Keady to Tassagh Bridge

Description

Start at Tommy Makem Arts & Community Centre (TMAC).

(D) Go west, away from TMAC, then right and down over Clea River and past Keady Mill. Turn right, along the path, then right and thru’ gate into Keady Glen. If the gate into Keady Glen is locked, go up the steps on the left, then turn right up to Kinelowen Street (Main Street). Turn right along right hand side pavement and after 170 yards veer right and down along Glen Road, to re-join route after 80 yards.

Exit Keady Glen and downhill towards a children’s play park. At the bottom, turn right and cross a footbridge over the river to the seating area and turn right to a waterfall : this was once the site of a beetling mill.

(1) Retrace your steps back over the footbridge and straight on past play park to your right hand side. Exit onto Glen Road and turn right and downhill. Follow the road as it veers right and under Keady Railway Viaduct. Just past the viaduct, if you look up and right across the river, you can see the line of the mill-race which fed the old flour and beetling mills at Millmount Farm.

At 0.5 miles, past the lane to Millmount Farm to your right-hand side. Turn right through a gap in a wooden fence and follow the path down thru’ trees and across the footbridge at the bottom (now in Keady Glen Park). Turn right and follow the path parallel to the mill-race and eventually to a weir/waterfall. (Just across the river, in the field, was the site of two beetling mills. You can still see some of the foundations).

Retrace your steps back along the path, but only as far as another path to the right. Turn right and down to cross a footbridge and then left along a path with the Clea River to your left hand side.

The path comes out onto a gravel car park. At the car park, turn right and follow the ramp up, then left to the road. Across the road, you can see the buildings which remain from what was Annvale Mills.

(2) Turn right along Annvale Road, stay on the pavement on right hand side. At crossroads, turn left into Granemore Road and uphill.

(3) Turn left onto the narrow road (this is Tassagh Road on maps, but is signed Granemore Road). Near the bottom of a long hill, to the right are the remains of two beetling and in the distance, you can see the tall chimney and ruins of Dundrum Mills, where the Clea River joins the Callan River. After another 160 yards, the road crosses the Clea River.

(4) At T-junction, turn left (also Tassagh Road). Stay on left hand side as there is a verge. Turn right into Batchelor's Walk.

(5) Turn right onto Keady Road, signed “Armagh 6”. Stay on right hand side pavement. Turn left to cross over (WITH CARE), signed “Killylea 8”, and into Killyreavy Road.

(6) At crossroads, turn right into Iskymeadow Road. At 4.54 miles the road crosses over Roughan Burn. At crossroads, turn right and uphill. Straight on, past the narrow road to left hand side.

(7) Cross straight over A29 (WITH CARE) and into Dundrum Road, signed “Tassagh 2”. The road crosses Roughan Brook, then past Tassagh Mill to your left hand side and soon under Tassagh Railway Viaduct. 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 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 sport of Road Bowls. Past Tassagh Old Graveyard to your right hand side (apparently the 2nd oldest Christian graveyard in Ireland and once the site of Tassagh Priory).

(8) Immediately after Tassagh Old Graveyard, turn right along the lane, next to the graveyard (Vestry Lane). After 75 yards you’ll see the remains of Bleach and Beetling Mill to your right, and soon past this, to the left, along a grass lane, is what once was a Corn Mill / Beetling Mill. Turn around and retrace your steps back along the lane to Dundrum Road and turn right. Stay straight on past Killyfaddy Road West to your left hand side. 100 yards later the Ballymacone River joins the Callan from the left. To the right hand side is another old beetling mill.

(9) Just after this Dundrum Road crosses over the Callan River, which now runs parallel to our right. Past Tassagh Presbyterian Church to your right hand side (use the pavement on right hand side). Past Basil Sheils Bar & Restaurant to your left hand side. Finish at Tassagh Bridge. This is 8.35 miles, if you have chosen to extend as recommended above. Just across the river, behind trees, is yet another old beetling mill.:A::

If you decide to finish your walk here, then you can catch a 69 bus back to Keady. If you wish to continue, then see the next step called : Tassagh Bridge to Darkley.