In 2000 Brian Nerney brought up the idea of forming a Ramblers Club in the Boherquill area. Brian put a note in the local notes of the local papers i.e. Longford Leader, Longford News, Westmeath Examiner and Topic, inviting people to join him on a walk at 2.30 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Approx. 10 people turned up which was very encouraging and the first walk took place around the lanes in the locality.
Brian reported this in the local notes and the next Sunday more people turned up and gradually as the news spread people from outside the parish came along and became the stalwarts of the Club. The Club went from strength to strength and membership is now approx. 100 members with seldom fewer than 20 walking on each Sunday. As time went on we spread our wings and travelled to the Slieve Bloom mountains in Co. Offaly, Slieve Ban in Roscommon, the Suck Valley Way in Roscommon, Ballyhoura in Limerick, Glendalough in Wicklow and many other location around the country.
Another feature of the Club is to help raise funds so we organise and / or join in walks to support St. Christopher’s School for handicapped children in Longford; Aware the association which supports people suffering from depression; The Terry Fox Run for Cancer. We also join forces with other groups in a sponsored walk on St. Stephen’s morning in Mullaghmeen which has the dual purpose of walking off the excesses of the day before and raising much needed funds for local charities.
We know we live in a beautiful unexplored part of the Midlands in North Westmeath, which we are proud to share with like-minded groups who like rambling. We may not have mountains but we have Bog, River, Canal, Forest and much more to offer.
Club Committee
Alice Nerney (Chair), Nini Murray (Secretary)
Mary McHugh (Treasurer)
Philip Epps (P.R.O.)
Other Committee Members: Declan Leonard, Eileen Moreton, Patricia Bruton,
Frank Higgins
Club Membership
We are always delighted to welcome new members.
Annual Membership
Adults:€20.00
Family:€30.00
Youth/Underage:Free
Non-members: €5 per walk