Coosan Point / Lough Ree Park

Coosan Point Road, with the church in the distance

After seeing a sign for Coosan Church, I altered my plan and decided to take a chance to see if it was an older church (perhaps from the 18th or 19th century). This meant that I was abandoning my intended plan to walk along the Shannon River in West Coosan. Nevertheless, the path to the church was on Coosan Point Road, and armed with an iPhone, I decided to follow that road to the end. Very soon after turning onto the road the church came into view – it was not 19th century. In fact, the sign out front read: “Our Lady, Queen of Peace, Coosan, 1973.” I pressed on.

From Coosan Road, the Point is approximately 2.1 miles each way. I knew by choosing this path I had a long hike ahead of me. The road led through a residential area that gradually become more rural. Although a mostly sunny day, the wind had a touch of coolness to it, perhaps portending the rain that was supposed to come the following day. At the intersection of the last turn off before reaching the point (which is still a mile away), Coosan National School sits in an isolated setting. The school is using portable classrooms (something I remember from my high school days), so it appears that there is no shortage of children in the area.

For a brief portion of the walk, just past St. Kiernan’s Cemetery, there is no shoulder to walk on, so it can be daunting as automobiles approach. When cars go by, you have to trust that the drivers are not texting or have not had too much to drink at the park. Past the cemetery the speed limit increases. Although it is 60km/h, and the road narrows, the cars actually go much faster than that. Nevertheless, my sense is that Irish drivers are more cognizant of pedestrians than Americans. This notion is buoyed by the number of walkers and runners I passed during my various walks in Ireland.

Old farmhouse

Remnants of an old stone building near the point

As I neared the point, I occasionally caught a whiff of peat burning. It is one of the most pleasant and evocative smells I know. I always muse to myself about caring some peat back home in my luggage in order to take the smell home with me. With my relatively new iPhone, I have almost everything that a chronicler / aspiring writer would want. In my pocket I have something to take photographs, write notes, record sounds, search maps and potential sources of information; however, despite the incredible technological revolution of the past two decades there is still nothing to capture and record smells. My trips to the Irish countryside never seem complete until I can once again get a brief sample of the enticing aroma of peat moss heating rural homes.

Once I reached the point, I found the park there to be enchanting. The point is on Lough Ree, where the River Shannon actually forms a large lake. Although I was unable to do this on the current trip, something that I found tempting was that many of the islands in the lake have the ruins of houses, churches and monasteries for exploration, which are only accessible by boat (kayak, motor, or canoe). Several people in the park were enjoying a Saturday cookout or the playground for children. There were many boats in the marina. The mild sunny day made for an excellent time of exploration.

Lough Ree with islands

Returning to Athlone by foot I passed a woman with a rolling shopping cart near the Coosan Pub. As I neared her, she asked me in a thick Irish accent, “Are you enjoying the weather?” I replied that I was very much and asked her if she was as well. Her reply was confusing, “Oh no, I had to go out for pears.” I am not sure that the woman said pears or not – that is what it sounded like. I have wracked my brain for several days now thinking of what she meant and I cannot come to any other conclusion. My reaction was to laugh nervously and bid her a good day. I could not think of anything else and did not want to be dragged into a crazy conversation.