I have always been intrigued when out cycling and seeing small inconspicuous signs on buildings and on poles in fields. One that comes to mind was a field in a remote countryside that had a plaque on a pole. The field was set for grazing as was most of that area. This was the site of a mass grave from the Great Famine, names and numbers probably not recorded. Without the small plaque it was just another field.
There is a very nice road over Slieve Gullion, but when you realise you are looking at an extinct volcano, that to me is a different sensation.
Every day we are cycling we are passing history, geographical landscapes and seeing wildflowers and listening to bird song.
In France, the Federation Francaise de Cyclotourisme (FFCT) have many touring brevets and a friend persuaded me to try the Brevet de provinces Francaises (BPF). They say when you have visited all 600 places on their list you have seen all of France. Suddenly, it was not a problem to drive to the Bordeaux area for an event for a 600KM Audax event if I got 4 BPFs along the way. So I would spend two days in the Bordeaux doing more. This was a great way to see the countryside and learn the geography at the same time.
I eventually realised that this model would work in Ireland. It took me months to come with a workable solution with a lot of helpful suggestions from many people in the Audax community.
In an ideal world I would have cycled to all these places to check them for accessibility, but it was two COVID-19 lock downs which gave me the time to do this.
All facts quoted are from the the internet and most can be disputed. So only regard these facts as places to go cycling. If something is blatantly wrong then please tell me with some reference.
If particular places really interest you, I encourage you to do further research online prior to your visit. Some have a good story and are worth reading up on and you will get more out of your visit in doing so.
I tried to diversify as much as possible and avoid repetition. Some places may get changed in time for various reasons but this will only be changed in January each year.
Eddie Dunne