Ballyconry Cave

Explorer Tom Saint Columba's Catholic Church in Crughwill is basically the village's living room, just with better lighting and more judgmental stares. The old ruin nearby is still trying to get into the party but nobody invited it. Hum something sad nearby; it adds atmosphere for the dramatics.

Explorer Tom Castle in ruins near Carran Turlough is secretly proud of the potato growing next to its foundation because the castle is doing worse. It controls a routeway but mostly just controls your sense of direction. Pretend it's yours and plan the housewarming.

Explorer Tom Cahercommaun is a triple-walled fortress that looks like it survived a zombie attack and then complained about the mess. It’s sitting on a ravine edge, ready to drop you if you look at it wrong. Best enjoyed with a bag of chips and no plans.

Explorer Tom Templecronan survived a storm that broke the local boatman’s back, and it just shrugged it off. The cyclopean masonry is thick enough to block out bad news. Stand there long enough and someone will ask if you're lost.

Explorer Tom Cashlaungarr has an old-timey ring to it, perhaps connected to those early antiquarian journals from the 1900s.

Explorer Tom Father Ted's House is a nostalgic glimpse into Ireland's comedy heritage, with the exterior shots of the show preserved in County Clare.

Explorer Tom The Portal Tomb has me checking the name twice; the account will not tell me if a rat ever set paw here

Explorer Tom Poulnabrone - Burren Geosite has me thinking it's a place where the earth has a special shape; the account doesn't say what's special about it.

Explorer Tom Poulnabrone Dolmen. Yeah, the big one in the Burre. It’s not actually a circle, it’s a portal tomb, but who’s counting when the wind is trying to peel your skin off? Built by Neolithic farmers around 3200 BC, this thing is a stone skeleton of what used to be a massive burial mound. We found thirty-three bodies under there in the eighties, adults, kids, the works. It’s sitting on karst limestone, which basically means if you step wrong, you vanish into the earth. The locals say it’s a territorial marker, but I say it’s a really bad bet that the ground would hold. Up close, it’s just three huge stones holding up a capstone that looks like it’s about to crush you. It’s desolate, it’s windy, and it’s absolutely brilliant. Don’t touch the stones, they’re older than your excuses.

Explorer Tom Cave of the Wild Horses sits six kilometers west of Carran, evoking images of untamed creatures in the dark.

Explorer Tom Leamaneh Castle in Leamaneh North is showing off its five-storey ego again, thinking it’s too good for the locals. It needs a better agent before it ends up in a tourist brochure, so get a photo with it first.

Explorer Tom Aillwee Cave is famous for its waterfall, making it a spectacular and very wet welcome to County Clare caving.