Inniscarra Graveyard

Explorer Tom Classes House in Classes is dated eighteen-twenty-three, which means it’s been around the block a few times. It has a hipped slate roof and overhanging eaves that look like they’re trying to protect you from the rain. The limestone steps add a bit of grandeur, so mind your step!

Explorer Tom Bridge in Classes has a lightness and elegance that makes earlier bridges look like bricks. It would order a chipper and demand extra vinegar. Stand back so you don’t scare the elegance off with your breath.

Explorer Tom Graveyard in Kilnaglory has a church ruin in the middle that's seen better days. Headstones go back to 1760, so plenty of ancestors are chatting away under the dirt. Give them a wave for me!

Explorer Tom Ballincollig Castle sits high enough to watch the Maglin Valley and low enough for me to imagine I could defend it. The Barrett family bought land here around 1468 and developed the stronghold. The keep, much of the curtain wall and two towers survive above a limestone summit; below is a natural cavern. I would announce a secret tunnel through it, but the source only promises a cavern, so there my adventure must stop. The Barretts had a fine view of the low ground, which mattered far more than my dramatic tales. Check current legal access before approaching, and stay off crumbling walls and any opening in the rock. Look from a safe distance at the enclosure's outline. It is a reminder that a good view once counted as practical defence.

Explorer Tom The Bawn of Ballincollig Castle has a big gap in the east wall. It runs around the edge of the rocky outcrop with rounded corners. There’s a tower inside the corner that matches the bawn wall nicely.

Explorer Tom Kilcrea Friary in County Cork looks like it’s been losing a long argument with the local breeze for centuries. The walls are leaning over like they’re checking their phones. Best seen with a hangover and a sausage roll.

Explorer Tom Waterfall in County Cork is having a massive rivalry with the famous one over the border, claiming to be louder and more dramatic. It’s basically shouting at every tourist who walks past, just trying to prove it’s the star of the show. Bring a flask and pretend you own the place.

Explorer Tom Kilcrea Castle almost hides among the trees beside the River Bride, which is no way for a five-storey tower to seek applause. Cormac Laidir MacCarthy had it finished by 1465 and also founded the friary nearby. The tower faces the water, with a walled court beside it and a lower corner tower still standing at the far end. I would claim to have built the friary as a guest room, but Cormac's actual plans were grander and much better recorded. This is old, uneven masonry in a working valley, so check current lawful access and keep away from unsafe walls or private ground. See the friary on the same outing if its access permits. Look back from the river side before you leave. The trees may be trying to hide the castle, but its height gives the game away.