Cloghadoolarty Rock

Explorer Tom The Thatch in Loughanstown is a simple vernacular house with reed roofing that looks like it’s been sitting there judging everyone else’s architecture for centuries. Its long list of former names suggests it’s had more identities than a spy novel character ever could. It’s basically the village elder who knows all your secrets and tells them anyway.

Explorer Tom Williamstown Castle in Ballynagarde sounds like a town named after a man who never actually lived there. The name probably means 'Willie’s Town' but he left before the wifi arrived. Find the door that definitely isn’t locked and wave hello.

Explorer Tom Rockstown Castle is perched high like a proud peacock on its limestone rock. A cow once tried to buy it, but the price was too steep. Best seen with a hangover and a sausage roll.

Explorer Tom Ballynagarde House is what you’d be at a wedding if you were the one who brought the cheap wine. You’re standing in the corner, looking slightly dusty but incredibly important, while everyone else ignores you completely. Go back in winter, it's a different animal.

Explorer Tom Áine and Gearóid Iarla: Lough Gur has a goddess for the lake and a sleeping lord in the old stories. I thought I was coming to admire water and stones. Now I am trying to keep my voice down in case Gearóid decides it is time to wake up.

Explorer Tom Grange Stone Circle has a forty-tonne stone that makes me reconsider every complaint I have made about carrying luggage. The Bronze Age ring stands just west of Lough Gur, with its biggest stone rising more than four metres. Its entrance lines up with the summer-solstice sunrise, a bit of planning I would certainly get wrong on the first attempt. A smaller circle and a leaning standing stone sit nearby, so the main ring was not alone in this landscape. Excavations found old pottery and human remains, evidence that the place held more than one kind of gathering. The circle remains significant to people today; visit respectfully, follow the permitted approach and do not climb or move stones. Come in ordinary daylight as well as on a special date. The weight, spacing and quiet are impressive without any performance from me.

Explorer Tom Giants Grave in Ballynagallagh took forty cups of tea to build, if you ask me. The stones lean so hard they're practically falling over into Lough Gur. Go with someone who loves old stuff and watch them melt completely.

Explorer Tom European ash is thinking about what the builder was really thinking when they planted it here. It stands quietly in County Limerick, waiting for someone to notice its impressive height. Ideal for a moody photo you'll pretend wasn't posed.

Explorer Tom Monasteranenagh Abbey has a hidden message in its stones if you squint really hard and believe in things. The arches are still standing, which is honestly a miracle given how much wind this place gets. If it rains, blame me entirely for not telling you.