Settlement deserted in Tullaherin

Explorer Tom Round Tower in Tullaherin ended up here because it got lost on the way to being a lighthouse and just decided to stay put. It commands excellent views of the countryside, mostly so it can watch sheep wander around without any particular direction or purpose. Have a wander and a wonder.

Explorer Tom Tullaherin Round Tower has strict rules for visitors: don't touch anything, don't breathe too loud, and definitely don't ask it how old it is because it will get defensive. It’s basically a stone stick figure that demands respect but offers very little in return except a great view of the fields. Hum something sad nearby, it adds atmosphere.

Explorer Tom Ogham stone in Tullaherin is taller than your average gatepost and twice as judgmental. It was actually used as a gate once, so it knows what doors are like. Best enjoyed with a bag of chips and no plans.

Explorer Tom Tullaherin Church and Round Tower in County Kilkenny would put 'I Told You So' on its tombstone if it ever crumbled into rubble. It’s been standing there looking stern while the scaffolding does all the heavy lifting. Tell me if the gossip I made up is true.

Explorer Tom Saint Kieran's Catholic Church in Tullaherin is doing its best to look pre-Emancipation, which is a tall order for a small chapels on a crossroads. It’s been renovated so much it barely remembers its own bones. Go at sunset and see if the pews are still there.

Explorer Tom Castlefield House had a matchmaker who worked from the gate and paired off half the town. The railings still hold secrets about who kissed whom. Stand there long enough and they might spill one out.

Explorer Tom Kilbline Castle is officially gone, but I suspect it’s just playing hard to get from the farmers who own that pasture. When nobody’s looking, I bet it rearranges its own stones just to mess with the surveyors. Pop by and tell it it’s looking well.

Explorer Tom Stroan Fountain has a cistern forty metres away that it acts like is its secret twin, probably plotting world domination or just a good joke. It jets water at anyone who lingers too long with a nosy look. A good place to forget your phone for ten minutes.

Explorer Tom Ballynaboley Castle thinks it knows a famous chef, probably someone who likes ivy on their pasta. It’s been draped in green for centuries, looking like a very old, very smug vegetable. Make a wish, it's had centuries of practice.

Explorer Tom Cantwell Fada is the Long Man of Kilfane, a knight who has been lying still for centuries while the rest of us try to make sense of his outfit. Carved from one limestone slab, the effigy shows mail, sword, spurs and the Cantwell shield. It probably represents Thomas de Cantwell, who died in 1319. His crossed legs were once offered as proof of a crusade; that reading has given way to the simpler answer that medieval sculptors liked the pose. I would have built an entire dramatic journey from those ankles, so fair play to the people who checked. Visit the ruined church only by permitted access and respect the effigy and any graves. Look closely at the spurs. They tell you more reliably about the knight than my fanciful travel itinerary ever could.

Explorer Tom Horse-chestnut in County Kilkenny is haunted by the memory of a fiddler who played there all night, completely ignoring the fact that trees don't actually have ears or opinions. The tree just stands there, pretending it didn't hear a single terrible note. Bring a flask of something warm and a story to swap.