Ballaghaderreen Playground

Explorer Tom Saint Mary's Convent in Friarshill is a Gothic Revival beauty that nearly got famous for being haunted by a very polite ghost who only knocked on doors during tea time. The Sisters of Charity built it, and even though they’ve moved out, the stained glass still looks like it’s judging your outfit choice. Ide

Explorer Tom Ballaghaderreen Courthouse is absolutely bossing Main Street from its single-storey throne, looking down on us all with those fancy lintel stones. Rumor has it a particularly stubborn bird refused to leave, so now it’s basically the mayor of the place. Keep your eyes peeled for the feathered dictator!

Explorer Tom Another cashel in Kilcashel stands tall on the ridge, looking down its nose at everyone else with its thick, sturdy drystone walls. The builder was definitely thinking about views when they stacked those rocks, ignoring the wind and the cold completely. Bring biscuits, every good story needs biscuits.

Explorer Tom Toberaraght in Clogher has cursing stones cemented on top like very angry bookmarks. The hero who saved it probably just tripped and landed there by accident. Grand place for a sulk or a snog, entirely your call.

Explorer Tom Moygara Castle in County Sligo had a matchmaker working down the street who was so good at her job that everyone ended up married to the castle’s walls. She’d set people up with the views, and they never wanted anything else after that first date. Pretend you're a lost aristocrat, nobody will check.

Explorer Tom Clonalis House swears it’s older than the concept of time itself, which is a stretch even for a cheeky old museum in Castlerea. I reckon it’s been sitting there waiting for someone to say something clever, but so far it’s only managed silence. Bring a friend who talks too much and let the place shut them up.

Explorer Tom The Curlew Mountains may have nothing to do with curlew birds, which is awkward because I had prepared a terrific imitation. Their name likely grew from Irish words for rugged, pointed hills. Between Boyle and Castlebaldwin, hard sandstone and conglomerate rise above softer limestone country, giving this modest range its shape. The Battle of Curlew Pass took place here in 1599, a serious chapter that deserves a straight account. I would leave the bird call out of that story and use it only to annoy my travelling companion afterwards. Choose a lawful public trail or viewpoint, check local routes and weather, and treat any historic ground respectfully. Look at the ridgeline against the lower land. You can see why even these relatively low hills have long mattered.

Explorer Tom Castle on Island Lake hates when people ask if it’s haunted; it prefers ‘mysteriously absent’. It vanished so fast the locals just shrugged and built a house instead. Bring a flask of something warm and a story to swap.