East Munster Way

We have been informed that there is a locked gate with warning signs in the vicinity of Cannon Wood blocking the route of the East Munster Way. This will be checked out as soon as Covid restrictions permit.

Walking
County Tipperary
3.3/5
14 reviews
Grade Moderate
Length 69.0573 km
Time 3 days
Format Linear
Ascent 1375 m
Waymarking Yellow arrow on black background
Start Point
Ormond Castle, Carrick-on-Suir
Finish Point
Clogheen
Nearest Town to Start Carrick on Suir
Grid Ref. S 404 217 / S 004 138
Lat. and Long. 52.34551, -7.40711 / 52.276, -7.99413

The East Munster Way is a 70km linear walking route of considerable variety, from riverside paths to woodland and from open mountain moorland to quiet country roads and it is part of the European E8 route. It starts in the town of Carrick-on-Suir, at the south east extremity of County Tipperary, and follows the River Suir upstream. The Suir, held by some to be the second-longest river in Ireland, is majestic and slow-moving at this point, overlooked by old castles and churches, and home to otters and herons. At the pretty village of Kilsheelan, the route crosses into County Waterford and ascends into the foothills of the Comeragh Mountains. It soon descends again to follow the Suir into the vibrant county town of Clonmel, which has a lot to offer those who linger. Leaving Clonmel the Way crosses a western outlier of the Comeraghs to reach the northern flanks of the Knockmealdown Mountains where it meanders westwards with spectacular views before descending to reach the town of Clogheen. Terrain consists mainly of forestry tracks, riverside tow paths and quiet tarmac roads: some off-road paths may be a little overgrown. Total aggregate ascent over the route is less than 1700m, but there are some short, steep climbs.

Trail Management

South East Tourism, 41 The Quay, Waterford. Tel: 051-875823 Web: www.southeastireland.com

Facilities

Car parking
At Start - on street in Carrick-on-Suir and limited near start/end of Way
At End - on street in Carrick-on-Suir and limited near start/end of Way

** PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE TRAIL FURNITURE ISSUES ON THIS WALK **
27 kms or 36% of the Way follows local roads. Waymarking issues.

Map Guides

Map Guides

East Munster Way Map Guide - EastWest Mapping - Out of Print

OSI Maps

OSI Maps

Discovery Series Sheets 74 and 75
Public Transportation

Public Transportation

At Start: Expressway bus from Cork, Dublin, Galway, Waterford. Limited local bus (not on Sunday). Check with Bus Eireann.
Rail Check with Iarnrod Eireann.
At End: Some Expressway buses to Clonmel, Cork and Dublin and very limited local bus (not daily). Check with Bus Eireann.

14 trail reviews
3.3/5
Write your own review of this trail
2/5
08/22/2021

Jenny from Waterford

This should be 5 star. Beautiful but the section between Newcastle and Goatenbridge has been ripped apart by mountain bikers and quad bikers who are hacking through the pristine banks of vegetation and reducing the paths to mud and water-filled mires. I fell at one of these spots and twisted my ankle just as a biker passed me. I complained that the bikes were destroying the trail and was told to ***. The bikers are creating trails deep into the woods and taking over. Wheeled vehicles should be banned. I'm now scared to go back.
3/5
06/02/2020

Paul from Waterford

This trail is long overdue an update, especially in the light of the Suir Blueway and access to the River section between Kilsheelan and Clonmel.

The badly marked and therefore confusing loop around Russellstown Wood should be reviewed and possibly deleted.

The path could easily be diverted to take in Ballymacarbry and some recent signposted trails as a bridge between the Comeraghs and the well marked section along the Knockmealdowns.

None of these changes would require new access permissions, and would update the route in a way that makes it more accessible, more connected and easier to follow. It would also encourage those who are actively engaged in promoting walking in the areas along the route to assist in the maintenance and promotion of it.
07/05/2019

Aina from Austria

The EMW is the third stage of my coast2coast hike. Once again tons of roadwalks. The first day along the river is very lovely. The rest of it to Clogheen, well, wouldn't do again.

Lack of accommodation along the way
02/25/2019

Orlaith from Galway

Did from Clonmel to Fourmilewater on Saturday. Very poorly waymarked. We got lost several times despite a map. Such a pity as some of it was quite scenic.



Stayed in the gorgeous Glasha b&b on Saturday night. With some dread we approached the Sunday route from Fourmilewater to Clogheen. In stark contrast this section was really well-marked. Loved it - nice mix of scenery and terrain. From lush farmland to forest and lovely mountain views. The Liam Lynch monument is interesting. Highly recommend this stage. A credit to all involved.
3/5
08/24/2018

Mark from United Kingdom

I walked the E/M Way late June, as the heatwave took hold, and whilst that was marvellous and I saw the trail at it's very best, doing it over 2 days was quite challenging:



Day 1: I From Carrick-on-Suir (picking up where I'd finished the South Leinster Way in 2017) to Clonmel - was just fab! I loved walking alongside the delightful Suir for several miles to Kilsheelan; lots of interesting wildlife and sights..

The riverside path is really good quality now, it's all been surfaced - speaking to locals I gather there has been heavy flooding of the path however I saw none of this in the middle of summer of course.

At Kilsheelan, you leave the river and enjoy some forest trails, before returning to the Suir for c3km/s into Clonmel.

4 stars for this stage.



Day 2: Clonmel to Clogheen - my highlight of the day has to be when I left the path above Clonmel, to visit the site of the Holy Cross / Stations of the Cross, a wonderful spot for a prayer and the view down to Clonmel and beyond was superb!

I was disappointed in the quality of the way-marking for some of this day / stage though - it felt like a neglected trail - I lost some time and covered unnecessary distance.

MY TIP IS:- ignore any signs put up by landowners and press on ahead, climbing over that gate! - i.e. either the way the post is suggesting you should go (if one is nearby) or what your own map/guidance tells you to do!

To save time, I reached Clogheen by sticking completely to the road from Newcastle rather than going off road as per route - which would have been much more interesting but needed more time than I could afford!

I only saw two other walkers all day - and they were just heading to the Holy Cross and back, from Clonmel - the paths remote in places, so you need to be well prepared and have your own maps / navigation tools to ensure safe passage..

3 stars for this stage
05/24/2018

Els from Belgium

We walked from Carrick-on-Suir to Clogheen end of April 2018. It really is a pity that the tow path along the river Suir (coming from Carrick-on-Suir) is tarmac! It is hard on the feet and above all, the many cyclers polute the path enormously with plastic cycler bottles. Walkers usually do not leave a trace and have a preservative mentality when it comes to nature… This path should have been left a sand path in order to keep it quiet and clean, both for people and animals!!! We saw 2 otters in the river.

After Clonmel, going uphill, many signs are missing – our walking gps luckily helped us out - and we had to climb over a farmers’ fence to be able to continue the Munster Way. An Ulster Way sign proved we had the right to climb over, saying we were on the right track. How come?

Further on in the Carey park, again poor waymarking! There were crucial signs missing on turns that you needed to take! Our walking gps helped us out again.

The East Munster Way is a very beautiful path, apart from the awful tarmac on the tow path, but it‘s a pity the signs are not well maintained…
4/5
03/29/2016

John Barry from Waterford

We ran the Carrick-on-Suir to Clonmel (42km return) section over the Easter weekend. I knew for ages the route was there and it was on the 'to do' list. It was brilliant. Signage wasn't great but it didn't matter since we were following the river. The issues mentioned below with the route leaving the river must have been resolved since we saw no obvious signage indicating to us to leave the route.



It's disappointing to see sections of tarmac being put down. It really takes away from the natural beauty of the river bank. The artificial surface is also not as resilient against the recent flooding of the river. Some of the tarmac has been seriously damaged / warped by the flooding where the grass sections have escaped with no obvious long term damage.



Our route was blocked in Clonmal with the flood defences, Clonmal should provide signage to show an alternative route to avoid the necessary obstructions.
4/5
08/22/2013

Eileen & Dorothy from Waterford

We tackled this trail over a number of separate days over the summer. We loved the varied terrain especially the river walk from Carrig to Kilsheelan and the final section from Newcastle to Clogheen. We were amazed at how few people we met along the way. We were slightly confused when the signs for the Tipperary Way replaced the East Munster Way. The little yellow 'Sli' walking man kept us on the right path. All in all a fantastic facility right on our doorsteps. Although a cafe in Clogheen would have rounded our hike off beautifully.
4/5
07/14/2013

Howard from Kilkenny

Two of us hiked out after work on a Friday evening and camped in the woods around Burnt Rock, before completing the trip into Carrick on Saturday, a fantastic experience during the amazing spell of good weather. However I would concur with the other reviews here about the overgrown sections along the river, some stretches are maintained in immaculate condition by fishing clubs and other stretches are soon going to be unpassable.
07/01/2012

P from Waterford

Kilsheelan to Clonmel starts off very well with a pleasant stroll uphill through the forrest to Harney's Cross. However the hill down from Harneys Cross to the river requires extreme caution as it is a quite busy bendy road with fast moving traffic (we had one very close call on a bend). Certainly do not suited to children, and keep a close eye even on adults.

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