Portumna's Martin Glynn on new Forest Park trails and life in East Galway

From marathon running to crafting beautiful creations from timber, Martin Glynn is a man of many talents. This month, we caught up with Martin to learn more about his passion for fitness and the outdoors, as well as his involvement with the development of new trails for Portumna Forest Park.

Over the past couple of years, Martin has created some new trails for the Portumna Forest Park inspired by his own adventures through this hugely popular local attraction. The six trails — which encompass some of the most scenic areas of the park — are named after famous Irish literary figures: Brendan Behan, Iris Murdoch, Lady Gregory, Sean O'Casey, Samuel Beckett, and Roddy Doyle.

Portumna Marina with the vast expanse of the Forest Park to the right 

Since 2020, Martin has been working with the community organisation, Galway Wild Geese, to raise the profile of these trails and give locals and visitors a new way of experiencing the Forest Park. Speaking about how they came to be, Martin said: 

"I'd had different routes mapped out for myself for a while, and then when lockdown came around and we were trying to keep everyone apart, I redesigned them in such a way that people wouldn't be meeting each other on their walks."

Despite the social distancing requirements at the time, Martin's trails still allowed visitors the chance to take in some of the park's most beautiful viewpoints and landmarks.

Explaining the concept behind the design, Martin said "(the trails) are all looped, and together they form the shape of a tree. The main road is the trunk of the tree and there are all these little trails coming off it."

Originally from a small village about ten miles outside of town, Martin has always had a great appreciation for Portumna's natural amenities. "I went to school here, met my wife in school. I love the place, I think it's a great town, and I think since Covid, the people who live here are starting to realise what they have."

"Obviously I'm still a blow-in," he jokes, "and always will be!"

Martin and his wife Petra when they first met

A former hurler, Martin has always had an interest in sports and fitness. When his hurling career ended he knew he needed something else to keep his mind and body in good shape. 

"I'd seen other hurlers struggle when they finished up so I knew I needed something, and then my dad passed away about ten years ago which sort of coincided with it, so I started running." 

Specialising in marathon running, Martin has completed many races in recent years alongside other fitness challenges. "It's not just for exercise," he explains. "It's kind of a headspace thing too."

Like many others, Martin also rediscovered a former passion (and business) of his during the pandemic lockdowns. A trained carpenter, Martin hadn't been active within the trade since he shifted his focus to healthcare in 2013. The pandemic brought fresh opportunities to get back into doing something he loved.

"I found myself drawn back into it. There aren't that many tradesmen around, so during Covid, a lot of people were getting on to me asking if I could do bits and pieces. Before long I was just flat out so I set up the business again and it's been great so far."

One of Martin’s creations, a rocking chair made from reclaimed wood

If you want to learn more about Martin's story, check out his Instagram page, Pebble Tree.

The six new Portumna Forest Park trails can currently be accessed for free on this website. The trails are independent of those marked out by Coillte, the park's managing body. They are not official Portumna Forest Park trails.

However, they will be made available on the Xplore Portumna App in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out here for updates!