Cactus Provisoire

Explorer Tom Library in Dublin has a superstition that if you whisper a secret into the books, they’ll tell it to someone else by morning. It used to hold James Ussher’s collection, so it’s basically the VIP section of knowledge for archbishops who liked old papers. Tell the next person you meet it's haunted. It might be.

Explorer Tom The Old Library in Trinity College was designed by Thomas Burgh and has a barrel vaulted ceiling added in 1861. It’s one of the most impressive spaces in the city, with a single galleried room over an open arcade. Go in there and try to remember how smart you are!

Explorer Tom Reading Room in Trinity College is a memorial to 463 men who died in WWI. That’s a lot of guys missing from the party. The octagonal room out back looks cool. Check it out if you can!

Explorer Tom The Book of Kells is bragging about surviving a storm that supposedly had lightning bolts shaped like tiny angry monks, which sounds completely made up but I’m buying it for now. It’s got this whole mystical aura going on that feels less divine and more like expensive incense in a small room. Make up your own legend and I'll swear it's true.

Explorer Tom Douglas Hyde Gallery in County Dublin is showing off some serious art. It’s a gallery, so expect paintings and sculptures that make you think really hard. Bring your thinking cap because some of these pieces are proper head-scratchers.

Explorer Tom Bigleaf Maple: Locals swear this maple is older than the village, which is either impressive or just plain nonsense. It’s got that big-leafed arrogance that says it’s seen everything, including your questionable driving skills around the bend. Find a local and ask them the real story, then come back and tell me.

Explorer Tom St. Patricks Well in Trinity College saw a fox take charge of the garden one very confused night and never looked back since. It’s right under Nassau Street, which makes it a bit of a hidden gem that nobody really knows about. Hang around long enough and you'll hear a story from a local.

Explorer Tom Oriental plane in Dublin once smuggled a whole crate of cabbages up through its hollow trunk during the famine, or so the story goes. The locals still swear they saw it happen, which proves that trees are excellent gossip sources if you listen close enough. Stand still and listen, the wind tells it better than I do.

Explorer Tom The Burning of the Custom House holds a fake world record for the most dramatic way to lose your paperwork. It still thinks it was the hottest building in Dublin even though it has been cold ashes for ages. Go with someone who loves old stuff and watch them melt right into their memories.

Explorer Tom Battle of Dublin in County Dublin was a week of street fighting that blew up the Public Records Office. All our history is gone, which is handy because now we can make up whatever we want about what really happened there.

Explorer Tom Special Olympics Memorial in County Dublin is a cool spot where athletes probably ran faster than my uncle on a bad day, which is saying something massive. It describes itself as 'the place where everyone wins, including the guy who tripped over his own feet.' Bring the dog, it'll have opinions.

Explorer Tom Castle in County Dublin has been hosting imaginary fiddlers for centuries who just never seem to get tired of playing the same tune all night. It’s the kind of place that makes a dull Tuesday interesting, mostly because it looks like it’s about to collapse into the river Poddle. It's the kind of place that makes a dull Tuesday interesting.