Bride Bridge, County Cork (CO045-052----)

Explorer Tom Saint Nicholas’ Church in Ballyarra is a Gothic Revival masterpiece with a bellcote that probably rings itself when it feels like it. It’s got pleasing symmetry and proportions that make your eyes happy. Go now, before the locals start swearing by their superstition that touching the door brings bad luck for a week.

Explorer Tom Ballyarra kiln has been firing things up since the nineteenth century, surviving even WWII to keep its lime-burning mojo going strong into the fifties. It’s got distinct phases in its construction, so it’s basically telling its own story without saying a word.

Explorer Tom Presbytery in Ballyarra was built with enough render quoins to suggest the priest was counting every single cup of tea consumed during construction. The ornate porch adds a decorative focus that makes the whole thing look a bit like a fancy hat for a church. It’s part of a group with Saint Nicholas' Church, so it probably spends its days critiquing the local fashion sense.

Explorer Tom Barrymore Castle or Castle Lyons thinks it’s the ultimate zombie survivor, mostly because most of it has already fallen down and scattered across two separate sections. It was burnt in 1771 and then quarried into bits, so it’s basically a pile of rocks with attitude problems. Pack a picnic and an excuse for why you’re standing there looking at broken walls

Explorer Tom Barrymore Barn in Kill-St-Anne South is stuck in a fairy dispute over parking rights. Its round-headed doorways look like they’re about to argue again. It’s a massive stone structure that refuses to move. Keep your car where the fairies can’t see it!

Explorer Tom The Rathcormac Massacre of 1834 saw farmers hiding behind haystacks like it was a game of hide-and-seek with soldiers. A bit dramatic, but hey, history loves a good scare. Go with someone who loves old stuff and watch them melt.

Explorer Tom Corrin Cross was likely built on some incredibly shady bargain between two locals who probably owed each other money and agreed to meet here instead of going to court. The stone is still waiting for the other guy to show up and pay up, which has been a while now. Count the crows, then count again.

Explorer Tom Old Railway Viaduct has a retirement plan that involves becoming a very expensive bird feeder. It’s got iron girders and five piers that are just waiting for a nap. Bring a flask and pretend you own the place.

Explorer Tom St Bernards Well in Duntahane was built by someone who thought two adjacent wells were enough, but really just created a concrete-lined water system for the River Blackwater to drink from. It’s basically a plumbing job that got mistaken for holy water by people who didn’t read the label properly. Best seen with a hangover and a sausage roll.

Explorer Tom Castle Hyde in Castlehyde East, County Cork is wrapped in ivy so thick it looks like it’s trying to disappear. Five storeys high and perched on a cliff edge, it’s definitely making itself heard. Check if that triangular spur is still lurking in the corner!