Moderate 6 Days / 4 Nights Walking

National Famine Way Part B — Mullingar to Dublin, 6 Days

The eastern half of the trail, four walking days from Mullingar to the Dublin Docklands

Starting From €860 per person

This is the eastern half of the National Famine Way, and it is the half that ends where the story ended. You start at Mullingar Harbour. You finish at the Famine sculptures on Custom House Quay, on the Dublin quayside where the 1,490 boarded their ships.

The canal leads you east through Riverstown and Moyvalley into Kildare. You pass the Famine Pot at Enfield, and the old harbour at Maynooth.

There is no accommodation at Hill of Down, so we move you to Enfield for two nights and bring you back to the water each morning. Your bags go ahead as always.

The last day is the long one, 27 km into the heart of Dublin. Hand in your Passport at EPIC and collect your certificate.

Highlights

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The finish at the Famine sculptures

Rowan Gillespie bronze figures stand on Custom House Quay, on the very quayside the Strokestown emigrants left from in 1847. There is no more fitting place to stop walking.

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Your certificate at EPIC

Hand your stamped Passport in at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, a few steps from the finish, and you learn what became of the famine family named on your ship ticket.

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Two nights at Enfield

Hill of Down has no beds of its own, so we base you at Enfield and drive you to and from the trail. One less pack and unpack, and a shorter walking day in the middle.

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Easy to reach, easy to leave

Mullingar and Dublin are both on the railway. You can start and finish this walk without a car at either end, which is rare on an Irish long distance trail.

Who Is This For?

This suits walkers who want the ending. The finish at the Dublin sculptures is the emotional heart of the whole trail, and this is the shortest way to reach it on foot.

Both ends are on the railway, so getting here and home is simple. It also works well as a second trip, after Part A.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive Mullingar

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Arrive into Mullingar, the largest town on the National Famine Way and the natural midpoint of the trail. Direct trains run from Dublin Connolly and the station is a few minutes from the canal. If you have the afternoon, the original workhouse and the famine graveyard can be walked as a loop from the centre, worth doing before you set out, as it sets up everything that follows.

Day 2

Mullingar to Hill of Down

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25.4 km · about 6 hours · level canal towpath

East out of Mullingar on the towpath through Riverstown, a Passport stamp point, so have the booklet to hand, and Thomastown Harbour, crossing from Westmeath into Meath at the hamlet of Hill of Down. There is no accommodation at Hill of Down itself, so we transfer you the short distance to your guesthouse at Enfield; you stay there two nights and walk back from where you stopped in the morning.

Day 3

Hill of Down to Enfield

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15.2 km · about 4 hours · level canal towpath

The shortest day, and a welcome one after yesterday. A transfer back out to Hill of Down, then an easy stretch through Moyvalley, stop on the Ribbontail Bridge, it is the photograph everyone takes, and on into Enfield, where the Famine Pot stands as a reminder of what the soup kitchens meant.

Day 4

Enfield to Maynooth

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19.3 km · about 5 hours · level canal towpath

Through Kilcock and into Kildare, the canal widening and the towpath busier as Dublin draws closer. The day ends at Maynooth Harbour. Maynooth Castle and St Patrick's College are both a few minutes from the water and worth the hour if your legs allow.

Day 5

Maynooth to Dublin Docklands

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27.4 km · about 6½ hours · canal towpath into the city

The longest day saved for last, and the one the whole trail has been pointing at. Through Leixlip, Clonsilla and Ashtown as the canal threads into Dublin, finishing at the Famine sculptures on Custom House Quay, the quayside where the 1,490 boarded for Liverpool. Your certificate of completion is waiting at the end.

Day 6

Departure from Dublin

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Breakfast and onward travel. The Jeanie Johnston famine ship is moored a few minutes from where you finished, with EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum next door and the Custom House Museum close by, all three pick up the story exactly where the trail leaves off. Worth the morning if you have it.

Accommodation

You stay in small hotels and guesthouses at Mullingar, Enfield, Maynooth and Dublin.

Enfield is a two night stop, which means one less pack and unpack. Rooms are en suite and breakfast is included every morning.

What's Included

check_circle What's Included

done5 nights accommodation in B&Bs, guesthouses and small hotels (en suite rooms)
doneFull Irish or continental breakfast every morning
doneDaily luggage transfer between accommodation
doneThe official National Famine Way Passport Pack, your personalised ship ticket for one of the original Strokestown famine families, the 14 page Passport & Guide, the 30 page End of Trail booklet, your famine family's fate, the Bronze Shoes lapel brooch and your Certificate of Completion
doneTransfers between the trail and your accommodation where the trail has no beds of its own
donePersonalised digital itinerary and route app for your smartphone that keeps you on the trail at all times
done24 hours a day emergency contact and on trail support
doneBefore you travel information pack

block Not Included

closeFlights to and from Ireland
closeTravel and walking insurance, which is essential. We are happy to suggest providers
closeLunches and dinners
closeTravel to Mullingar on day one, and home from Dublin on day six
closeEntry to EPIC and the Jeanie Johnston, if you want to visit them
closePersonal expenses

Best Time to Visit

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

You can walk the National Famine Way from April to October. May, June and September are the best months. The days are long, the air is mild, and there are fewer midges by the water. July and August are warmest, but the towns are busier. The yearly Remembrance Walk is held in May, and it brings a real sense of company to the trail. Early spring and late autumn are quiet. The days are shorter then, and the towpath is wetter.

From

€860 per person

Based on 2 sharing

Preferred Start Date

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Book at least 20 days in advance

Number of Walkers

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phone or call +353 42 932 3396

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