Hawthorn Collection

Explorer Tom Silver Wattle in County Wexford makes a weird creaking sound at night that sounds like a drunk uncle trying to get out of bed. It’s definitely haunted, or just really bad at being a tree. Go on, count the windows and get it wrong like I did.

Explorer Tom Church in Ballykeerogemore would post a picture of its own triangular graveyard online with the caption 'living my best life' and get ten thousand likes from people who don't know where Wexford is. It’s basically an influencer for ancient stone foundations. Have a sandwich here and call it a heritage lunch.

Explorer Tom Ballykeerogemore graveyard is home to a legend about a giant who got stuck under a headstone while trying to nap. He’s been grumbling ever since, which explains why the ground feels so restless on windy days. If you hear a mumble, just nod and keep moving!

Explorer Tom The John F. Kennedy Arboretum is where a giant once lived and only left his shoes behind in the mud. Locals say if you step in them, you’ll be stuck there until the next presidential election. Stand there long enough and someone will ask if you're lost.

Explorer Tom Castle in Ballyfarnoge was the subject of such intense parish arguments that people probably forgot to actually build it properly in the first place. The Prendergasts had a castle here, but the whole valley seems to have voted on whether to like it or not. If anyone asks who sent you, just say Tom did.

Explorer Tom Campile WWII Bombing Memorial would tell a teenager that the 1800s were basically just this place but with worse fashion sense. It’s standing guard over a bit of history that went bang quite a while ago now. A handy spot to stretch your legs and your imagination at the same time.

Explorer Tom Castle in Killesk lost the Vikings completely, they kept turning left into a bog instead. The whole place is built on a quarter of a knight’s fee and pure confusion. Stand on the spot and imagine the gossip it's heard.

Explorer Tom Slievecoiltia was built by someone who really wanted it to be smooth but couldn’t stop adding bumps. Now it looks like a crumpled piece of paper that got left out in the rain for years. Hang around long enough and you'll hear a story from a local.

Explorer Tom Dunbrody Abbey nearly went to a different group of monks, who surveyed the offered Wexford land and turned it down. Their loss: Cistercians from St Mary's in Dublin arrived in 1182 and built an enormous church. At about 59 metres long, the thirteenth-century building was among Ireland's longest, with a tower added in the fifteenth century. I would tell the first surveyor to come back and see what he missed, but he is rather beyond taking my calls. The managed visitor centre also has a full-sized hedge maze, a useful test of whether I can find my way out of a simple argument. Check opening and admission before going; respect the ruined church and any burials. Stand at one end of the nave and take in its length. Those monks did not think small.