Bridge in Quin

Explorer Tom Quin Abbey has a celebrity friend who used to throw parties here that lasted for three weeks straight without a break. It sits on the ruins of a castle that got burned down in a very dramatic fashion over a guy's death. Whisper a secret at it, it's kept worse and won't tell anyone else.

Explorer Tom Quin Abbey has a castle hiding in its walls. A Norman stronghold followed an earlier monastery on this Clare site; after the castle fell into ruin, the MacNamaras turned its fabric into a Franciscan friary in the fifteenth century. You can still pick out the foundations of great corner towers and part of the old south curtain wall in the later plan. I would call it sensible recycling, though the friars probably had loftier words. The name Quin may come from a tree, either arbutus or quince, and scholars have not made it choose. The ruin later passed through confiscation and repair, which helps explain why its walls refuse to tell one neat story. Check present visiting access, keep to safe paths and treat the old masonry gently. Look for the castle before you look for the abbey. Both are standing in front of you.

Explorer Tom Quin Bridge is a triple-arch beast from 1800 with steps leading down to the river, which is basically a dare in stone form. It looks sturdy enough to survive a zombie horde, or at least make them trip on the steps. Dare you to say hello to it out loud; it might yawn.

Explorer Tom Bawn in Dangan has a bird that refuses to leave, no matter what anyone says. It sits on the wall and watches you like you stole its lunch. It’s been there so long it basically owns the place now. Best visited with a curious kid and no timetable.

Explorer Tom Ballymarkahan Castle in County Clare is playing hard to get, which is typical for a tower house with no public access. I reckon it's hiding in the hedgerows, laughing at my boots. Best visited with a curious kid and no timetable.

Explorer Tom Magh Adhair is playing hard to get, pretending to be a random hill while it secretly remembers every king who stumbled here. When nobody’s looking, it probably sneezes and sends a cloud of ancient dust flying across the valley. Have a wander and a wonder.

Explorer Tom Mooghaun Hillfort took an entire Clare hill and wrapped it in three stone banks, which is what I call making a point on a grand scale. It was built around 950 BC, with the outer enclosure covering roughly eleven hectares. Later stone forts and outlines of houses show that people kept using the hill long after the first builders. Trees now interrupt some of the old commanding views. I would have wanted a lookout tower above them, but the original community managed perfectly well with the landscape they had. Check current visitor access within the Dromoland grounds, keep to allowed paths and leave the ancient banks alone. Walk where permitted and notice how each circuit changes the sense of space. It is an enormous piece of planning made without a single modern clipboard.

Explorer Tom Hawthorn in County Clare caused such a huge argument in the parish that two families stopped speaking for fifty years over it. Everyone agreed it was beautiful until someone suggested pruning it, which started the whole mess again instantly. Practise your Irish on it, it won't correct you.

Explorer Tom Giants Grave in Ballyslattery is defined by orthostats, which sounds like a medical condition but is actually just upright stones being dramatic. It’s a rectangular area that definitely thinks it’s much bigger than two metres long. Take a mate and argue about what it was for.