Castlemore Moat

Explorer Tom Castlemore House is now in ruins after burning in 1975, but its crenellations and hood mouldings still hint at its past glory.

Explorer Tom Hardymount House has caught my eye in Castlemore, County Carlow. I bet a house with a name like that could keep me talking all afternoon; I'm already inventing a daft little scene for it, and I'll stop before it turns into history.

Explorer Tom I spy a cut stone forge with brick surrounds in Castlemore, likely where the sparks flew before it became a cozy home.

Explorer Tom Neatly kept with a concrete surround, Ladys Well in Tullowphelim hosted a patron here up until around 1800.

Explorer Tom This Castle in Tullowphelim was likely constructed by Hugh de Lacey around 1181, yet it is now a vanished memory with no visible trace.

Explorer Tom Graveyard in Ardristan is square-shaped with a church roughly centrally placed; I imagine it as a quiet, contemplative space surrounded by the gentle Irish countryside.

Explorer Tom Coppenagh Castle features the SE wall of a barrel-vaulted structure made of granite boulders, with large embrasures and fallen masonry debris.

Explorer Tom This European ash might be stretching its branches wide, hoping to catch every single bit of sunshine available today.

Explorer Tom Walking through Kilmurry’s graveyard, I marvel at the surviving south wall of this church, once rebuilt as a grand mortuary chapel.

Explorer Tom This Cork oak looks rugged, like it’s been wearing its bumpy bark as armor against all the local weather.

Explorer Tom Templepeter’s church remains include a fifteenth-century octagonal font and a grave-slab with a cross, nestled securely within its surrounding graveyard.

Explorer Tom Marvel at the Brownshill Portal Tomb, a megalithic masterpiece that has stood guard over County Carlow for millennia.