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The East Munster Way passes through Clonmel.

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WALK: EAST MUNSTER WAY

This 70km walk travels through forest and open moorland, along small country roads and a river towpath. It’s clearly laid out with black markers bearing yellow arrows, and could be managed in three days, starting at Carrick-on-Suir (opposite) in County Tipperary and finishing at Clogheen in County Waterford.

The first day takes you to Clonmel following the old towpath on the Suir for significant portions of the route. At Kilsheelan Bridge, you leave the river to Harney’s Crossroads, then wander through Gurteen Wood and the Comeraghs to Sir Thomas Bridge where you rejoin the river.

For the second day to Newcastle the way first leads south into the hills and then descends to Newcastle and the river once more. The third day sees a lot of very atmospheric walking along the quiet River Tar to Clogheen.

Ordnance Survey Discovery series maps 74 and 75 cover the route.

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FETHARD

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Fethard (Fiodh Ard) is a quiet, cute little village with a surprising number of medieval ruins scattered about its compact, linear centre. Located 14km north of Clonmel on the River Clashawley, it has a good slice of its old walls still intact. Driving north on the R689 you cross a small ridge and see Fethard in the emerald valley below, looking much as it would have to travellers centuries ago. Its wide main street testifies to its historic role as an important market town.

You can get information from the cheery office of the Tirry Community Centre ( 052-613 1000; Barrack St; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri). Ask for the walking-tour leaflet. You can also find good information at www.fethard.ie.

There’s an ATM in Kenny’s Foodmarket, about 50m northeast along the road from the Tirry Community Centre.

Sights

Fethard’s Holy Trinity Church and churchyard ( 052-612 6643; Main St; admission free) lie within a captivating little time warp. The church is right off Main St and is reached through a cast-iron gateway. Getting inside is part of the adventure: get the keys from the XL Stop & Shop (aka Whyte’s) on Main St, 50m west of the gate.

The main part of the building dates from the 13th century, but its ancient walls have been rather blighted by being covered with mortar for weatherproofing. The handsome west tower was added later and has had its sturdy stonework uncovered. It looks more like a fortified tower house and has savage-looking finials on its corner turrets. The interior of the church has an aisled nave and a chancel of typical medieval style, but is sparsely furnished. A ruined chapel and sacristy adjoin the south end of the church. It is the context of the entire churchyard that is the real winner. Old gravestones descend in ranks to a refurbished stretch of medieval wall complete with a guard tower and a parapet, from where you can look down on the gentle River Clashawley between its horse-trod banks.

Close to the church in Main St is the 17th-century town hall, with some fine coats of arms mounted on the facade.

Fethard’s main concentration of medieval remains (some of which have been incorporated into later buildings) are just south of the church at the end of Watergate St. Beside Castle Inn are the ruins of several fortified 17th-century tower houses. Just under the archway to the river bank and Watergate Bridge is a fine sheila-na-gig (a sexually explicit medieval depiction of a woman) embedded in the wall to your left. You can stroll the river bank, provided the resident geese are feeling friendly. From here, the backs of the Abbey St houses, although much added to and knocked about in places, once again display the pleasing irregularities of typical medieval building style.

East along Abbey St is the 14th-century Augustinian friary, which is now a Catholic church, with some fine, medieval stained glass and another in-your-face sheila-na-gig in its east wall.

Eating & Drinking

McCarthy’s ( 052-613 1149; Main St; lunch €5-10) A classic that deserves national