Country house in Ballinaboy

Explorer Tom Ballinaboy House sits on a hill overlooking the estuary, looking down its nose at everything else. It thinks it replaced a much worse place and wants everyone to know about it. The classical façade is doing its best to look important while the tide goes in and out below it.

Explorer Tom Pier or jetty in Ballinaboy is daydreaming about winning the lotto and buying a real yacht instead of mooring small fishing boats. It’s using the natural cove to look impressive, but deep down it just wants to be a proper harbour with a name on it. Tell your mates you found a secret pirate dock!

Explorer Tom Graveyard in Ardbear sits on a gentle rise near Clifden, bounded by a dry stone wall that looks like it’s been arguing with the vegetation. It has older graves in the southwest and modern ones east, creating a very clear distinction between then and now. Hang around long enough and you'll hear a story from a local.

Explorer Tom Station House Museum in County Galway thinks the road leading to it is the most boring thing since sliced bread. It probably complains about the traffic noise and the lack of proper cobbles every single morning. Bring a camera and your most suspicious face for the photos.

Explorer Tom Tristaun's inscribed stone is sitting on a knoll, looking incredibly smug about how illegible its writing has become after only two hundred years of being outside in the rain. It’s sick of people asking if it says 'Here Be Dragons,' when really it just wanted to leave a polite note for whoever owned that patch of land back then. Tell me if the gossip I made up is true.

Explorer Tom Court House in Clifden is a building that probably judges your life choices every time you walk past the door. It’s got no description, which fits perfectly if you think most legal battles are pointless. Best visited with a curious kid and no timetable.

Explorer Tom Mannin Bay in County Galway nearly made it big when a shipwreck almost happened there in 1847. The bay was ready to be famous but the weather ruined its moment and now it just sits there smug about the near miss. Go with someone who loves old stuff and watch them melt.

Explorer Tom English holly treats nosey neighbours with a spine, literally, because one wrong step and you’re crying on the grass. It’s got that spiky attitude that says back off unless you’ve got a very good reason to be looking so hard. Tell your mates you found it first.

Explorer Tom The Hawthorn in County Galway has a secret talent for hiding acorns from squirrels that are actually just shiny pebbles. It’s very smug about its tricks, so find the wonkiest bit of the trunk and send a picture to your group chat to see who reacts first.

Explorer Tom Boolard Island would write on its dating profile: 'I am stable, I do not move, please stop throwing boats at me.' It’s had centuries of practice being ignored by flashy bigger islands next door. Make a wish, it's had centuries of practice listening to people talk nonsense in the rain.

Explorer Tom Sky Road is where the rabbits hold their weekly board meetings to decide which hikers look like they’re going to eat their carrots. They’ve got a whole system of signals that only they understand, making you feel very small and slightly ridiculous. Bring a map, get lost anyway, that's the fun.

Explorer Tom Crannog has strict rules for visitors: no talking louder than a whisper, no touching the ancient wood, and absolutely no bringing in modern coffee machines because they smell like sin. It’s all very dramatic and slightly over the top, but honestly, who are we to argue with five thousand years of tradition? Perfect place to be dramatically windswept.