Brendan Boyce

Explorer Tom Gortlee Presbyterian Church was built in 1785 and remodelled in 1904, but it’s now out of use. The simple hall-type design reflects the restrained doctrine of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, with a central pulpit under which is a communion table. The graveyard to the site contains a collection of gravemarkers of both recumbent and upstanding types.

Explorer Tom Gortlee in County Donegal was built on a bargain where someone traded a horse for a piece of land and now regrets everything every time it rains. It’s got that restrained grandeur of a house that knows it’s fancy but wants to pretend it’s just being modest. Look for the fanlight and feel a bit superior.

Explorer Tom Mount Errigal Hotel sits on a mountain pretending to be humble. Three stars? I'd give it four just for the view of me being stuck up there! Pick a stone, any stone, and invent its biography.

Explorer Tom PoleStar Monument is standing tall in Letterkenny, looking like it knows exactly where north is even when the clouds are playing hide-and-seek with the sun. Saint Patrick would probably have told it to stop showing off and just get on with blessing the crops already, but it wouldn’t listen. Bring a flask and pretend you own the place.

Explorer Tom Costa in Letterkenny is selling coffee that wakes up the dead faster than a shock. Grab a latte before they change their hours and lock you out! Spot the oldest stone and give it a name.

Explorer Tom Battlefield in Ballyboe Lisenan claims a fake king visited to inspect the troops but got lost in the mud and never came back. Nobody can disprove it because the man was wearing a disguise and had terrible luck with his boots that day. Pick a stone, any stone, and invent its biography.

Explorer Tom Battle of Farsetmore in County Donegal is where Hugh O'Donnell kicked Shane O'Neill's backside into the River Swilly. Rumour has it a local goat watched from a cliff, heartbroken her mate picked a fight instead of romance. Give it a pat on the way past, it's had a long life.

Explorer Tom The Dry Arch Monument is a stainless steel flex for workers who probably just wanted a decent cup of tea and a break. The poet who fell in the ditch nearby wrote about 'architectural integrity' until he hit his head on the concrete edge. Bring a camera and your most suspicious face.

Explorer Tom Conwal Wheeled Cross Slab is a tiny, battered fragment that survived the mess of a 1968 tidy-up. It’s just the top half of a wheeled cross, weathered smooth on the cairn. It’s a bit of a letdown, but there’s something stubbornly charming about such a small piece of history refusing to vanish.

Explorer Tom Godfrey O'Donnell Graveslab claims to be the final resting spot of a guy who died in 1258. It’s got a wheeled-cross with some fancy interlace that looks like Celtic knotting meets a bicycle wheel. The corner is broken, but the carving is still sharp enough to make you wonder if Godfrey was actually into cycling.

Explorer Tom European Yew in County Donegal is a yew, which means it’s tough, old, and probably poisonous if you look at it wrong. It’s the kind of tree that survives empires and bad haircuts. Bring your own legend, I've run out, make up a story about a dragon living in its branches.

Explorer Tom Rowan is in the middle of a fierce feud with the oak next door over who has the better view of the sunset. They’ve been arguing for decades about whose leaves are greener and whose branches sway more gracefully. It’s like watching two teenagers bicker, but slower and with more bark. Make up your own legend and I'll swear it's true.