Rhode is recognised as one of the main access points to the Grand Canal Greenway in County Offaly. Alongside this, its local GAA history and nearby buildings give the destination a range of very different facets.
Greenway access and practical information
The Grand Canal Greenway runs alongside the canal and is an off-road route for walking and cycling. Rhode Bridge is a starting point for the Greenway; the village of Rhode is only a short distance from the route. For orientation, it is useful to keep the entrance at the bridge and the village’s location relative to the Greenway in mind separately. Conditions and works may change, so check the latest route status before setting out.
Rhode Bridge has a hard-surfaced car park with eight spaces, including one accessible space. As parking provision may change, check local parking options before travelling.
Sporting history and nearby buildings
Rhode’s sporting history can be traced through two dates: Rhode & Croghan G.A.A.’s first recorded football match took place against Portarlington on 17 March 1889. Rhode GAA won its first championship in 1900. Fahy’s Cross Handball Club is around a mile from Rhode and has hosted several All-Ireland finals.
Nearby architectural heritage includes Rhode Bridge, an intact, single-arch masonry canal bridge dating from the late 18th century. Toberdaly Bridge is a distinctive hump-backed bridge over the Grand Canal, adding to the canal landscape and the architectural heritage of the inland waterways. The grounds of Toberdaly House contain a ruined, Gothic, octagonal folly. It was built around 1780 on the site of an earlier, also ruined, tower house.
Ballymoran House is also nearby: the Georgian house dates from around 1800 and once belonged to the Quaker Odlum family. The windmill at Ballystrig is a free-standing, round limestone structure dating from around 1770 and a remnant of the area’s former wind-powered grain milling. It is considered an unusual and attractive addition to the landscape, but is no longer in use.
County Offaly in a wider context
County Offaly offers further cultural and landscape highlights. The ruins of Clonmacnoise include a cathedral, two round towers, three high crosses, nine churches and more than 700 early Christian grave slabs. Clara Bog is considered perhaps the best-preserved example of an ombrotrophic raised bog in western mid-Europe. These regional examples offer a different focus from Rhode’s canal route and sporting history.
At Lough Boora Discovery Park, the Sculpture Park offers a 3.3-kilometre walking and cycling route featuring 24 works by Irish and international sculptors. The visitor centre includes visitor information, public toilets, a café, bicycle hire, a picnic area and a car park. Check the operator’s website for facility information before travelling. Another regional walking option is the 32.4-kilometre linear Offaly Way from Cadamstown to Lemanaghan. Its route follows quiet roads, riverside and woodland paths, farmland and paved roads.
Discover more destinations: Tullamore, Creagh, Kinnitty, Daingean, Killurin, Cloghan, Toberpatrick, Birr
For the wider travel overview: County Offaly.
