Castlefreke – Rathbarry Old Churches Loop

This walk leads you through woodland tracks to the ruined Rathbarry churches, where you will first encounter the nineteenth-century Church of Ireland, built in a more ornate style than many of the churches of its time, due to a substantial contribution from Lord Carbery. Close by is a much older church, with thirteenth-century features, now in a state of deterioration. The graveyard and older church contain graves and tombs mainly of nineteenth- and twentieth-century dates, with the earliest that of Sir Ralph Freke, who died in 1717. On your way back to the carpark look out on your left for the circular ringfort or ‘ráth’, visible through the reeds alongside the trail.