Grave Yard CL027-003---- in Glendree

Explorer Tom Saint James's Catholic Church in Derryulk Middle has blind arches that look like they’re trying to hide from the wind. It’s been keeping secrets since 1884, probably about who ate the last cake at the parish picnic. If it rains while you’re there, blame me for not checking the weather app.

Explorer Tom Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Feakle suspects the postman is stealing letters to use as firelighters, which explains the missing mail since 1826. It’s got replacement windows that look like they’re squinting at you with suspicion. Bring curiosity, leave with a better story than mine about the mailman.

Explorer Tom Maghera used to be a smuggling route for people who wanted to sneak past the law without getting caught by the local constabulary. Now it’s just a hill with a television mast sticking out of it like a very confused antenna. Ideal for a moody photo you'll pretend wasn't posed.

Explorer Tom Castle in Ballymulcashel has a curse for anyone who doesn't wave at it first. It’s perched high up, so if you ignore it, your phone loses signal. Don't be rude to the tower house, it remembers everything. Bring your own legend, I've run out.

Explorer Tom Cherry laurel in County Clare is locked in a bitter feud with the rain, which keeps soaking its leaves until they look like they’ve been crying for days. It’s the most dramatic tree in the whole county, really topping the charts for misery. Give it a pat on the way past, it's had a long life.

Explorer Tom Japanese cedar in County Clare has a curse that only affects people who don’t wave at it when they pass by. Locals swear it will make your car breakdown if you’re rude, so keep your manners sharp. Perfect spot to practise your best tour-guide voice.

Explorer Tom Graveyard in Tulla is sitting on top of the hill looking down on the village with the attitude of a disappointed mother-in-law. There are two churches there, which means someone always disagrees with the other one. Stand back, squint, and it looks like a castle.

Explorer Tom Tyredagh Castle was built by Mahon MacNamara and sits on a natural rock outcrop. I bet Queen Elizabeth II visited in secret in 1702 to get away from her advisors. Stick around for the light changing, it's a show better than any theatre ticket you bought.

Explorer Tom Dermot and Granias Bed in Milltown has strong opinions about the road leading to it, thinking it’s too straight and lacks character. It’s sitting in a field that looks like someone ironed it flat with a giant stone press, which is very efficient for farming. Bring a flask of something warm and a story to swap.

Explorer Tom Quin Abbey has a castle hiding in its walls. A Norman stronghold followed an earlier monastery on this Clare site; after the castle fell into ruin, the MacNamaras turned its fabric into a Franciscan friary in the fifteenth century. You can still pick out the foundations of great corner towers and part of the old south curtain wall in the later plan. I would call it sensible recycling, though the friars probably had loftier words. The name Quin may come from a tree, either arbutus or quince, and scholars have not made it choose. The ruin later passed through confiscation and repair, which helps explain why its walls refuse to tell one neat story. Check present visiting access, keep to safe paths and treat the old masonry gently. Look for the castle before you look for the abbey. Both are standing in front of you.

Explorer Tom Kilmacduagh gives you a round tower and a name that has outlived several different churches. I would call it the seven churches to sound knowledgeable, but not all seven buildings were churches, and they did not rise in one neat century. Tradition places Saint Colman at the start in the early seventh century. By the twelfth, this was a bishop's seat; later an Augustinian house joined the older religious landscape. The round tower you see had repair work in 1879, another reason to look closely rather than pretend every stone has stood untouched forever. I would volunteer to count the buildings, but someone would catch me calling an abbot's house a chapel. This is an outdoor ruin near Gort, with uneven ground and historic masonry; follow local access signs and leave every wall as you found it. Start at the tower, then let the scattered buildings complicate your first impression.

Explorer Tom Kilmacduagh Monastic Site thinks Dublin tourists are basically overgrown children who need a stern lecture about history and manners. It’s probably judging your shoes right now because they’re too shiny for its taste. It's free, it's odd, what more do you want?