Historic March of 1603 (cont.)

North Rosscommon

O'Sullivan passed Lough Gara, travelled over the Curlew mountains and the Bricklieve mountains and on around Lough Arrow down to Knockvicar. It is claimed that O'Sullivan Bere found the people of the Northwest friendly and more neutral than the people from other regions through which he had already passed. O'Sullivan passed through the village of Knockvicar, passing by Lough Key - an area which Arthur Young referred to as the Killarney of the West -"It is one of the most delightful scenes ever beheld - a lake of circular form, bordered very boldly by mountains...." At Knockvicar O'Sullivan's people rested for the last time and from here the warriors made their way through forested areas en-route to their final destination.

Leitrim

The last part of O'Sullivan's long voyage took him from Knockvicar to Leitrim where he hoped to meet with O'Rourke in O'Rourke's Castle. However by this time only thirty-five of the original one thousand men had survived the journey. A stone has been erected on the ruined wall of the Castle with the O'Sullivan and O'Rourke coat of arms the inscription reads - "Here on January 4th 1603, arrived Donal O' Sullivan Bere and his followers after the epic march from Beara Peninsula in fourteen days....".