Keady to Tassagh Bridge 7.7 Miles

Part 1 of our walk around Keady is 7.7 miles (there is an option below to extend this to 8.35 miles) . It starts at the Tommy Makem Arts & Community Centre (TMAC). Grid Ref. H 84515 34069 (see at Google Street View).

Our route is via Clea River, past Keady Mill, Keady Glen, Keady Viaduct, Glen Road and through Keady Glen Park to Annvale, Then along Annvale Road, Granemore Road, Tassagh Road to cross the Clea River, Batchelors Walk, Keady Road, Killyreavy Road, Iskymeadow Road, Tassagh Viaduct and along Dundrum Road to finish at Tassagh Bridge. The first 5.7 miles of this walk is hilly, the rest climbs gradually along the Callan River Valley to Tassagh Bridge..

To download a GPX map of this route visit link at MapMyWalk, plus for a Google Map of the whole route visit Interactive Google Map.

Below is a detailed description of the walk and places passed along the way. If you wish to download the Route Instructions as a Word Doc, without all the write-up, then just click on the button below. (NOTE: This downloads as a Google Doc. To change format to a Word Doc - Click "File" on top left of doc, click "Download" and choose "Microsoft Word (.docx)"). 

Go west, away from the Tommy Makem Arts & Community Centre, then right, down over Clea River and behind Keady Mill.

The Tommy Makem Arts & Community Centre is named after a local man who became famous by helping to introduce Irish Music to the world. It is run by the local council and was officially opened by Ireland President, Michael D Higgins, on Wednesday 16 September 2015. You can watch a video of him turning up for the ceremony at YouTube.

To learn more about Tommy Makem follow the link to a BBC programme from 2007 entitled "The Bard of Armagh - Tommy Makem". Also, see his entry at Wikipedia.

According to an information board in the play park, which we pass through soon:

"Keady Mill was built in the 1750s as a "Baronial cornmill" i.e. all the tenant farmers of the barony were obliged to take their corn to this mill. A 20ft head of water from Clay River powered 2 breast shot water wheels, one of 16ft diameter by 3ft 6 inches wide and one of 15ft diameter and 3 ft wide giving a total output of 5 horsepower.

In 1836 ownership was under Councillor Kidd of Keady. By 1862 the mill had been converted to flax spinning under the direction of James McKean Jr and the water wheels had been replaced by one wheel measuring 28ft in diameter and 6ft wide, with the addition of a 15 horsepower steam engine and a 90ft high chimney serving the boiler house. The wheel and engine powered 1808 spindles; 2 hacking frames; 4 rowing frames; 6 drawing frames and 2 carding machines in the mill."

Another notice gives a later timeline for the mill:

1879 The mill ceased operation as a spinning mill and remained closed for 12 years.

1891 The mill reopened as a weaving factory under the auspices of Keady Linen Company.

1927 The mill closed operations as a weaving factory.

1950s Bought over by Harry Clarke. The lower floors were used to make egg packing boxes and the upper levels used as chicken houses for egg production.

1970s Closed.

1992 Restoration work began by Keady & District Community Initiative to restore the mill to its former glory and open it as an interpretive centre, community offices, shop and restaurant.

The mill wheel was restored, and Vincey O'Connor posted a video of the mill wheel in action in 2009, you can watch it at YouTube.

A plaque on the side of JP Electrics in St Patrick's Street (see below) states, "the building as The Anchor Bar. and was popular with American Soldiers based in Keady prior to the Normandy Landings of 1944".

According to WartimeNI Keady Mill was used by both British and American troops during World War 2. The Americans were from 9th Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division and were here from 20 October 1943  to 11 April 1944. Some also stayed at Annvale and Darkley mills.

Most mothers worked hard to keep their daughters away from the American troops, but were not always successfully. 

The Americans were said to have enjoyed their time in Keady, but according to the plaque below, less than two months after they left here, they didn't even reach the beach at Normandy (or did they?). WartimeNI may seem to have a different version of what happened to them - .see LINK.

Turn right, along path, then right and thru’ gate into Keady Glen.

(NOTE: At times the gate into Keady Glen is locked. If this is the case, go up the steps on the left, then turn right up to Kinelowen Street (aka Main Street). Turn right along RHS pavement and after 170 yards veer right and down along Glen Road. After 100 yards you'll re-join the walk as it exits the play park).

What has been achieved in The Glen is quite tasteful. As you walk through it the path descends and the Clea River is to your RHS.  There are some picnic benches in the centre and the high sides gives it a closed and tranquil feel. The 1906 Map of Keady shows this area as a mill pond. When the mills closed it became muddy and uninviting until it was made accessible about 25 years ago. In 2012 there were plans for a major facelift, but this had to be put on hold as Japanese knotweed was found and would have to be fully cleared. According to Armagh I, at the time:

"The presence of knotweed – which spreads like wildfire – means the £650,000 glen project, which was being carried out to coincide with the construction of the new £2.5m Tommy Makem Community and Arts Centre, has been well and truly hampered."

Eventually, in October 2018, the work was fully completed and The Glen was officially reopened (see Armagh I).

At 0.14 miles. Exit Keady Glen and downhill towards a children’s play park.

At bottom, turn right and cross footbridge over river to seating area and turn right to a waterfall.

Retrace your steps back over the footbridge and straight on past play park to your RHS. 

From the photo above, you can see an information board and the 1906 Map of Keady. The map shows a beetling mill occupied where the seating area is now. It would have been powered by the river and the mill pond above it. During the 1970s and 1980s two handball alleys sat here, but they have long gone. There is a waterfall just to the right and you can see a short video of it at YouTube.

0.26 miles. Exit onto Glen Road and turn right and downhill.

Follow road as it veers right and under Keady Railway Viaduct.

Keady Railway Station sat above and just a short distance north of Glen Road (to the left in the above photo). The Armagh to Keady section of railway line opened on 31 May 1909. The following year, with the completion of the viaduct above, the Keady to Castleblayney section was opened. However, due to the Partition of Ireland, Keady Viaduct was only in use for 13 years. The line to Castleblayney closed on 2 April 1923. Passenger services to Armagh stopped on 1 Feb 1932. Goods trains continued to run until 1 Oct 1957, when Keady Station closed. You can read more about the Castleblayney, Keady and Armagh Railway at Wikipedia.

At YouTube you can watch a video showing the route of and what remains of the Armagh to Keady railway line. It's entitled, "Tracing the Armagh-Keady railway line on Google satellite and street view". There is also a second video of the old line from Keady to Castleblayney at "Tracing the Keady-Castleblayney railway line on Google satellite and street view".

Soon, after passing under the viaduct, look up and right across the river to can see the line of the mill race (see photo) which fed the old flour and beetling mills at Millmount Farm

At 0.5 miles, to the right-hand side (RHS), is the lane to Millmount Farm (Watson's Farm). The farmhouse is a B1 listed building and shown on the 1830 OS Map. It sits on the hill behind a bungalow next to the Clea River - see photo1 and photo2.

To the left, but now out of view, is the Keady Tunnel. It was built c1909 to take the proposed Ulster and Connacht Light Railway. The railway was to join Newry to Clifden. The route was to go through Bessbrook, Keady, Tynan, Maguiresbridge, Drumod, Roscommon, Tuam and Galway. However, the only part of this railway that was built was the Keady Tunnel, to take it under the Keady to Armagh Line. The tunnel is now used as a bus garage. See a photo of the tunnel from the other side at Geograph.

As you continue to follow Glen Road it climbs and parts company with the Clea River. However, the river is still visible through gaps in the hedgerow. It would have been nice to continue along the riverbank, but there is no access at present. 

In the photo above you can see what was the site of a beetling mill at Racarbry. Below it is the river and the tree-line above it marks what was the course of the mill race. In some old maps there were two beetling mills here and a mill pond in the area behind the tree-line.

0.7 miles, turn right through gap in wooden fence and follow path down thru’ trees and across footbridge at bottom (now in Keady Glen Park).

0.85 miles. Turn right and follow path parallel to mill race and eventually to a weir / waterfall.

Just across the river from the waterfall, in the field, was the site of a beetling mill - this is the one in the photo, two above, and visible from Glen Road. You can still see some of its foundations.

The area by the small waterfall is peaceful and scenic. For years a wooden bench sat here, firmly embedded in the ground. It was hugely popular with people of all ages. It was a place where young couples could would come and have time together over many decades. However, in early 2020 it was ripped out of the ground broken to pieces and thrown in the river.

Retrace your steps back along the path, but only as far as another path to the right.

0.97 miles. Turn right and down to cross a footbridge and then left along path with the Clea River to your LHS.

During World War 2, Keady Glen Park was used by American Troops for training and for rifle practise. Today, it's managed by the local council.

The glen may not be very large, but it's a magical place. It differs so much through the seasons. There are three paths through it: the river path which hugs the south bank of the river, and the one I have chosen for this walk; the flat path along the mill race is just north and above the river, and  the top path which climbs to run along the southern edge of the glen. In total they are just over a mile in length. If you wish you can extend this walk to 8.35 miles by having a dander around all three. I recommend you do, but up to you and instructions are at note below.

(NOTE: To extend this walk, turn left over the footbridge from car park, Follow the path left, then right, up a slope. At the top, veer right around an old overgrown mill pond. Then turn right, at junctions of paths. Follow a flat path with old, dry mill race to your right. After 370 yards, stay straight on past a footbridge over mill race. After another 40 yards, turn left down to cross the footbridge over river. Once over, turn right – the path starts to climb. Then follow path sharp left and still uphill. The path eventually leads down to the car park. If you have extended the walk, you can add 0.65 miles to the rest of the instructions below)

As a taster, I have complied two videos of walks of all the paths through the glen, one is from an afternoon in autumn, the other from a morning in summer. NOTE: It's best to open all videos by clicking on the YouTube name at the bottom right, this way you can watch them "full screen". 

1.21 miles. The path comes out onto a gravel carpark. Turn right and follow the ramp up, then left to the road. 

1.25 miles. Turn right along Annvale Road, stay on pavement on RHS.

As you are leaving the car park, if you look to the left hand corner, you'll see the Clea River disappear into a tunnel under Annvale Road (see short video). We won't meet it again for another 1.25 miles, but we will get some views down over its valley.

Across Annvale Road, from where you exit the car park, are the entrances to Keady Business Centre and to Ulster Builders Providers. They now sit where Annvale Mills stood, but some of the old mill buildings remain (see photo1 and photo2).  According to Ring of Gullion (see link):

"William Kirk bought over the Annvale factory in 1837, when it was mainly concerned with the finishing processes, but by the1840s the complex was weaving as well as bleaching and dyeing. At the height of production, every ounce of waterpower was utilised, the end-race for one mill providing the headrace for another."

The Clea River, from its source at Clea Lake to where it joined the Callan River at Dundrum, is just three miles long. However, in that short distance it drops by almost 300ft. Mill races were built all the way along it and many mill ponds dug to feed the water to the mills and linen factories which peppered the Clea Valley. 

Annvale was a huge operation, as you can see at Postcards Ireland, and although the linen industry here declined during the early 20th century, due to cheaper imports, Annvale continued by making carpets until the 1970s.

William Kirk's main residence was just a few hundred yards to the left along Annvale Road, at the now demolished Annvale House (named Anne Ville House on the 1830 map). As far as I can gather the name Annvale derives from his wife, Ann McClean, who he married in 1820 and named their home after. She was the sister of Henry McClean who owned the spinning mill in Darkley at the time.

Although, William Kirk was only one of many who help grow the linen industry in the area, he was influential and was popular. He was a politician and .philanthropist who campaigned for religious equality. Provided housing, healthcare and schools for his workers and their families.

Kirk died at his home on 20 Dec 1870, after a long illness. According to Ring of Gullion, "’By the time the cortège had reached Second Presbyterian Church in Keady, the end of the procession was still leaving the gates of Annvale House, a mile or so away".

1.5 miles. At crossroads, turn left into Granemore Road and uphill, (there is no pavement, so please take great care).

1.75 miles. Turn left onto narrow road (this is Tassagh Road on maps, but is signed Granemore Road).

After having climbed for the last half a mile, the road levels out and there are some great views to the left  over Annvale, some parts of Keady and the Clea Valley.

At 2.35 miles, to the right at the bottom of a long hill, are the remains of two beetling, the one next to the road is plainly visible (see photo). Old maps also show a third beetling mill was across the road where the house now is. The three mills were fed by a mill race from the Clea River, the line of which is still visible over the bridge wall on the right. This area was known as Greenmount, named after a house / farm we passed 100 yards back up the hill. It's at this point where the Clea and Callan valleys meet. The Callan River follows the tree-line along the bottom of the hills to the right, and the Clea along the tree-line which crosses the road in front.

Away to the right, you can see the tall chimney and ruins of Dundrum Mills.. Just behind them is where the Clea flows into the Callan and is the meeting point of three townlands, Tullyglush, Tassagh and Dundrum.

According to the Keady Section of Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by Samuel Lewis, 1837:

"In 1826, the Messrs. Sadler, of Leeds, created a very extensive establishment at Dundrum, and were the first who attempted to make linen from mill-spun yarn, and who introduced the manufacture of fine linen into this neighbourhood. Since that period, the increase of the trade has been very rapid. There are some very large mills for spinning flax at New Holland and Darkley, in which 780 persons (principally young females) are constantly employed ; an extensive manufactory for fine linen has been established at Ballier, affording employment to 2500 persons ; another for sheeting at Dundrum, and bleach-greens at Anvale, Greenmount, Dundrum, Ballier, Millview, Darkley, and Linenvale, where about 235,000 pieces of linen are annually finished, principally for the English market."

Continue to follow the narrow road. After 400 yards the road crosses the Clea River. If you look left, along the river, you'll see some farm buildings about 300 yards away. this was the site of a beetling mill and where a mill race flowed south from the Clea to feed the mills at Greenmount. 250 yards further upstream was yet another beetling mill at a place named Rock Mount. It took its name from a quarry next to it and was fed by another mill race, this time originating at Annvale and going just north from the Clea. The line of the mill race can still be seen at Google Earth and the buildings have been removed to make an enclosure for horses.

After crossing the Clea the road starts to climb and after another 230 yards comes up to a T-junction with Tassagh Road.

2.58 miles. At T-junction, turn left along Tassagh Road. Stay on LHS as there is a verge for most of the way and this road can be busy.

2.93 miles. Turn right into Batchelors Walk. Take care along this road as there is no pavement.

As the crow flies, the Batchelors Walk is only just over a mile from Tassagh Old Graveyard and site of Tassagh Priory. According to an information board at the graveyard:

"The Priory of Culdee in Armagh was founded in 779. This simple Order persisted in various parts of Ireland, including Armagh, until the Reformation.

The Culdees of Tassagh were under the jurisdiction of the Priory of Culdee in Armagh and remained as a monastic, rather than a secular settlement. We may therefore assume that the small side-road running by the old Tassagh graveyard, known as "Vestry Lane", gets its name from association with a priory or satellite type of priory. So also derives the name of a nearby roadway known as "The Batchelors Walk." 

After yards there are some bungalows to the right. The third has a diagonal driveway and it marks the line of where the the old Armagh to Keady railway crossed the road. You can see the line of it running southwest behind the works to the left.

3.62 miles. Turn right onto Keady Road, signed Armagh 6. Stay on RHS pavement.

This junction is known as "The Blind Man's Corner" - I'm sure there has to be a story as to why.

3.8 miles. Turn left to cross over (WITH CARE), signed "Killylea 8", and into Killyreavy Road.

Before crossing over, see if you can notice the old red "Hermitage" post box in the pillar next to the gate. It seems to still be in use. The well-maintained house, with the white fence, on the corner was originally a school. Firstly, named the National School and later the Hermitage School.

4.01 miles. At crossroads, turn right into Iskymeadow Road.

It is claimed the funeral procession of Brian Boru, last High King of Ireland, passed through Keady on its way from Dublin to Armagh. The old road from the south came into Keady in a straight line from just below Clea Lake, via a narrow closed road, behind the police barracks, to where the monument now sits in Market Street. If you then turn left into Main Street (now Kinelowen Street) the road goes in a straight line for 0.75 miles, where the now A29 (Keady to Armagh Road) veers left and right around a hill past Wilson's Garage. However, as the road bends left an old lane goes straight on over the hill and re-joins the road. The A29 continues straight on along the line of the lane and then turns right past Iskymeadow Road. Yet, Iskymeadow Road stays on straight for 0.6 miles, then veers left and continues in a straight line for another 1.25 miles . Could this be the route of the "Old Road"? The Romans never invaded Ireland, but they did have an influence here, also St Patrick was brought up in Roman Britain. They Romans built straight roads and didn't worry about marching up and down hills. Iskymeadow Road is definitely an old thoroughfare lined with mature hedges and trees. Apart from one bend the rest is in two completely straight lines over the hills. Add the "Old Road" into Keady from the south, then you have almost 4 miles of straight roads, with just 2 bends (see Google Map and GPX Map). Maybe, some historian can fill us in here.

At 4.45 miles Iskymeadow Road crosses an old bridge over Roughan Burn, a stream that flows into the Callan River near Tassagh Viaduct. The burn forms the boundary of Iskymeadow and Roughan Townlands. Just a few yards to the left is also the border of four townlands, add Drumhirk and Killyreavy to the two above.

5.04 miles. At crossroads, turn right and uphill.

5.3 miles. Straight on, past narrow road to LHS.

Less than 500 yards along the road we pass, to our LHS, is Roan Cottage. According to an article at BBC (see LINK) this was the home of Private William McBride. It states:

"The famous song “No Man’s Land” by Eric Bogle is better known by other names such as “The Green Fields of France” or just “Willie McBride” and is about the singer resting by the grave of a young soldier killed in the First World War and reflecting on his death and the horrors of war.

County Armagh historian Trevor Geary believes he has found the identity of the eponymous Willie McBride. Gordon Adair tells the story."

For more information about William McBride see Lives of the First World War (and at LINK). You can listen to the original, sung by Eric Bogle, at YouTube. Also, here's a link to the better known version by The Fureys and Davy Arthur - note how different they are.

At this point, if you look over the field gate to your right, you can see down into the Roughan Burn Valley and an old derelict cottage. To the left of this the land rises up and at the top is a clump of tress. This is Roughan Fort, an ancient ringfort / rath. It is marked as "Fort" on the 1830s and 1860s OS Maps. As you continue to climb, you should be able to get better views of the fort through gaps in the hedgerow. Also, see view from Google Earth.

Below is a short aerial video (my thanks to Paul Hughes for this) named "Landmarks round Keady Co. Armagh in 4K". The first on this is Roughan Fort.

After another two hundred yards the road start to descend around sharp bends past a house and a farm. Near the bottom there is a great view over the Callan Valley, and Tassagh Viaduct and Mill.

5.67 miles. Cross straight over A29 (WITH CARE) and into Dundrum Road, signed “Tassagh 2”.

At 5.86 miles, Roughan Brook flows under the road and soon joins the River Callan. Just past this is Tassagh Mill to your LHS and ahead is Tassagh Railway Viaduct.

The mill is one of the many beetling mills which operated in Tassagh through the years. This was one of the largest and nowadays is usually referred to as Tassagh Mill. At Armagh Chronicle you can read a story from 1907 entitled "The Minor Miracle At A Tassagh Beetling Mill" (link broken). In the early 20th century Tassagh had an active music scene, with some of the larger mills used as venues. The story suggests it relates to either this mill, or another which we pass soon at Vestry Lane. There are many videos of the mill on the Internet, here's just one entitled "Tassagh Viaduct Armagh"..

The spectacular 11-arch Tassagh Viaduct spans the Callan River Valley. It is 570 feet long and 79 feet at its greatest height. It was built by the Castleblayney, Keady and Armagh Railway Company. It is said 11 workers (one for each arch) died in accidents during construction. According to Wikipedia, goods trains ran on the Armagh to Keady section from March 1908 and passenger trains from 31 May 1909. The Keady to Castleblayney section was opened on 11 Nov 1910. However, due to the Partition of Ireland, the line to Castleblayney closed on 2 April 1923. Passenger services to Armagh stopped on 1 Feb 1932. Goods trains continued to run until 1 Oct 1957, when Keady Station closed. You can read more about the Castleblayney, Keady and Armagh Railway at Wikipedia.

Along the 10 mile line between Armagh and Keady there were also stops at Irish Street Halt, Milford, Ballyards Halt and Tassagh Halt. The latter was just to the left on the Armagh side of the viaduct. 

The Armagh Rail Disaster of 12 June 1889 remains Ireland's worst rail disaster. It happened just outside Armagh City, when an overloaded Sunday school excursion train, on its way to the seaside at Warrenpoint, stalled when climbing a hill. It was decided to split the carriages and take them up in two stages. However, the rear portion was inadequately braked and ran back down the gradient, colliding with a following train. 80 people died and 260 were injured, a third of them children. You may wonder what this has to do with Tassagh Viaduct. Well, on 27 December 1924 Armagh came very close to having another rail disaster, this time at Tassagh Viaduct. You can read the story, entitled "How A Lislea Farmer Prevented A Second Armagh Rail Disaster" (link broken) at Armagh Chronicle.

Once again there are lots of videos of Tassagh Viaduct on the Internet. To see a short one follow the link to YouTube.

Below the viaduct and next to Dundrum Road, is a "Beetlers' Trail" information board. It tells some of the history of Tassagh, including the Viaduct. The Beetlers' Trail is a partly waymarked 8.6 mile rural walk around Keady and Tassagh and intended to remember the linen industry in the area. You can download the route at MapMyWalk. When I first came across this trail in 2015, I searched the Internet to try and find out more, but there wasn't a lot. However, this information board proved useful and I drew the map of the route at the link above. I also knew about the large mills at Darkley and Annvale and thought maybe they should also be included. So, I began researching and started to work on a scenic, history walk, similar to ones in other areas, I had completed in the past. This website is the result. I hope you are enjoying it and possibly even walking the route.

Along the stretch of road from here to Tassagh Bridge, we follow the Callan River upstream and pass the ruins and previous sites of many old mills. I’ll mention a few here, but to find out more information on them all see the Interactive Google Map. Also, if you are here on a Sunday morning, you may get a chance to see the unique, ancient and pure sport of Road Bowls.

Road Bowling (aka Bullets, or "Ból an bhóthair" in Irish) is usually played between two individuals or teams. It entails throwing a 28 ounce solid iron ball, a "bullet", along a road between two points. A match is named a "score" and is held on a country lane of a mile or more. The aim is to cover the course in the least throws. The sport dates back to at least the 17th century and is mainly played in the Irish counties of Armagh and Cork, but is also played in a few other Irish counties and a number of countries around the world. You can read more at Wikipedia and at KSAOH Road Bowling.

Again, there are lots of videos available to watch on Road Bowling. Below are just a few:

• In June 2018, BBC True North aired a programme named "Bullet Men" (at present not available), you can read about it and watch a short video at LINK.

• In 2010, Vincey O'Connor uploaded a video entitled "Keady Road Bowls at Tassagh"..

• In 2013, Darragh O'Neill uploaded  "A short documentary about the sport of road bowls in the Armagh area", It is informative, has some great scenes from Tassagh and some historic footage.

• I'll leave you with a very tasteful video, part 1 of 3 of a documentary of the history of road bowling in Cork, Armagh and the world. It's mainly about County Cork, but the three video tell how road bowling expanded and how Cork and Armagh came together to make it into an international sport and sport for all. Just click on Part 2 and 3 on the right hand side when the previous finishes. It's entitled "Splitting The Sop - Irish Road Bowling".

As you continue along Dundrum Road, the Callan River is soon parallel and next to the road. This is a lovely walk, but please take care as there is no pavement.

At 6.4 miles, to the right, is Tassagh Old Graveyard. An information board, just inside the gate, claims this is the 2nd oldest Christian graveyard in Ireland. Apparently, it is also the site of an ancient Priory of the Culdees. It's really worth a visit and a look around.

Also, to read more about the "Seal of the Dean of Clonmacnois", found here in 1832 during the digging of a grave, see Library Ireland.

Friends of Sliabh Fuait is a group, formed in 2018 to promote the history and culture of the local area (They do a great job, and I'll refer to them many times on this walk). You can watch their launch video at their website, and listen to a podcast at the group's "Driving Tour", entitled "Tassagh Old Graveyard" at SoundCloud.

Below are two videos of the old graveyard. The first is a short pictorial tour; the second is longer and I have some help with reading the information board.

6.41 miles. Immediately after Tassagh Old Graveyard, turn right along the lane, next to the graveyard (Vestry Lane, but not signed). After 75 yards you’ll see the remains of Bleach and Beetling Mill on the right, and soon past this, to the left, along a grass lane, is what once was a Corn Mill and later Beetling Mill.

6.47 miles. Turn around and retrace your steps back along the lane to Dundrum Road and turn right.

180 yards, along Dundrum Road, after the Old Graveyard, an over-grown, old bridge crosses the Callan River. In Summer it is easily missed, but is just 30 yards back from a private drive which also crosses the Callan. I've tried to find out more information about the old bridge, but so far have failed. However, looking at the 1830s OS map it seems to be the only bridge over the river to the bleach mill at Balleer. By the 1860s the map also shows a beetling mill had also been built here, but a second stone bridge spanned the river, just 30 yards upstream, to give access to the house at Balleer. The second bridge is still in use today.

At 6.9 miles, on the right of the road is a parking area large enough for just one car. It was probably created by motorists pulling in to get a view of the weirs as it's a beautiful spot on the river. When I took the photo below (6 July 2021) there had been a dry spell and the river was lower than usual.

Due to the water-level being low, it meant I was able to walk along the top weir and get the photo below of Killyfaddy Road West Bridge.

6.92 miles. Stay straight on past Killyfaddy Road West to your LHS.

Above the road, to the right, is a large house named Millview House. According to the Keady Section of Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837), by Samuel Lewis, it was home to  Jos. McKee. He was miller of a large beetling mill, the remains of which seems to sit behind a newer house just opposite the junction of the two roads. 

100 yards later the Ballymacone River joins the Callan from the left. This river was also important for the linen industry and on the Interactive Google Map I have marked the sites of the closest three mills to here.

To the left, after a short distance, is an old terrace of three mill workers cottages. They date from before 1830 and are of special historic interest. In 2013, then Environment Minister, Alex Attwood stepped in to save them from demolition. You can read about this at the Belfast Telegraph. In February 2020 Armagh I reported, there were plans to have the cottages, now listed buildings, restored and extended.

As you continue along Dundrum Road, keep your eyes on the fields to your left and usually there are a few friendly donkeys and Shetland ponies. 

At 7.35 miles, to the right is another old beetling mill. Just after this Dundrum Road crosses over the Callan River, which now runs parallel to our right.

At 7.53 miles, past Tassagh Presbyterian Church to your right. It’s quite unique in that you have to cross a footbridge over the Callan River to reach it.

From here to the end of Part 1, at Tassagh Bridge, there is a pavement on the RHS of the road. For safety reasons, please use it.

Just around the next corner is Basil Sheils Bar & Restaurant to your left. This has a riverside beer garden on the opposite side of the road. There is also a large car park across the river which is reached by a footbridge. To read more about Shiels visit its website.

As well as the Road Bowling, many of other events take place in Tassagh. One worth a mention is the annual “Skip Car Tour”. This is a huge charity event which raises money for Marie Curie Cancer Care and Southern Area Hospice. It usually takes place on the last weekend in May. On the Saturday there is the Orchard Truck Run with hundreds of trucks, led by the “Skip Car”. It starts from Tassagh and go in a convey through Keady, Armagh City and other local areas. The next day is the Tractor Run, another huge convey, again led by the Skip Car. It all culminate with a night of music and events at Basil Shiels’ Bar.

To find out more, visit the Skip Car Tour Facebook Page where there is a huge amount of information and many videos. As a taster, below are links to a few videos from YouTube.

• ·      “Skip Car Orchard Truck Run 2016” (by Murphy Videos).

• ·      “Orchard Truck Run 2019” (by Murphy Videos),

• ·     “2017 Skip Car Tour Tractor Run at Caramoyle Crossroads, Keady Co. Armagh” (by Paul Hughes Video).

From Basil Shiels, continue along the RHS pavement for 200 yards and finish, just before the crossroads, by Tassagh Bridge

Just across the river, behind trees, is yet another old beetling mill which seems to be well preserved and still in use for other purposes. .

Before we leave Tassagh, a question. Would you say it's the best place to live in Ireland? Well according to an article in The Irish Times, from April 2012, it was one of those nominated.

If you decide to finish your walk here, then you can catch a 69 bus back to Keady. See Bus Timetable  If you wish to continue see Part 2 of this walk.