On Monday, June 9, 2014, cousin John Mills dropped his son, Sean Mills, myself and Pam Wills off at the foot of the western slopes of Slieve Foy on the Tain Way. Sean, Pam and I walked the way over the mountain and into Carlingford in the footsteps of epic Irish heroes.
Our guide, Sean Mills, proposed the walk and it fell on our last full day in Ireland. Sean’s father and our host for this visit, John Mills, transported the group including my wife Pam to the starting point at the foot of Slieve Foy.
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Yes, if there is any part of the Tain Way the the mythic Irish heroes trod it is this one over Slieve Foy mountain. The saga, in Irish “Táin Bó Cúailnge” and “The Cattle Raid of Cooley” in English, features this bull, “Donn Cuailnge” “The Brown Bull of Cooley”, here as a statue erected 2011 by the Grange and District Residents Association.
Donn Cuailnge raged over the very slopes we walked this day. The myths themselves fill a volume and I am unable to do them justice here.
On the way, John stopped at the Old Aghameen School he attended in the late 1930’s early 1940’s 70 years before and we pass through the country soon to grace our views.
Many thanks to the Glenmore Athletic Club, the Cooley Walking Forum and land owners who provide access to the Tain Way.
We had our leave taking with John, who planned to stay near the phone for our call from Carlingford, if all went according to plan. That same year Pam had the first of two total knee replacements. This was our longest hike in Ireland and Pam was not likely to miss it, regardless of any pain. Pam is always ready to smile.
At start, the Tain Way is broad, green and welcoming.
The western slopes of Slieve Foy hold views of a valley among the Cooley Mountains with Dundalk Bay of the Irish Sea to the south / southeast. It was not long before the view started to open and, then, opened and opened the entire walk to the top. We were graced with a lovely, cloudy, June day. Mist only, no rain. Plenty of wind, not strong.
Farms are all about. Here a farmer attends to the flock. They know who he is.
The lower slopes hold many small stream among granite stones. 
I will continue with our walk on the Tain Way soon enough.
Click for the next chapter of our time on the Tain Way
Here’s a previous Ireland posting……
Michael Stephen Wills Photography 
My ex-husband had Mills in his family, a Reverend David Mills lived in Maine. (U.S.) There were also some Charles Mills family members in Chicago, Illinois. I’m sure it is a common name. I just paid attention to this grand hike with its reminiscings. Beautiful countryside! 🙂
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Mills is not so common in Ireland. That clan is the only one they know of. Its mostly English, Scottish. My name is Wills, so it is a little confusing at first. Thanks for visiting and so happy to hear of your enjoyment.
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Link to Online Gallery doesn’t work? Well, it does, but says “Artists Rising has closed shop”.
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Thanks for pointing this out. I am working to replace those links. Will take a look.
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OK, John, the link is now fixed. Thanks for much.
This is the new location for my Online gallery:
http://MichaelStephenWills.imagekind.com/
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Ah yes. Thank you. I like Saguaro Sky and I never met a sunset I didn’t like.
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Wunderschöne Landschaft!🙂 And much joy with their blog ,,, and many thanks for their visit .. are are welcome. And all the best for the future.
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Thank you so much, Nilzeitung. I am now following your blog. Looking forward to it.
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I sure enjoyed this hardy hike on the Tain Way, Michael — full of history, and now so beautiful with the emerald fields, granite stones, grazing sheep. Your photos are really beautiful, I love that one with the small waterfall in the foreground, it demonstrates the abundant moisture and slope, a surprise.
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Thanks for visiting, Jet and for the compliment. This part of Ireland has so much rain, the street signs grow moss.
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Your words are very descriptive and the pictures go along well with your story, great job.
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Thanks for visiting improvises and for the compliment. Most appreciated. I am working on parts 2 and 3 of this hike to come over the pass and into an official EU leprechaun preserve overlooking Carlingford.
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I can’t wait for part 2 and 3
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Oh dear, I do miss Ireland. Someday I will get back there again. In the meantime, thank you for your photos and visit 😊
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My pleasure, Alastair.
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Will we see what Wills wills us to? We will. Good of you to make that willful connection with your overseas Wills clan.
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Our Ireland cousins are named Mills, the Wills were Quakers via post 17th Century Civil War England.
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What’s an M but an upside-down W, right? Whether an Irish Mills wills Wills in Ithaca anything remains to be seen.
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M and W are two distinct letters having little to connect them. “Double-U” is the only letter name with multiple syllables and which does not contain the sound the letter represents. It is a relatively recent addition to the alphabet. “M” as a letter shape and be traced back thousands of years, to the earliest writing systems.
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