The Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rally

One of the greatest boasts of the Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rally, is that of unravelling the centuries old enigma of time travel! Long has the question of its possibility been mulled over, and long is the list of failed contraptions, designed for quantum leaping! “So is time travel possible?” you ask. Well, we have been doing it, every August, since 2015, on a time-machine that was invented by an Irishman, in 1892! The apparatus in question is, of course, Ernest Bowden’s High Nelly Bicycle. Upon this machine, attired in vintage clothes, we plot our course through time; awakening long forgotten histories, exploring our rich cultural heritage, and bringing them both to life through talks, reenactments, and pageants. It’s relatively easy to visit the past because it envelops us! History is everywhere, and only ceases to be history, when time progresses beyond the unrecorded memory of a place, or event. And unlikely as that sounds, in our modern age, it happens. Our time travelling mission is to journey from present to past, preserving our heritage for the future! Our Heritage Cycle is inspired by William Bulfin, who returned to Ireland in 1902, having worked in Argentina. He purchased a steel framed bicycle, made by Pierce of Wexford, and set off on a road tour of his beloved Ireland. His journey would wind and weave a route of over 3,000 miles, along the countless highways, byways and country lanes of all four provinces. He recorded the details of his venture, cataloguing all the places he had visited, the people he encountered, and the histories they imparted; both whimsical and factual. These writings were published in 1907, in a book entitled, Rambles In Eirinn, and it is considered one of the most important social and historical documentations of Ireland in that era. Reading it is also a pretty astute way to time travel!

About our 2021 Event

ON THE ROAD AGAIN IN 2021 Irish Country Roads & Culture Trails Bulfin Heritage Cycle 2021 After much deliberation, which…

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A Man Who Loved Ireland

William Bulfin William Bulfin was a man who loved everything about Ireland; its heritage, its landscape, its people. Nowhere was…

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Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rally 2021

Irish Country Roads & Culture TrailsPresentRambles in EirinnBulfin Heritage Cycle Rally – National Heritage Week 2021 The Bulfin Heritage Cycle…

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Program Schedule

Saturday August 21st 2021

  • Our Partners

    We are so grateful for the support of all our partners, who help to make the Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rally the success that it is!

  • Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rally 2021

    Bulfin Heritage Cycle Back On The Road.

    After much deliberation, which included changing our minds on several occasions over the course of the last few months; our committee have finally decided to hold a much-reduced Bulfin Heritage Cycle this year.
     
    In terms of the event, the following has been decided: The Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rally will be held on Saturday August 21st, as part of our National Heritage Week of events.
     
    The event will be for One Day only, as opposed to our usual two days, and will be 100% outdoors.
    Unfortunately, with all  things considered, in relation to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, this year’s heritage cycle will be confined to just 20 cyclists. These will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis.
    We do realise that this may lead to disappointment for some, as our events have been so well attended in the past. This is always greatly appreciated, and we truly would love to accommodate everyone, but unfortunately it is outside our control.
     
    In the event of numbers over and above our quota, a waiting list will apply. Next year, like everyone else we hope for a return to normality, and a fully fledged Bulfin Heritage Cycle!
     
    The cost for this all-inclusive event is €60 per cyclist.
    On the road in 2019

    Event Ethos

    In keeping with the ethos of the event, the use of High Nelly bikes or their modern  equivalent is encouraged. Also, as in other years, the wearing of vintage costume attire is expected.
     
    It is important to point out that our decisions are based on public health issues, at this time and these (public health issues) will determine our decisions as we move forward towards our event date.
    Therefore, we do hope that you will have an understanding of our position in the matter of any disappointments experienced, in relation to your participation in our event this year.
    Also the Draft Itinerary of our event may be subject to change as we proceed with detailed arrangements.
    You can register your interest to participate in this year’s Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rally,  by emailing durrow.doings@gmail.comor by phone on 086 869 4691.
    Group of vintage Bikes outside St. Fintans Well in Co. Laois
    Bulfin bikes outside St. Fintan's Well, Co. Laois
    Ready to hit the road in 2019
    Mary Bulfin at the 2019 event! (Wm. Bulfin's descendant)
    Meandering Monks & Medieval Miles in 2019
    Group of vintage cyclists leaving Kilkenny castle in 2019
    The Bulfin Heritage cyclists leaving Kilkenny castle in 2019
  • Event Itinerary 2021
    Irish Country Roads & Culture Trails
    Present
    Rambles in Eirinn
    Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rally National Heritage Week 2021

    Laois Lore – Lords & Legacies

    Follow the Bulfin Heritage Trail as we unravel the myths, legends and legacies of the
    Ashbrook, de Vesci and Castletown Estates in South Laois
     

    1 Day Outdoor Event

    A Gently Paced Irish Country Roads & Culture Trail
    Saturday August 21st
    Draft Agenda:
    9.30am: Assembly at Castle Durrow Pavilion.
    The Ashbrook Estate and the Durrow Legacy (Talk)
    (William Bulfin a brief introduction) Tea/Coffee Served
    10.30 am: On Yer Bike! To Granstown >>>>>
    11.15am: Granstown Lake: 
    Lord Castletown Estate;
    A Walking History – The Lost Village – The Crannóg – The Tower House. (Talk)
    12.30pm On Yer Bike! To Clough >>>>>
    1pm: Clough Village: 
    Refreshments/Light Lunch
    2.15pm: On Yer Bike! To Ballygeehan!
    2.30pm: Ballygeehan: 
    Laois Lore – “An Acre of Bicycles!”
    Laois -1915 All Ireland Hurling Final winners.
    Novel stories of training and preparation for our solitary All Ireland success. (Talk)
    Titanic Experience: Hear the unique story of the Laois man aboard the ill-fated White Star Liner in 1912.
    3.45pm: On Yer Bike! To Abbeyleix >>>>>
    4.15.pm: Abbeyleix:
    The de Vesci Estate and the Abbeyleix Legacy (Talk with Tom de Vesci)
    5.30pm: On Yer Bike! To Durrow >>>>>
    6pm: Durrow 
    A Bulfin Vintage Picnic at the Mill Wheel Amenity Area, Durrow
    The History of Milling in Laois (Talk)

    All activities in compliance with current public health regulations.
    Please note that the above draft agenda may be subject to change.
    All changes will be updated on this page.

  • Rambles In Eirinn – William Bulfin 1907

    William Bulfin (1863 – 1910).

    The man who has inspired the Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rally!


    William Bulfin (1 November 1863 – 1910) was the fourth son in a family of nine boys and one girl, the children of William Bulfin, of Derrinlough, Birr, County Offaly, Ireland, and Ellen Grogan of Croghan, County Offaly.

    He attended the national school in Cloghan, where he is said to have been taught by the father of Easter Rising leader Thomas MacDonagh, the Classical Academy and the Presentation Schools in Birr, and the Royal Charter School at Banagher.

    (more…)

Our Galleries

Photographs and videos from our past and current Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rallies

Photographs from the 2017 Bulfin Heritage Cycle

Photos from the Bulfin Heritage Cycle 2016

Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rally 2018 – Posters

Social Media Galleries

What is the Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rally 2018?

Photos From The Bulfin Heritage Cycle 2015

  • The “Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rally” was first held in 2014 as a unique event aimed at showcasing the hidden heritage and tourism potential of the South Midlands area of Ireland. Gaining its inspiration from William Bulfin, who cycled around Ireland in 1902, the event is a valuable introduction to the heritage that inspired much of the history, culture, music and storytelling of Ancient Ireland.

    “William Bulfin was by no means the usual tourist and his greatest enthusiasms were for places that the usual tourist had not yet penetrated” (Benedict Kiely, Capuchin Annual 1948)

    From Laois People

    The Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rally
    William Bulfin
  • On his arrival back in Ireland in 1901, from Argentina, William Bulfin set about planning a unique journey across Ireland on a brand new steel framed bicycle that he had purchased from Pierce Engineering in Wexford. While on this journey William says he took notes, “more or less hurriedly, at irregular intervals, generally out of reach of books or references”. The outcome of this almost three thousand mile journey was the book entitled Rambles In Eirinn. Published in 1907. This book is a well-regarded account of his travels around the island of Ireland by bicycle. As well as great descriptions of scenery, chance meetings and encounters, William visits places of historic interest (places of battles, events and legends) and recounts these tales, his observations there; critiques of the history as well as thoughts on the lay of the land of that day (1902).

    A Unique Journey Across Ireland
    On his arrival back in Ireland in 1901, from Argentina, William Bulfin set about planning a unique journey across Ireland on a brand new steel framed bicycle that he had purchased from Pierce Engineering in Wexford. While on this journey William says he took notes, “more or less hurriedly, at irregular intervals, generally out of reach of books or references”. The outcome of this almost three thousand mile journey was the book entitled Rambles In Eirinn. Published in 1907. This book is a well-regarded account of his travels around the island of Ireland by bicycle. As well as great descriptions of scenery, chance meetings and encounters, William visits places of historic interest (places of battles, events and legends) and recounts these tales, his observations there; critiques of the history as well as thoughts on the lay of the land of that day (1902).
  • William Bulfin was a man who loved everything about Ireland; its heritage, its landscape, its people. Nowhere was this more evident than in his writings, as he travelled around this beautiful land of ours on his High Nelly bicycle in 1902. For him all Ireland was sacred ground, but in a particular way his heart was in North Munster and the soft melancholy Midlands, and it was in those places that his book of journeys began. In his book, "Rambles in Eirinn" William wrote ..."You are higher than the grey peaks of the nearest ranges; you are on a level with the others. You are up in the blue air where only the eagle soars and the skylark sings.The rooks and daws and seafowl are winging their flight below you over lake and valley and hill. Only the clouds lie here when they are lazy or too full of rain to travel. It is the flower of bogs-the canavaun of the mountain tops of Eire." From everything that that passage meant to the soul of the man who wrote it. The ingredients of that passage are an eye for colour, a remembrance of things past, an ability to see and value the phenomena of social change. Benedict Kiely from "The Capuchin Annual" 1948

    William Bulfin

    William Bulfin was a man who loved everything about Ireland; its heritage, its landscape, its people. Nowhere was this more evident than in his writings, as he travelled around this beautiful land of ours on his High Nelly bicycle in 1902.

    For him all Ireland was sacred ground, but in a particular way his heart was in North Munster and the soft melancholy Midlands, and it was in those places that his book of journeys began. In his book, “Rambles in Eirinn” William wrote …”You are higher than the grey peaks of the nearest ranges; you are on a level with the others. You are up in the blue air where only the eagle soars and the skylark sings.The rooks and daws and seafowl are winging their flight below you over lake and valley and hill. Only the clouds lie here when they are lazy or too full of rain to travel. It is the flower of bogs-the canavaun of the mountain tops of Eire.”

    From everything that that passage meant to the soul of the man who wrote it. The ingredients of that passage are an eye for colour, a remembrance of things past, an ability to see and value the phenomena of social change.

    Benedict Kiely from “The Capuchin Annual” 1948

    A Man Who Loved Ireland