reservation territory. He was an experienced Tracker and had led over 215 expeditions. His pal, Handy Andy (nicknamed that because his hands were always sore) had just completed his 100th expedition, so was also a very experienced guide to have along out in the wilderness. Handy Andy was having difficulty keeping up though as he had just bought a new horse and was having difficulty breaking her in. It is a beautiful black stallion with an Austrian blood-line, so can be temperamental. Luckily, Vincent McGyver had been reared by a pack of wolves in the area until he was found and rescued by a wagon train heading to Risky - the only town for hundreds of miles - so he knew the terrain like the back of his hand.

They eventually reached the mine and climbed the steep hill leading to the entrance. JR urged everyone to work as a team and handed out the shovels while he made himself a coffee. Knowall Paul recited some poetry and explained to the rest of the group all about the local history of the hills and mines etc. etc. After several shovel loads, (of earth and rock) all they were finding was old, brittle, black rock. “That’s no good”, roared JR, “that sh*te is worth f**k all”, as he poured cart loads of the black rock down the hill in a rage. The group decided that there was no gold to be had so they began to pack their gear for the long ride back. JR sold the deeds to the mine for a few dollars to a local native named “Anthracite” who is believed to have made his fortune out of something and became a multi-millionaire years later.

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Sunday 11^th June 2017

Spin to Heywood Gardens, Co. Laois

Darragh was last to arrive at Topaz, Tallaght, at 10:00am on Sunday morning. But he had a good excuse. He had also been to Topaz, Tallaght, at 10:00am on Saturday. But he didn’t waste his Saturday morning. After 2 hours waiting around, he realised that nobody was turning up, so he went off with his 2-piece tool-kit to fix a few aeroplanes at Weston airport.

Andy is still awaiting delivery of his new KTM so he and Andrea arrived on yet another loan bike. (This elusive “new bike” is beginning to sound a bit like Claudio’s elusive “girlfriend” story at this stage ………). Mark thought it was Saturday and arrived for a spin. Vincent was missing his good buddy JR but at least he only had to buy one coffee. Claudio, who was in a giddy mood – revving the KTM and sliding it around gravel pits- made up the last of the group of 8 riders (including Sandra and me of course and we took the GS for its maiden voyage with the CRRG).

The spin down to Bia Blasta in Baltinglass for breakfast was hampered by hundreds of those pesty Mamils (middle-aged men in Lycra), as they broke the law and rode 2, 3 or even 4 abreast. The radio on Monday was full of stories from motorists complaining that it is impossible to drive anywhere with them clogging the roads, especially around Wicklow.

The roads were damp in patches but it was a nice morning and, despite the Mamils, we had a great spin to Baltinglass. After the usual great feed there, Darragh headed back to do some more work on the aeroplanes in Weston while the rest of us pushed on to Heywood Gardens.

We went from Baltinglass through some lovely roads to Athy and Castlecomer, turning there for Ballyragget and Ballinakill. There was a signpost pointing for Ballinakill (where Heywood Gardens are situated)just before we got to Ballyragget and the Sat-Nav indicated that we should take it. But, after just a few hundred yards, it turned into no more than a boithrín or country lane with grass down the middle. I was glad that we had taken the GS as we had just missed a heavy shower so the laneway was wet with a lot of muck and gravel. Not much fun for the Sports Tourers amongst us. Eventually, we all arrived safely at Ballinakill after what seemed like the longest 9km and Heywood was just half a mile past the almost deserted little village.

Heywood Gardens are like an oasis in the middle of nowhere! Beautiful landscaped gardens which cost millions when they were designed in the early 1900’s. The formal gardens are in the Italian style so Claudio felt at home and even had his own chair. Andrea thought the gardens would make a great setting for somebody’s wedding photos….

We had a good look around and even walked around the lake where swans and ducks swam with their young, before heading back to the bikes.

Claudio did some more messing about on the bike and nearly lost the back end in the deep gravel in the car park (he could have done with a pair of his friend’s underpants after that!!). We headed on, Andrea parched for the lack of coffee, to Abbeyleix where Vincent found us a lovely café. While Andy and Andrea sat inside in the humid conservatory, the rest of us listened to more of Mark’s witty comments and x-rated jokes in the garden area.

Fully refreshed by orange juice, fresh tea leaves, gorgeous coffee and cream cakes, we pushed on with Vincent leading the way. I took over at The Curragh and decided to stop at one of our old favourite stopping places – Robertstown along the canal near Allenwood. We went over some dangerous hump-backed bridges and stopped there for another coffee and ice-creams. Robertstown has been totally renewed and the road is much improved. There is also a new café there which is getting great reviews. It’s a strange place as there is nothing really there but yet all of us enjoy stopping there.

It had been another long spin and great day out and we had been lucky with the weather again. Heywood Gardens are well worth a visit and we found 2 new cafés to stop at. But Mark’s remarks about too any face-lifts just stuck in my mind and I just have to laugh…………………….

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Sunday 28^th May 2017

Pete the Pigeon was busy making a nest for himself and his wife, Petula, in a lovely dense evergreen privet bush just off the main road running through Kilcullen. They had moved to Kilcullen from Athy after several attempts on their lives from gangs of vicious felines. They had found a nice safe place to start over again and raise a family. After several days of fetching perfectly formed twigs and weaving them into a nice big comfortable home for himself and the expectant Petula, he was almost nearing completion. On his previous return flight, out of the corner of his eye he had spotted some lovely moss along the grass verge at the far side of the road. “That’ll make a nice soft bed for Petula and the little ones” he thought to himself as deposited the last twig and headed back out again from the nest. But just as he left the nest and headed over to pick up the moss, a big, bad dirty biker on a KTM whizzed past and struck poor Pete. A cloud of feathers flew up from the killer machine as Pete’s head struck the metal bars and his lifeless body was flung to the road. The biker, a suspected serial killer of blue tits, pigeons and other feathered friends, never stopped or rang the emergency services. Meanwhile, sitting in the almost completed nest on her newly laid eggs, Poor Petula waited and waited for her soul-mate to return. But, as the hours passed and darkness fell, she realised that something bad had happened and that she would have to raise her chicks on her own………. ….

Apart from that, we had a great day and loads of craic, as usual ! We were all delighted to see that Big Blue is back in action after having stents inserted and is healthier and looking better than ever. After all the monsoon rain all day on Saturday, it was hard to believe that the sun was shining again and the roads were mostly dry as we met on Sunday over at TOPAZ, Tallaght. Big Blue was already there along with Vincent, Darragh, Mark and Andy the Bird Killer as Sandra and I arrived. Pete was not far behind on his absolutely disgusting filthy GS.

There were no BOB’s skipping off home after breakfast. Everyoe was in for the long haul. After a fab full Irish in Bia Blasta, JR took us the long, scenic route to New Ross. We headed up the narrow roads to Mount Leinster and the views were magnificent. From there, JR took us to Kiltealy and then on some more country roads to New Ross – far better than taking the boring N11 to Enniscorthy. We had a quick coffee before we got “concession” rates onto The Dunbrody and had a good look around while Andy the Bird Killer stayed behind to mind the bikes.

Mark was heading to Tipperary after the tour, Darragh was dropping in to visit his mother and Pete was in a hurry so was going straight back up the N11. So we all split up with JR leading the way again for Vincent, Andy the Bird Killer and Sandra and me. We had another stop in Kildavin and then “whippie” ice creams in Balon before reaching the scene of the horrific murder at Kilcullen. It seemed like a long spin back and we weren’t used to being so long on the bikes so we could have done with maybe one more stop. But it was getting late so we pushed on and it was around 6 o’clock by the time we got home.

It had been a fantastic, long spin with some great scenery. Everyone (apart from Pete the pigeon) enjoyed the day and the craic. It was great to get dry roads too. But best of all was seeing JR and Big Blue back out with us and looking good !!!!

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Saturday 20^th May 2017

The forecast wasn’t great but we met anyway in the hope that the showers and/or hail and thunder which had been forecast would wait until later in the afternoon or evening. Nine riders met at Maxol in Lucan – 2 BOB’s (Karl and Jim), then Vincent, Andy, Claudio, Mark, Darragh, Sandra and I. Karl handed me my present from his recent trip to Canada – 4 “Motorcycle News Weekly “ magazines. Sandra was wearing her new Forma Ice Pro boots. And Jim was sporting a matching 2-piece BMW-style adventure suit which he hopes will impress the other posh BMW riders on his exclusive BMW group trip to Germany. And Claudio was still wearing his leather jacket and jeans……….

Much to Vincent’s disappointment, the breakfast venue was switched from his favourite venue of The Salmon Leap in Leixlip. Andy had complained (that’s unusual) about the hygiene there and the salty taste of the rashers and sausages. So he suggested “Kay’s Kitchen” in the shopping centre in Lucan. After taking a roller-coaster ride with half a dozen hairpin and 90 degree bends, we hit the main road and the traffic approaching the shopping centre. Thank God for bus lanes !! We went down the steep slope and parked in the underground car park. Karl grabbed a shopping trolley while he was there as Supervalue’s “flagship” shop is located there and he needed to buy loads of veggies for his 49-year-old Brazilian student lodger. Kay’s kitchen wasn’t too busy so we all got seated together. The staff were very friendly and the food is quite reasonably priced too. But, in my opinion anyway, it was all a bit bland – no taste of rasher or sausage and the scrambled egg looked ok but was also tasteless. And it wasn’t handed up to us !!!

While we all waited for Andy to finish his 3 course breakfast, Darragh was presented with his 100th Rideout patch and he couldn’t wait to show Jann. So, later on, he made some silly excuse about buying a table and scarpered off home early. We all hope that Jann can sew.

Jim and Karl were the BOB’s this week and after breakfast Jim headed off to get some matching gloves to go with his flashy suit while Karl rushed home to chop his cucumber.

It was agreed that we’d all follow Vincent from the car park to Castletown House in Celbridge as he knew the way and it was literally only a few minutes away. But Andy sped off and panic set in with Claudio, Mark and Darragh all following him like sheep. Sandra and I followed Vincent who led us the short ride down the motorway and into the entrance to the car park at Castletown House. Poor Andy must have gotten confused as he has been down the M50 to the KTM dealer every day for the past 3 months checking if his new bike has arrived and he followed Jim and Karl in the wrong direction. After half an hour and a few phone calls, the lads finally made it back to Castletown House. The first of many heavy showers started just as we arrived. We had a coffee and ice cream and waited to see if there was any chance of the weather clearing up. Claudio was telling us about his wedding dress (well, that’s what you voted “YES” for !!) while the grey clouds floated overhead. But, if anything, it was getting worse so a unanimous decision was made to cut the spin short and just head home once the rain stopped. We can keep the intended visit to Straffan Steam Museum for another day.

But the good news of the day is that Andy’s new bike may finally have arrived. It got a little bit damaged in transit but the lads at M50 Honda/KTM Centre did a great job patching it up ………….

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Saturday 15^th April 2017

St. Peter the Navigator is one of the most famous of the Irish saints. He is probably best known for discovering Norway and Sweden in 0016, along with his buddy, Harry. And his famous voyages across uncharted oceans and seas are well documented. Indeed, he is also accredited by some notable scholars as having reached the Americas long before Christopher Columbas. But recent discoveries have unearthed interesting evidence that he explored his native Ireland in great detail and founded several monasteries along his way.

In an ancient diary dating from Easter 0017, one of his fellow monks and loyal follower, the noted scribe Abbot Alún, wrote an account of one such epic journey led by Saint Peter through the wilds of county Wicklow. Abbot Alún tells of a large group of monks which travelled from Dubh Linn through mountain passes into what is now called county Wicklow, crossing mountains, through deep forests, over rivers, down into valleys and along by rivers for hours on end. They were searching for a sacred burial ground marked by a large white cross believed to have been carried up the sloping mountain on his shoulder and placed there by another famous monk and explorer, Saint Derek, as penance to God for the sinful ways of his past before he became a monk.

According to Alún’s account, the start of their journey was perilous, with wet slippery paths through the mountains and some of the monks complained of the cold. But, having feasted on some pork from a boar they killed near the Abbey at Baltinglass, their spirits soared and they continued on their quest, totally refreshed. St Peter led the way and, although he had to watch out for new members of his flock like Sister Iwona and Brother Darra who were not accustomed to such hardships, he set a brisk pace. However it seems from Abbot Alún’s diary that Alún took pity on some of the flock who were by now feeling exhausted and thirsty. He ran past Saint Peter and led them to a ford over a fast running river where they stopped to rest and drink.

As they rested, a large white stallion came to drink at the river. “It is a sign!” shouted Saint Peter, “there is Saint Derek’s white horse name Honda. He is telling us that we are almost at the end of our journey….the white cross must be somewhere nearby !!”. The other monks were not so enthusiastic, but overcame their exhaustion, picked themselves up again and followed Saint Peter up a steep climb on the far side of the river. Just as Saint Peter had told them, the narrow, dangerous path seemed to open up and the large white cross suddenly appeared – just like an apparition. They all gathered at the foot of St. Derek’s cross and recited 3 Decades of the Rosary and 5 Our Fathers in thanksgiving for having all arrived there safely. A few years later, the blessed Friar Mark of Finglas erected a similar cross in the Phoenix Park to celebrate being cured of the disease which was rife in those times – piles.

As a final twist to Abbot Alún’s recounting of this extraordinary tale, his diary goes on to state that, as the flock were returning to their abbey, Brother Vincent swore that he had seen Saint Derek on his white horse ride by on the other side of the track which they were following. It must have been yet another apparition as it was common knowledge that the white horse had sadly died several years earlier.

There are many more stories of Saint Peter and his monks’ epic adventures in Ireland contained in the Diary of Abbot Alún. The full book is soon to be translated from Latin and published by CRRG Publications. Retail prices for hardback copy will be around €39.99 each.

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Guinness World Records

Sausages, Sunshine and No

More Bobs

Saturday 8^th April 2017

The CRRG is such a talented lot! Apart from our daily mundane jobs, we have world class photographers, pilots (real and toy), IT wizards, chefs, woodworkers, survival experts and gardeners/farmers and mehanics to name just a few of the talents of group members. But little did we suspect that we’d have a Guinness World Record holder beater in our midst. While RTE was banging on about their showing of a new sausage-tying record holder, our man, JR, was quietly beating that record of 78 sausages by filling and tying an incredible 87 sausages in one minute!!! The normally quiet and shy JR even said that he could do it with his hands behind his back !!! (We’ll never hear the end of this now ……!).

With a full week of sunshine behind us and the weekend forecast also looking good, I thought that we’d have a huge turnout again. But work and family commitments are the ruination of a good biker and a lot of members ha to drop out of the proposed spin to Lough Crewe Cairns and a new venue – Mullaghmeen Forest Park, nearby. But there were still 8 riders in total – big headed JR, Vincent, Brendan, Claudio, Andy, the two Finglas Feckers Mark and Paul, and myself. As Sandra was ruled out on medical grounds, I decided to take the little Yamaha MT09 for a change. Even without the power of big 6 cylinders of the comfy BMW, I still had to wait for the others to catch up on numerous occasions.

We headed for breakfast at Caffreys in Batterstown with JR taking us down some lovely winding roads from Clonee. We hadn’t had breakfast there before and they hadn’t replied to my 2 e-mails. But it’s a lovely place inside, the car park there is great and the food was lovely (if a little pricey). So we put up with the 25 minute or so wait to get served.

There were no BOB’s (Breakfast Only Bikers) on Saturday for a change – everyone continued on to Lough Crewe, going via Trim, Navan and Kells.

We arrived at Lough Crewe in glorious sunshine. Unfortunately for him, Paul had to head off as he had to be home early. The countryside looked fab in the beautiful sunshine as we climbed to the top of the hill and over to the Cairn (burial mound). Claudio and Brendan hadn’t been there before and agreed that the views from the top are magnificent. Unfortunately Claudio’s coach was sunbathing at the bottom of the hill so I hope that he still took some good photos. Brendan had been telling us over breakfast about his recent trip to Cairo and on to see the ancient pyramids of Egypt. But the Irish who built the cairns at Lough Crewe and other sites such as Tara and Newgrange were far more advanced than the Egyptians and the passage tombs pre-date the pyramids by a couple of thousand years.

From Lough Crewe, we headed into Oldcastle and stopped for a coffee at a nice little café there. Vincent and Brendan headed back from there, leaving 5 of us (JR, Claudio, Mark, Andy and me) to go on to Mullaghmeen Forest Park. Just as well that I researched it as there are absolutely no signs for it anywhere. It is down some very narrow roads and we had to watch for gravel and farm muck on the roads. The forest is lovely and there were only a few (presumably local) people there.

Claudio and I had a walk around while the others solved all the problems of the world economy, global warming and the Middle East.

We headed from there along some very narrow, twisty roads into Castlepollard and then joined the M4 just outside Mullingar. It was just like the MotoGP with the 2 Yamahas setting the pace at the front, the Ducati was a handful and fell a little behind and the KTM made its debut and performed ok (don’t know where the BMW fitted in….!!).

We had another coffee stop sitting out in the sunshine at the Topaz garage in Kinnegad. JR took Mark’s bike for a test ride and decided that he’ll use it on his next MotoGP outing ! Big Blue was not impressed and sulked all the way home.

It had been another great day out and a new venue found. Looking forward to the next one and let’s hope that this dry spell continues for another while.

‘til then,

Ride safe.

Alan

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Spring Sunshine

(and Dry-Weather Bikers)

Saturday 25^th March 2017

The call had gone out for a spin to the AMI bike shop Open Day in Gorey and a short (-ish) spin afterwards to Cahore Point (- a great suggestion by Brendan). All the forecasts were predicting dry, sunny conditions from Friday and all through the weekend !! So, naturally enough, the replies started to come back thick and fast almost instantly. A massive turnout was on the cards.

Against his surgeon’s advice, even Andy diced with death and decided to ignore his massive scar and ride as far as Bunters in Newtownmountkennedy. Derek’s white stallion was a bit under the weather but nothing was going to stop Derek from a big fry-up and a day out with his fellow CRRG members. Even if it meant driving by car to Gorey after the big breakfast. After an extra long hibernation, Kamil was persuaded by Anna to don his onesie and start up the bike – there was no way that she was going to be kept waiting one more week without getting her CRRG keyring and Emergency I.D. helmet strap !!

The big thawe had extended outside the Pale and the Balrothery Bad Boys (with Ger, of course) sped down the M1….…but not together as Mick had planned on meeting at Bunters while Pat and Ger were meeting at Texaco, Spawell. The Navan Ninja himself, Gordon, hadn’t slept in 5 days but wasn’t going to miss this spin for anything either.

Two new machines were on show too. Vincent reluctantly parted with his beloved K1300S but soon got over his loss when he took his new R1200RS on the spin and fell in love with it. And Brendan was meeting at Bunters on his lovely new Kawasaki GTR1400.

Mick ended up turning up at Texaco. With the arrival of Arek (on his always immaculate Aprilia) and Claudio (on his always not so clean KTM), as well as the other regular riders - JR, Paul, Mark and Karl - there were 16 riders meeting at Texaco.

After the obligatory inspection of the new bike, a quick modelling of her new bike gear by Anna, and a quick chat, all 13 bikes headed off down the N11 for a much deserved breakfast in Bunters.

Top restauranteur and Michelin Star holder, Derek, is a regular there and had managed to reserve just about enough tables and chairs for all of the group. Brendan was already waiting there too and we all enjoyed a delicious fry-up. Anna got presented with her CRRG keyring while Kamil made a very touching speech (pity it was in Polish).

After breakfast, Pat & Ger went off for a few minutes on their own…… … while the rest of us took advantage of the dry roads and sunny sky and zoomed down the N11 to Gorey. The traffic in Gorey was heavy and Mark and Paul got caught up in it. Although Mick knew the way to the AMI place, he decided he couldn’t wait for them any longer and sped off. Thankfully Arek waited at the entrance to the Business Park and we all arrived safely.

It should be called “Any More Investments?” as you’d need a bank loan to afford some of the bike gear on sale there !!! But there was a good crowd there and a good atmosphere. Inside they had free tea/coffee and scones. Test rides on various Yamahas were also available.

And they had an experienced mechanic on hand to fix any stubborn main stands ..

We had only arrived there when Colm and Aidan appeared, having travelled from Myshall and the beautiful award-winning tidy town of Athy (with a sneaky breakfast in The Forge along the way). Then John Hicks arrived making it a total of 21 CRRG members at the Open Day. Unfortunately I never thought of getting a photo of John’s new BMW GS.

Some of the group decided to head home after an hour or so at AMI. It was way too early for the rest of us, so 15 riders decided to go on to Cahore Point – Pat, Ger, Karl, Gordon, JR, Vincent, Colm, Aidan, Brendan, Arek, Kamil, Anna, Claudio, Sandra and me. Brendan kindly volunteered to lead the way and took us via some nice but narrow and twisty back roads through some lovely little towns.

When we arrived at Cahore Point, I discovered that Arek wasn’t with us. I had thought that he was at the back of the group but, apparently, he got delayed, saw a few bikers turn right at a junction and followed them, only to realise when he had caught up with them that it was the wrong group !! . Obviously our brilliant plan of “keep the following rider in your mirror” didn’t work too well !!! But I hope to avoid similar instances in the future and have purchased some new equipment for all CRRG members :-

Cahore Point was well worth the spin. There are some stunning views from the hill at the Strand Bar and a nice walk around the corner along the cliffs. JR and Claudio went off to take some more stunning photos.

After a coffee (and a Guinness) at the Strand Bar, Colm & Aidan headed back and the rest of us headed on to Courtown before splitting up again as Gordon and Brendan left us at Gorey. We decided to take the lovely but bumpy coast road up to Wicklow and stopped at Wicklow Gaol to feed the cat……

It had been a fab day – lovely weather, fantastic turnout, great mix of roads and stunning scenery along the way. We just have to look out for each other and make sure that nobody gets left behind in future.

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Bog Warriors

Saturday 18^th February 2017

After the last couple of wet weekends, everyone was just dying to get back out for a spin on the bikes. A big turnout looked on the cards as the CRRG were to launch a two-pronged assault. Mick and his cohorts were heading to Lanesborough in Longford and the rest of the group were heading to Clara and all over Offaly in a pincer movement not unlike a well planned military campaign.

To ensure that the mission would be successful, a new recruit was brought in. John Hick arrived at the Spa Hotel in Lucan on a lovely, spotless GS1200 LC (almost rivalling Big Jim’s machine!). It was his first campaign with the CRRG and little did he know what he was letting himself in for. His beautiful machine would never be the same again after all the muck and sh*te from the bog roads. And he would be mentally drained and suffering from a medical condition similar to war veterans shell-shock!

Unfortunately there were also a few deserters who will be mercilessly hunted down and brought before the CRRG High Command for sentencing.

But despite that set-back, there was a great turnout of 14 riders on 13 machines. Book-worm and Group photographer Claudio (AKA Saverio) was persuaded to come along and arrived in his casual summer gear. Noel had secretly followed JR and Vincent from Lucan and was on for his 3rd CRRG rideout in 3 years. Arek had been up at dawn shooting crows and fitting a new bullet-proof glass screen on his immaculate Aprilia. JP had already done 78 hours overtime this week and was due his first Saturday off work in 6 months so decided to make the most of it and come along. Derek was saving electricity and had gotten his mechanic to turn off all the lights on his Pan European. Even the reclusive Mark made a guest appearance.

Despite having some shrapnel in his eye from a previous campaign, Gordon braved the pain and arrived on his fab-sounding K1300S.

It was also Mick’s first long spin on his recent purchase – a Triumph Trophy - and he didn’t spare the horses as he led the way at a blistering pace to Mother Hubbards for breakfast, flying along the white lines and stopping for no man or machine.

The staff at Mother Hubbards were as friendly and obliging as ever and gave the 14 of us tables together in the Reserved area before serving up the usual high quality breakfasts. We had a great chat over breakfast as Noel received his long-awaited 3rd Rideout presentation to loud applause and cheering. The others received their CRRG embroidered crests

Once the MAMILS (Middle aged men in Lycra) started arriving on their dreaded bicycles, we decided that it was time to go. Mark was suffering in silence from an old war injury and decided he could go no further. Gordon’s eye was getting more swollen and bloodshot so he shot home too. And Big Jim was heading to Portlaoise to get some free dinner at his sister’s. Mick, Derek and JP waved goodbye as Arek, JR, Vincent, John, Claudio, Noel, Sandra and I headed off towards Tyrrellspass and Kilbeggan. It had cleared up but the roads were wet as we took the traffic-less R446 to Rochfortbridge and then the R436 to Clara. I found the Interpretive Centre straight away (with no thanks from the others) but it wasn’t staffed and the car park was closing half an hour !. So we took the narrow road on to the Clara Bog Walkway. Claudio failed to get a shot of the wildebeest, giraffes and other wildlife there but took some good photos of the pathway itself.

We all walked the 1km boardwalk before returning to the bikes. Claudio doesn’t trust the “feckin foreigners” and had locked his KTM at the side of a bog in the middle of nowhere……. We pushed on from there along the same narrow, bumpy, mucky road to a deserted little village called Rahan. I had spotted a Monastic site there on the map. There is an interesting old church and graveyard there and a 7th century smaller church in a field nearby.

We had a good look around there before going back across the mucky field to the bikes. Even the poor sheep in the field were filthy and the bikes looked more like 50 year old tractors just after ploughing a swampy field in pouring rain. But it’s worth the hassle of having to clean them afterwards as we would never otherwise have visited all these type of remote, beautiful and interesting places.

The rashers from Mother Hubbards were by now beginning to take effect and we were all thirsty and looking forward to some tea and coffee. Plus Andy was missing in action again so we could have a few more cigarettes in peace. We took the road bringing us to the outskirts of Tullamore before taking the lovely N52 back up to Kilbeggan as the sun eventually came out. We had a well deserved tea and coffee at Kilbeggan Distillery before heading back on drier roads via Tyrrellspass and back via Kilcock to the M4 and M50.

It had been a great day out. Great to see such a good turnout and great to welcome new rider, John. The forecast is not looking good for next weekend. So, as I always say, make the most of any good weather we get and just get out for a spin. It really does do you good!!

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Trim Castle Tour

Saturday 28^th January 2017

Although the temperature was slightly higher than last week, it actually seemed to be much cooler as we gathered in Clonee. It’s a damp type of cold and I welcomed the BMW’s heated seats and heated grips. And the bike gear is so much better now compared to years ago - the Evening Herald under the jacket and 7 layers of vests, t-shirts, woolly jumpers, jackets and overcoats. And unlike Andy’s TCX super-duper boots, in those days waterproof boots meant wellington boots !! While Sandra doesn’t have heated grips, the Blazewear battery heated inner gloves are warm and snug. So much so that Mark is thinking of getting some to keep his “little friend” warm. As wise man Vincent said – “we’ll leave that in his own hands”………

The undertakers must be doing well as both Paul and Andy had to pull out of the spin at the last minute to attend funerals instead. And poor Jim couldn’t bear to get his beloved all wet and mucky . His motorbike was also spotless so he decided not to come along in case it too got dirty. Arek had been looking forward to the spin but was gutted when the boss told him that he had to do a bit of work instead. Nevertheless, that still left a good turnout of 8 riders on 7 bikes – Vincent, JR, Darragh, Karl, Mark, Claudio and Sandra and me. Claudio wore his winter/spring/summer and autumn gear as usual but unlike his pampered fellow countryman, Marco, he is a hardy Italian, coming from the harsh conditions of Lake Como, and doesn’t feel the cold. Karl finally ditched his cheap orange American jacket for a nice black, sedate, Furygan textile jacket and was looking cool (but was warm enough in his “Medium” size Titan Evo jacket).

Once everyone had assembled, we headed off to The Village Grill in Dunshaughlin. Mark couldn’t wait for his egg ‘n’ chips breakfast (with free double helpings of beans) and Darragh just wanted to get there quickly as he was being soaked by the muck being thrown up by the back wheel of Karl’s Multistrada. Those who hadn’t received their CRRG 200th Spin lapel pin badges yet were presented with them over breakfast. I honestly have never seen such emotion and pure delight as was etched on their little faces and they all thanked me over and over again…...before they stuck them in their dirty pockets and forgot about them. Claudio sorted out JR’s mobile phone which had been struck by viruses after uploading a very suspect app – “Dancing with the Stars, Ireland” with lewd photos of Dr. Eva, Teresa Mannion and Katherine Lynch.

After breakfast, we had about 6 smokes outside as Andy wasn’t there to keep an eye on us before we pushed on for Trim Castle. I took the group along some excellent roads up to Trim and we parked on the footpaths outside the courthouse there, despite a prowling over-zealous looking female parking attendant. But the next castle tour wasn’t for another hour so JR and Karl had a well-deserved rest while the rest of us took a historical walk around the walls of the magnificent castle. Unfortunately, group Historian, Paul, was not available, so I gave them a very detailed free guided tour but was picked up on by Karl later on (he was obviously paying attention to the official tour guide). We still had half an hour to wait so we had a coffee in a local restaurant waiting for the tour to start.

Luckily, it was a different tour guide to the one who JR had been rude to earlier on when they didn’t quite see “eye to eye” !! Claudio pretended to take photos of the castle and grounds but, in true Italian style, was taking shots of the female tourists instead. JR had forgotten his own camera again so was showing him, with great patience, how to use the complicated camera.

The tour of the castle is very interesting. The people those days were filthy bast*rds and obsessed with their poo!! But the best bit of the tour was getting out on to the roof as the views were stunning. Even Moaney Mark wasn’t complaining this week and I think that everyone enjoyed the visit to Trim Castle. The tour is well worth doing.

Darragh had gone on earlier as he had to be back for a meeting. So the remaining 7 riders headed back towards Dublin via Batterstown. Karl and Claudio went straight back but JR, Vincent, Mark, Sandra and I stopped for a coffee at Caffrey’s in Batterstown. It was really nice inside and they open at 10:00am for breakfast so we must try it the next time we are heading that way.

On the way back, the M50 had a lot of surface water and the spray was blinding so we must have just missed a heavy downpour. But unlucky Karl had run into it earlier and had gotten a great opportunity to try out his new jacket……

So a great day was had by everyone. All that remains is for Claudio to share the images he took with his camera………………

‘til the next one,

Ride safe.

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The CRRG’s 200^th Spin

It happened to be the first spin of 2017 and also the CRRG’s 200^th spin! Only the hardiest members dared to venture out on a cold, frosty but bright and dry Saturday morning. The plan was to meet Derek in NTMK for breakfast in Bunters before heading on to Avoca to find the big white cross located on the hilltop overlooking the valley and set as a memorial to the miners who died there. Chief Scout “White Horse” Derek had already scouted the area during the week and had left little bits of bread along the trail leading to the cross so that he could find the trail again.

But the forecast was not great – a cold Friday night with “severe” frost. Even the CRRG Air Force weatherman, Arek, warned that the roads might be tricky early in the morning. So we cleverly set a later meeting time of 10:30 at TEXACO off Exit 11 on the M50. The Finglas Feckers awoke to white roofs and frost covered cars. But Paul was determined to get the “other” FJR out for a good spin and decided to negotiate the icy roads until he got to the safety of the M50. His fellow fecker, Mark, looked out his window, decided he couldn’t be arsed and jumped back into his cot.

Paul and the other brave souls – Arek, Claudio, Andy, Vincent, JR, Sandra and I – met as arranged and headed off to meet White Horse himself at Bunters. The M50 and N11 were fine but we passed still frozen fields along the way. And the roundabouts at the exit for NTMK looked shiney and slippery. We had a great breakfast in Bunters, sitting in front a lovely, roaring, open coal fire. To save time later, Andy decided to have breakfast AND dinner all at once. Another of JR’s female admirers followed him into the café and he had to be rescued.

Arek was presented with his CRRG keyring and Emergency Helmet ID strap as this was his 3rd rideout. And, as a special surprise, everyone got a special, limited edition, gold-plated 200th Spins lapel pin badge.

Two hours later, when Andy had consumed all his food, we all decided that it was too dangerous to risk the narrow back roads to Avoca. Paul had to head back home after a local had upset him by suggesting that he should buy a car instead.

Derek suggested a good alternative route down the N11 to Arklow and back up to Wicklow town via Brittas and the Silver Strand. It was worth the spin and that coast road is fab with lovely scenery and lots of twisty corners with little or no traffic. Along the N11 from NTMK to Arklow, from the back of the group, I spotted flashing blue lights way back in the distance. I kept checking my mirrors and they seemed to be getting closer. Derek, JR and Arek were a few cars up ahead. I pulled alongside Andy, Vincent and Claudio, pointing backwards and we all slowed a bit and pulled into the left lane. But as the blue lights drew closer, I realised that it was only an ambulance !! We caught up with the other 3 riders and Derek took us into Arklow and on up the narrow, twisty coast road to Wicklow.

We had a coffee stop at Wicklow Gaol and it was warm enough to sit outside in the winter sunshine. But Andy and Claudio stayed inside, away from the smoke, and discussed new helmets and motorcycle boots.

Vincent hid behind the parasol while JR inspected the facilities…a few times !

After I gave the lads a brief history lesson about Wicklow Gaol, we headed off again, with JR heading off like a bullet as he had a hospital appointment later. As we left Rathnew and joined the N11 again, the same ambulance which had followed us down earlier appeared behind us again!! It turned out that they were looking for JR and they gave him an escort all the way back up the N11 and he made his hospital appointment with just a few minutes to spare.

Despite the chill, it had been another great day out on the bikes. It was great to see a good turnout and to meet up again. We will have to do that route from Arklow again, maybe taking in a visit to AVI bike shop (Overlanders) in Gorey and a stop at Silver Strand beach ??

‘til the next one,

Ride safe.

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