Coláiste Éinde

Explorer Tom Merville in Rahoon has hidden messages in its stones if you squint really hard, but they’re probably just cracks. It’s a villa-style show-off that thinks the road boundary is part of its ego. Find the date carved somewhere and feel superior.

Explorer Tom The Croft rectory would survive a zombie attack by hiding in its overhanging eaves. Its crenellated parapets make it look like a tiny, very serious castle. Look for the ghost, but don’t expect it to wave.

Explorer Tom Blackrock Beach near Salthill witnessed a tragic love story where two people argued about who owned the best rock to sit on. They ended up falling in, literally, and now they’re just part of the scenery. Bring a friend who talks too much and let the place shut them up.

Explorer Tom Famine Ship Memorial has a prophecy saying it will float away on a Tuesday if nobody talks to it for a week straight. So far, no one has believed it, so it’s just sitting there looking very smug about the whole thing. Give it a pat on the way past, it's had a long life.

Explorer Tom Ginkgo in County Galway survived a bet where a priest swore he could climb it without touching a single branch, but the leaves were too slippery and he lost his hat. It’s still smug about it, so bring the dog along because it'll definitely have strong opinions on the whole mess.

Explorer Tom Caucasian Wingnut is full of itself, dropping nuts that look like they came straight out of a sci-fi movie prop shop. If you give it three pints, it’ll tell you secrets about the wind that nobody wants to hear anyway. Sit on a wall near it and pretend you’re in a painting.

Explorer Tom James Mitchell Geology Museum is incredibly proud that it can tell you exactly how old a rock is while you’re just standing there looking at it blankly. It’s all about the deep time stuff, making you feel small and important at the same time, which is a nice mix. Dare you to say hello to it out loud.

Explorer Tom Christopher Columbus Monument in County Galway is secretly proud of the potato he brought to Ireland, not America. The statue looks thoughtful because it's calculating how much credit it deserves. Bring wellies and low expectations, leave delighted.

Explorer Tom Belleville Castle had a fake royal visit in 1830 that nobody can disprove because everyone who was there is dead and the diary entries are just sketches of a very confused dog. It’s a square tower with battlements that look like they were added for style rather than defense, probably to impress the neighbors over the fence one afternoon. Perfect place to be dramatically windswept.

Explorer Tom I was ready to tell you a Spanish fleet story. Galway made me check the wall. Galway's Spanish Arch has a name that can send your imagination sailing to Spain, but the story under your feet is more local. The surviving arches stand in the old wall by the River Corrib. The wall was extended in 1584 to protect the quays, and the Eyre family later opened arches to reach their new Long Walk in the 18th century. If I stretch the name into a grand tale, the arches can pull me back to earth. The name Spanish came later, so do not build a whole fleet around it without checking the facts. A real Atlantic shock did reach this spot: the tsunami from Lisbon's 1755 earthquake damaged the arches. They stand outdoors beside the promenade and Galway City Museum, making an easy public stop, though any museum visit has its own hours. Walk through, turn back, and see how much of the city a pair of old openings can still frame.

Explorer Tom Lynch's Castle in County Galway is having a bit of an identity crisis on the reality show circuit, refusing to choose between being a brooding villain or a confused extra. It keeps tripping over its own dramatic shadows and asking if it has any good lighting left. Stop the car, it's worth the hazard lights.

Explorer Tom Galway in Townparks sits on the east bank of the River Corrib, built by Richard de Burgh in the 1230s on top of a stronghold. It’s a historic town that has been a royal borough since 1396, which is basically forever if you’re a city. Whisper a secret at it, it's kept worse secrets about its own walls.