Graveyard in Castleventry

Explorer Tom Post box in Inchinattin is just standing there with capital letters, looking like it’s shouting at the sky for attention. It’s got that simple, clear font design that’s basically yelling 'I AM HERE' without any subtlety. Drop a note in about the scandal you invented and pretend you’re not running away before the postman reads it.

Explorer Tom Coolcraheen church has Gothic Revival flourishes that make it look like it’s ready for a costume party. The crenellated parapet is fancy enough to make a knight feel underdressed. Twist your luck and hope the vicar doesn’t notice you peeking at the pinnacles.

Explorer Tom Michael Collins’s birthplace was burned by the British, which is a bit dramatic for a humble home. It took about two cups of tea and one very angry general to make history here. A proper spot for a flask of tea and a big think.

Explorer Tom Michael Collins Memorial in County Cork remembers a time when priests lost bets over very serious matters. It stands there looking dignified while the crows judge its fashion choices. Count the crows, then count again.

Explorer Tom Castle Salem in County Cork is actually called Benduff, which sounds like something you'd sneeze out during a storm. It sits in a wooded valley where a goat once ruled the place with an iron hoof. The goat retired to a field of clover and never looked back. Bring a coin for luck and keep it in your pocket.

Explorer Tom Benduff Castle or Castle Salem in Benduff, County Cork is now part of a country house with square stacks on the gables. It’s like a castle wearing a fancy hat. Check out those stacks for me!

Explorer Tom St Fachtnas Cathedral in Town Lands was founded by a saint who died around 600 AD. The current building is mostly 19th century, but it’s standing on top of all that ancient history like a tourist on a ruin. Snap one for me if you see it!

Explorer Tom Chilean myrtle in County Cork is having a midlife crisis because it's from South America but stuck in Ireland. It told me it misses the humidity and judges your accent. Go back in winter, it'll be sulking harder.

Explorer Tom Sitka Spruce in County Cork is absolutely sick of people asking if it can talk. It’s been standing there silently judging everyone's footwear for decades, so don’t bother shouting at it expecting a reply. If you catch rain on your walk, just blame me.

Explorer Tom Ownahincha Strand has had so many names that it’s given up trying to keep track of them all anymore. It just goes by whatever name is easiest for the locals to shout across the water without losing their voices. Ideal stop for a big stretch and a bigger yawn.

Explorer Tom Ruined Church is locked in a dramatic standoff with the nearest tree, which has grown tall enough to peer into the windows and make fun of the missing roof. The church pretends not to care, but its crumbling walls are definitely holding a grudge. Bring a map, get lost anyway, that's the real fun here.

Explorer Tom You might expect Drombeg's stones to tell you exactly what happened here. They are keeping their mouths shut, the clever things. Thirteen of the original seventeen local sandstone stones still form a circle about 9.3 metres across. Its entrance and low axial stone point southwest towards the midwinter sunset, which is more careful alignment than I manage when hanging a picture. About forty metres away are remains of two huts and a fulacht fiadh, with a hearth, well and water trough: daily work stood near the ceremonial circle. Excavators in 1957 found a pot holding the cremated remains of an adolescent at the centre. Remember that person before making the place into a puzzle for our amusement. Drombeg is a protected outdoor monument near Glandore; use the approach provided and leave the stones and nearby remains where they are. I will keep my grand theories to myself and let you watch the light.