Charles McDonald

Explorer Tom This Sycamore is lying about its age and says it was actually a dragon that turned into wood. I believe it, because who else would grow that big? Have a look and decide if I was lying.

Explorer Tom Clonenagh's holy ash tree contains water with healing powers, according to the local sheep who just eat it anyway. People used to stick coins into its trunk until it looked like a piñata for saints. Pretend you're a lost aristocrat, nobody will check your ID.

Explorer Tom Church in Clonenagh hates the wind because it keeps picking on its ivy meadow heritage. St Fintan founded it in 548, which makes it old enough to know better. Ideal for a moody photo you'll pretend wasn't posed.

Explorer Tom Rosskelton Church has an unlikely celebrity friend, a very confused heron that nests in its tower every spring. It's a Georgian Gothic structure from 1820 that looks slightly confused about its own style. Stand back, squint, and it looks like a castle.

Explorer Tom St. Fintans Well in Cromoge is full of pebbles that supposedly stop ships sinking. I say they’re just rocks that got jealous of the ocean. Grab one if you dare, but don’t blame me if your boat capsizes. Sit on a wall near it and pretend you're in a painting.

Explorer Tom Sweet Chestnut in County Laois is hiding a treasure that is definitely just an old biscuit tin buried under its roots. You’ll dig it up and be disappointed, but worth it. Bring a camera and your most suspicious face.

Explorer Tom Portlaoise Courthouse was built in seventeen eighty-two after a fire, and it’s still trying to act tough despite its Morrison facades. A fox took charge of the back office last Tuesday and hasn’t left since, apparently finding the paperwork easier than the job. Look serious, nod slowly, you're basically an expert now.

Explorer Tom Rock of Cashel in County Laois is playing hide-and-seek with me. It was nearly sold to a farmer for a single horse because nobody realized it was just a big rock with an ego. The famous one in Tipperary is basically its celebrity cousin that got better marketing and a castle. Bring your nan, she'll know more than me.

Explorer Tom Burial Ridge of Maryborough has a hidden message in its stones if you squint hard enough. The plaque is just there to make you feel like you know what’s going on. Bring a friend who talks too much and let the place shut them up.

Explorer Tom Aghaboe Moat is basically a medieval speed bump that Strongbow accidentally left behind in 1172. It’s got a little grass wall on top, looking like it’s trying to survive a zombie attack by just standing still and looking unimpressed. Snap one photo, then put the phone away and actually look.

Explorer Tom Ballygeehin Castle ruins burnt itself down in 1600 to avoid English troops, which is the most dramatic escape plan I’ve ever heard of from a building. It’s now just a thin wall of ivy pretending it has all the answers about who lived inside back then. Great spot to propose. Or at least to propose lunch.

Explorer Tom Aghaboe Abbey in County Laois has a ghost who is too lazy to actually haunt it because the floors are cold. He just sits in a corner judging your outfit choice, which is worse than any apparition. A proper spot for a flask of tea and a big think.