St. Kevin's Road is a walk of about 30 kilometers which has two alternative starting points (Hollywood and Valleymount), reflecting the different directions from which pilgrims to Glendalough are likely to have come during the medieval period, before joining up together to reach Saint Kevin's resting place in the heart of the Wicklow Hills.
St. Kevin belonged to a once-influential family, the Dál Messe Corb, which had land in the fertile valley of the river Liffey to the west of the mountains. It was presumably somewhere there that St. Kevin was born in the sixth century, and tradition locates his birthplace at Tipper Kevin, two miles from Ballymore Eustace.
After initial training at Kilnamanagh (Cell na Manach - the Monk's Cell) near Tallaght, at the northern foot of the Dublin/Wicklow hills, he then walked across them until he found his resting place at Glendalough (Gleann dá locha - the Glen of Two Lakes). There he stayed, and spent the rest of his life in solitary contemplation and prayer. After his death in 628, what had been his humble hermit's retreat developed into an impressive monastic city which was to continue its active life as a centre of piety and learning for centuries.
The saint's reputation for sanctity spread to such an extent that pilgrims both lay and ecclesiastical came from far and wide to
venerate his relics. In medieval times, the majority would have approached it from the fertile midlands to the west of the Wicklow Mountains. Some may have started their journey from St. Brigid's town of Kildare - another important centre of pilgrimage - and commenced their trek across the hills from somewhere near Valleymount, where our Alternative Route starts. However, most are likely to have foregathered at Hollywood, where the main walk begins.
The journey involves walking in stages toward the Wicklow Gap (450m), before following the descent of the Glendasan river into the Valley of Glendalough itself. Because parts of the track have been overgrown, or otherwise obliterated, it is not always possible to follow the road's original course, but, ancient traces including placenames, together with a desire to avoid busy road traffic wherever possible, and the wishes of local landowners, have dictated the choice of route followed here.
Comments 0 comments