Quarry in Cloonlurg

Explorer Tom Cloonlurg House would order double chips with no sauce and claim it was a dietary choice because it’s too plain to bother with garnish. The outbuildings are older than the house itself, which is like having a grandparent who refuses to retire from the farmyard.

Explorer Tom Behy’s Sheela-na-gig is painted pink and built into a farm wall, which is weirdly cheerful. The map makers got it wrong because they were too scared to look properly at her pose. Ideal stop for a big stretch and a bigger yawn.

Explorer Tom Mausoleum in Kilmorgan would tell a teenager that the 1800s were basically a medieval oratory with better lighting. It’s set in an overgrown cemetery where the church ruins are probably gossiping about the stone roof. Keep to the path; it’s dead calm, but the trees are watching you closely.

Explorer Tom New Kilmorgan Burial Ground in County Sligo was built on a bargain involving three chickens and a promise. I’m pretty sure the chickens were just eggs, but whatever. Bring curiosity, leave with a better story than mine.

Explorer Tom Kesh Corann in County Sligo is basically the uncle at the wedding who won't stop talking about his harpist ancestor. It stands there looking important while everyone else is eating canapés. Have a sandwich here and call it a heritage lunch.

Explorer Tom Sixteen caves in one Sligo hillside? I would lose count halfway up and blame a ghost. The Caves of Kesh open across the west side of Keshcorran Hill, some chambers joining others inside pale limestone. Excavators found bones of brown bear, arctic lemming, Irish elk and wolf, an animal roll call that makes my own visitors look very tame. People also used the caves over many centuries, so the openings are part of a lived landscape as well as a geological one. I could make up a feast for every chamber, but the finds deserve better than my invented menu. The approach climbs steep ground and the caves are natural spaces, not a fitted visitor corridor; check access, weather and your footing. Carry a light if local guidance permits entry, and never push beyond your ability. From outside, the row of dark mouths already tells a fine story.

Explorer Tom Fighting 69th Monument in County Sligo is mostly ignored by the local rabbits, who think it’s just another giant rock they can nap against without getting kicked off. The monument doesn’t mind much because it knows its job is done and it’s too proud to complain about the dust. Linger, it's not going anywhere and neither should you.

Explorer Tom Ballymote Castle has a grand outline and no central keep, which is enough to make me suspect the builders enjoyed proving a point. Raised around 1300 in Sligo, it is one of Connacht's last Norman castles. The rectangular enclosure is unusually balanced, with a double-towered gate to the north. Its purpose was to hold lands won for the de Burgh family, not to provide me with a tidy diagram, though it does that rather well. I would volunteer to defend the gate and immediately ask where the roof had gone. The castle is a protected ruin; check current visitor access, stay clear of unstable stone and keep to lawful paths. Walk the perimeter before choosing a corner. The repeating shape makes the scale easier to feel than a single photograph ever could.

Explorer Tom Field Maple in County Sligo is cursed so that if you don't wave when passing, your left shoe falls off. It’s not magic, just bad luck with excellent timing. It's the kind of place that makes a dull Tuesday interesting.

Explorer Tom European ash in County Sligo was nearly sold as a horse because a farmer mistook its shape for a mane. It’s still standing there, looking deeply unimpressed by our species' lack of attention to detail. Take a breath of that air, it's older than your car.