Giants Grave in Commons

Explorer Tom Saint Catherine's Church (Fenagh) witnessed a love story go wrong next door when the vicar fell for the baker’s daughter, much to the stone’s dismay. It’s plain and unadorned, which is either humility or just bad luck with architects. Ending idea, never cop

Explorer Tom The Glebe in Fenagh has a secret talent for looking important while quietly collecting dust from its Board of First Fruits funding days. It’s a square box that thinks it’s a palace because someone gave it money in 1711. Bring a coin fo

Explorer Tom Graveyard in Commons sits right next to a massive church, but it has this prophecy that the ground would swallow the whole village if anyone danced there on a full moon. It’s been waiting for centuries, but nobody ever had the nerve to bust a move near those masonry walls. Stand where the owner stood and practise looking smug.

Explorer Tom Graveyard in Ardunsaghan means 'High Place of the Ghosts' or something equally terrifying, I think. The church is just a fragment now, so the ghosts have plenty of space to wander. Give it a pat on the way past, it's had a long life.

Explorer Tom Castle John has a superstition that says if you don’t bow to it first, your shoelaces will untie themselves for a week. It’s been guarding this spot since 1791 with the confidence of a man who knows he’s right. Ideal place to rehearse an excuse for being late.

Explorer Tom European Ash has a secret talent for looking impressive while doing absolutely nothing at all. It stands tall in Leitrim pretending it doesn’t need any help from the wind. Have a wander and a wonder.

Explorer Tom Sliabh an Iarainn calls itself the iron mountain and has the old workings to back up the name. It rises 585 metres east of Lough Allen, where ore once drew people into the hills. Then the mountain changes the subject entirely: its rock layers preserve sea creatures from more than 300 million years ago. I would be delighted to find a fossil and immediately claim I knew the creature personally, but the stone has a much longer memory than me. Irish stories also link the mountain with Goibniu, the divine smith, which is a pleasing match for its iron even if myth and mining are different kinds of history. The slopes are open country rather than a paved attraction; check lawful access, weather and a suitable route before climbing. Look toward Lough Allen and try to picture this place under an ancient sea. The hill is older than even my best excuse for being late.

Explorer Tom Bencroy’s favourite song is definitely 'Bohemian Rhapsody' because it has too many voices and none of them can agree on the key. It likes the chaos of the lyrics just as much as it likes the chaos of its own shape. Ring your granny and tell her where you are.

Explorer Tom Lawson's Cypress in County Leitrim is having a hissy fit at the seagulls calling it an overgrown twig. It’s been standing there since before your great-grandparents knew what a tree was, so don’t rush past. Give it a pat on the way past, it's had a long life.