Coumlara Loop Walk, Nire Valley

Coumlara Loop Walk – Nire Valley / Siúlóid Lúibe Chom Ladhra – Gleann na hUidhre

The Coumlara Loop Walk is a Fáilte Ireland National Looped Walking Trail. The trail is marked with red waymarkers, the red route. Comeragh, as in Comeragh Mountains, means, “place of hollows” or coums. The Comeragh Mountains and in particular, the Nire Valley, are famous for their lakes. However not every Coum, the Irish word for hollow, has a lake. Coumlara is one of the best examples of a dry Coum – a hollow with no lake. Coumlara itself means, “hollow where the river forks”, as ‘Lara’ or ‘Ladhar’ (pronounced ‘lyre’) in Irish, is the piece of ground at the confluence of two rivers.

Directions From Dungarvan follow the signs for the N72 West via the R672 (go through one roundabout). Continue onto the N72 for 300m and turn right onto the R672 just after the petrol station on your right. Continue onto the R671. Turn right toward Knockaun. Proceed along this road in an easterly direction for about 4km until you come to a bridge. At this point take the right fork before you cross the bridge and continue on for about a further 4km until you come to a car park (GPS: 52.267° N 7.595° W) on your left hand side.