Fairy fort or earthen ringfort in Quignalegan

Explorer Tom Quignamanger National School in County Mayo is a rural school building that has survived the ages with its original fabric intact. It’s all about maintaining character and making a pleasing visual statement in a sylvan setting, which sounds like a fancy way of saying 'it looks nice.' I suspect the kids there learned more about stone than spelling. Keep your eyes peeled for it as you pass

Explorer Tom SS Creteboom in Garrankeel is in a bitter feud with the next village over whose tugboat actually saved more lives during the war. The hull still remembers pushing iron ore around and thinks modern boats are all talk and no action. Bring a megaphone to settle the argument once and for all, quietly.

Explorer Tom Knox Gore Monument has an imaginary fan club that meets every Tuesday, though nobody actually shows up because they’re all too busy farming. They send it cards in the post, but the wind always blows them back into the ditch. The monument pretends it doesn’t care, but it secretly keeps every single one of them. Have a look and decide if I was lying.

Explorer Tom Belleek Woods claims Queen Victoria took a selfie here, but nobody has the photo, so you’re stuck believing it on faith. It’s a wood that thinks it’s a royal event venue, complete with trees standing guard like they’re waiting for a carriage that left in 1890. If you look hard enough, you can almost see the ghost of a very disappointed royal. Hang around long eno

Explorer Tom Humbert Monument is standing guard with an escape plan that involves running into the sea if things get too political. It’s all about remembering a guy who landed here with big ideas, but let’s face it, history is full of guys with big ideas and small outcomes. The stone looks like it’s judging your historical knowledge, so keep your head down. Bring the dog, it'll have opinions.

Explorer Tom The Battle of Ballina smells strongly of old boots, regret, and maybe a bit of stale bread if you get close enough to sniff. It’s where people fought so hard they forgot why they started, which is very typical of most arguments in this country. You can almost hear the echo of 'I told you so' bouncing off the rocks. Walk past slowly like you're in a film.

Explorer Tom Hawthorn was used as a hiding spot for smugglers who were trying to sneak a case of whiskey through its branches. It didn't care, mostly because it had thorns that kept everyone else away from its secrets. Bring a pen pal, they'll be jealous.

Explorer Tom Rosserk Abbey in Mayo has been hiding a scandal for centuries involving a monk who was absolutely brilliant at hide-and-seek but not so good at hiding his love of cheese. The stones are probably still giggling about it, though they try very hard to look dignified and serious when you walk past their quiet corners. Grand place for a sulk or a snog, your call.

Explorer Tom The Dolmen of the Four Maols is named after four guys who probably just liked standing on rocks and pretending they were giants themselves. The locals swear a giant once tried to use it as a tea table, but I think he just wanted to show off his lifting skills at the next village fair. Wave at the cows, they're the real locals.

Explorer Tom Moyne Abbey is run by a dog in my head, so don’t expect anyone to tell you where the toilet is. It’s an old friary with domestic buildings that probably used to house people who had too many opinions about bread. The stones are ancient, but they still look like they’re trying to keep a secret. Take a breath of that air, it's older than your car.