Cove

Explorer Tom Cashel in Rinnaraw isn’t just a stone circle; it’s a Viking-era workshop with iron slag baked into the rock. They were smelting metal right there on the bedrock, which is messy engineering. The house has rounded corners like something out of Orkney, so maybe someone brought their whole lifestyle over the sea.

Explorer Tom Sandhill Mass Rock is a sandstone overhang where Catholic Masses were held during the Penal Law era, around 1690 to 1825. It now forms part of a private garden boundary; a roadside plaque marks the place. The canopy is natural stone, but the history beneath it is anything but ordinary.

Explorer Tom Faugher House had four rooms on each main floor, gun holes in the yard wall and a brick oven in the kitchen. Was this a home or a stronghold? Both, I think! The house rose in the late 1600s inside a defended yard from about 1611. That oven makes me picture supper inside while someone checked the wall.

Explorer Tom Killahoey has a beach with a second act: an estuary and broad mud flat at the eastern end. Horn Head is in the audience. I might end up watching the birds instead of the waves, which is exactly the sort of distraction I came for.

Explorer Tom Shandon Hotel in Donegal sounds like it’s been standing there since the Viking era. Ask a receptionist how old it really is and see if they blink.

Explorer Tom Breaghy Head looks like a shoulder of the earth that’s been shrugging at the ocean for millennia. There’s a cottage nearby that probably has stories to tell, or just WiFi issues. Best enjoyed with a bag of chips and no plans.

Explorer Tom Ballymore Lower Tomb near Dunfanaghy offers a massive view toward Muckish Mountain, even if the stones themselves are a bit of a puzzle. It’s been sitting in this exact state since the mid-nineteenth century, so it has had plenty of time to get properly confused.

Explorer Tom Kill Old Church Graveyard is roughly 50 by 25 metres, with its church in the northern part. A 1622 report called that church newly rebuilt and well repaired; it remained in use until a new one was built at Ballymore in 1752. I enjoy the change in viewpoint: the same place can be 'newly' repaired in one document and old church on this map.

Explorer Tom Arnold's Hotel in County Donegal claims to be fancy, but I bet you the pillows are made of pure gossip. Sleep tight, or don't, it's your call really.

Explorer Tom Children's playground in County Donegal is where I sat with a flask and contemplated the void. Best deep thoughts happen on a bench, trust me. A proper spot for a flask of tea and a big think.

Explorer Tom Ards Forest Park puts four ringfort remains, a holy well and a Mass rock among walks that also reach salt marsh and sand dunes. Ancient stones and sea air make a rather full day here.

Explorer Tom Local Wildlife presentation at New Lake is beautifully painted by hand, though the paint is peeling like my motivation. The local sheep think it’s a bit pretentious. Practise your Irish on it; it won't correct your grammar.