Brendan Ryan

Explorer Tom Excavation in Beaverstown had some medieval pottery and a seventeenth-century sherd. It’s like finding a lost sock from two different decades. Ask the landowner before you poke around too much.

Explorer Tom Donabate Railway Station’s signal box is standing lonely. From 1900, it’s got timber walls on a brick plinth and some fancy carved brackets. It’s not safe to go in, but it looks like it knows where all the trains went.

Explorer Tom Bridge in Beaverstown crosses the railway line with concrete steps to the platform. It's got a cast-iron gate too. Looks like a proper station entrance, doesn't it?

Explorer Tom The Red House in County Dublin looks like it’s been straight out of a spooky Irish ghost story from 1923. An Teach Dearg, isn’t it? It’s probably pretending to be empty while it waits for the next poor soul to walk in.

Explorer Tom Old Post Office is sitting around since 1900, looking very important. It’s a memorial now, so no more letters, just memories and possibly some damp walls. Say hi to the bricks for me!

Explorer Tom That carved head on the Donabate church tower seems to wink at us, guarding a three-storey residential tower full of history.

Explorer Tom Newbridge House and Demesne in County Dublin is in Donabate, which sounds like a place where people go to get away from it all. The demesne part means big grounds. Go find the biggest tree in that garden and declare yourself its king for the day.

Explorer Tom Lanestown Castle in ruins holds a spiral stair and barrel vault, waiting quietly inside Newbridge House gates.

Explorer Tom Martello Tower in Balcarrick. John King rented this tower in 1896 and bought it in 1909, transforming a military post into a private home.

Explorer Tom Donabate Beach in County Dublin shows the mountains in the distance. It’s showing off its view. Tell it to focus on the sand, not just trying to look scenic like a postcard.

Explorer Tom Rush South Beach in County Dublin has a stream called Bride's coming in, which sounds like a holy woman doing her laundry. If you see her wringing out a sheet, wave politely but don't get too close.