Overview
The oak that went into Trinity College Dublin and, it’s said, St Paul’s Cathedral in London came from Tomnafinnoge, the wood that the Tinahely railway walk connects with. That traffic-free trail, laid along part of a former branch line, is the main reason to come. It runs past stone bridges and riverbank bluebells and links with one of the old oak woods of the area. Tinahely sits in the broad valley of the Derry River in south County Wicklow, near the Carlow and Wexford borders, and doubles as a base for walkers on the Wicklow Way.
The Railway Walk and Tomnafinnoge Oak Wood
The Woodenbridge-to-Shillelagh line opened on 22 May 1865 to serve the Fitzwilliam estate and move timber and farm goods. It closed to passengers and goods in April 1944 and shut completely the following year. Decades on, local volunteers cleared the overgrown trackbed into a public path, and the first 2.3 km opened in 2007.
Sport Ireland lists the full trail as 7.8 km one way, with an easy grade and little ascent. The southern trailhead is at the Tomnafinnoge Woods car park near Greenhall Bridge. There is also a trailhead and parking at Kilcommon Bridge, and the northern end is just past Rosbawn. Follow the red arrows and decide in advance whether you will turn back or arrange a lift; for a shorter outing, walk one section and retrace your steps.
Stone railway bridges and woodland line the route, a wooden footbridge crosses the Derry near Kilcommon, and bluebells line the bank in spring, with wildflowers in the meadows by summer. The trail connects with Tomnafinnoge Oak Wood, a Special Area of Conservation planted long ago by the Fitzwilliam family and saved from clear-felling by a local campaign in the 1980s. It is in the care of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, with a few shorter loops through the old oaks and hazel.
History and heritage
Medieval churches at Preban and Kilcommon show there was settlement here long before the village took its present shape. That shape came out of the 1798 Rebellion: built to house workers on the vast Coollattin Estate, Tinahely was burned in reprisal and rebuilt in the early 1800s under Earl Fitzwilliam. Monuments around the parish, at Whitefield Cemetery and Ballinglen Bridge, mark battle sites and the execution of the rebel brothers Philip and Patrick Lacey.
The Famine cut deep too. In 1850 the local priest, Fr Hoare, organised the emigration of dozens of families aboard the clipper Ticonderoga to New Orleans. Whitefield Cemetery holds graves from those years, and a limestone marker set up in 2000 records the parish church that stood on the site until 1798.
Other walks
Tinahely is a walking hub as much as a village. Community volunteers have waymarked a set of looped routes for different levels, including Mangan’s Loop, the Ballycumber Loop and the Kyle Loop, with a map to download at tinahely.org. The southern stretch of the Wicklow Way is a short drive away, crossing Muskeagh Hill with views across three counties. If you only do one walk, take the old railway line, which has little ascent and connects with the oak woods.
In the village
Dwyer Square centres on the restored Market House, now home to the public library. Opposite stands the Courthouse Arts Centre, built in 1843 as a working courthouse and, by the 1980s, close to derelict; a local committee restored it with FÁS grants and reopened it in 1996 for theatre, music, film and exhibitions. Check the centre’s own website for box office hours and what is on.
Families tend to head for the Tinahely Farm Shop, Restaurant and Activity Centre, which has an indoor beach, a pedal go-kart track and rare-breed animals, a decent wet-day fallback. Check opening times and prices with them before you go. For a quieter stop, there are a few traditional pubs and cafés around the square.
Getting there and practical notes
- By car: Tinahely is on the R747 between Baltinglass and Arklow. Use the Tomnafinnoge Woods car park near Greenhall Bridge or the trailhead at Kilcommon Bridge.
- By bus: Public transport is thin. Check current route numbers and times with Transport for Ireland before relying on a bus, and note that the nearest railway station is Wicklow Town, about 30 km away.
- Facilities: The railway walk and looped trails are free to use. Dogs are allowed on a lead.
- The show: The Tinahely Agricultural Show is held each summer at Fairwood Park, with livestock, produce and a country day out. Check local listings for the date.