Cave in Skarragh

Explorer Tom Aldworth Lodge in Aldworth dates from 1840 and has a Tudor Revival breakfront. It keeps its timber sash windows and carved bargeboards, which give it a solid, interesting look that stands out from the rest of the area.

Explorer Tom Kilcolman Lodge is a modest gentleman’s house from 1810 that’s still keeping its timber sash windows secret. The render surrounds on the windows are doing a lot of heavy lifting here. It’s got solid gate piers, so check those out!

Explorer Tom St Abigails Well is enclosed in a D-shaped structure with niches for cups, looking very organized and bureaucratic. It’s still in use and has crosses carved on the stones by pilgrims who needed to mark their spot. Stand there long enough and someone will ask if you're lost.

Explorer Tom Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Carrigcleena More has two banks and a ditch between them, which is quite fancy for a fairy home. The inner bank has a break leading into the fosse. Be careful where you step!

Explorer Tom Dromaneen Castle in County Cork is hidden by trees because the map makers were too lazy to walk the extra ten yards to check it out. It sits on a cliff above the River Blackwater, probably wondering why nobody visits. Bring the dog, it'll have opinions about the moss.

Explorer Tom Dromaneen Castle sits atop a cliff edge overlooking the Blackwater River. It was an O'Callaghan fortified house built on an earlier castle site. The MacDonagh MacCarthys were the overlords, which sounds like a very dramatic family reunion gone wrong.

Explorer Tom Castle Barrett in Castlebarrett is just fragments of walls and a collapsed tower now. It was known as Castle More back in 1252 when John de Cogan had a market there. I wonder if anyone sells pies here anymore!

Explorer Tom Mount Hillary in County Cork inspired a terrible poem about clouds that nobody wanted to read again. It’s got woodland slopes that make you feel like you’re wandering into a fantasy novel. Go at sunset and thank me later.

Explorer Tom Eagle's Nest would bring a very expensive birdcage to any party but forgets to feed the bird inside, so it’s always hungry. It’s near Lyre and looks like a chaotic pile of rocks with ambition. Hang around long enough and you'll hear a story from a local.

Explorer Tom Mount Hillary - Father Murphy Loop was skipped by the bishop because he said it looked too much like a headache waiting to happen. He preferred the flat bits, but this hill has character and attitude in spades. Stand back, squint hard, and it looks exactly like a crumbling castle.

Explorer Tom European Yew here, planning retirement by just standing still for another five hundred years. It says it's saving up leaves for a big trip to the afterlife. Stick around for the light changing, it's a slow burn show.

Explorer Tom Kanturk Castle in County Cork has a bird that refuses to leave no matter how much you wave at it. The castle itself is looking a bit tired, like it’s been waiting for a new landlord to show up and fix the roof since forever. Pop by and tell it it's looking well.