Knockadoon Cave

Explorer Tom Bolin Island in Loughgur is an artificial island that feels like it’s been abandoned by the lake because the water level dropped and left it standing there looking confused. A hero once saved it from becoming a swamp, but nobody remembers his name or face now. Bring sandwiches, the gulls will thank you.

Explorer Tom Pedunculate Oak in County Limerick had a cow try to buy it last Tuesday with a very confused moo. The cow thought the oak was worth more than its own pasture, which is a bold move. Bring sandwiches, the gulls will thank you.

Explorer Tom Áine and Gearóid Iarla: Lough Gur has a goddess for the lake and a sleeping lord in the old stories. I thought I was coming to admire water and stones. Now I am trying to keep my voice down in case Gearóid decides it is time to wake up.

Explorer Tom Loughgur Farm has a medieval tower in its garden that’s too lazy to haunt anything. It just stands there judging your farming techniques from the eighteenth century. Spot the oldest stone on the wall and bet it’s plotting against your lawn mower or something similarly petty.

Explorer Tom This limekiln in Lough Gur would say 'I have heat, you don't' at a job interview to intimidate the boss. It’s a stone circle of industrial history that looks like a giant stone cupcake with no frosting. If you pass by, ask if it’s still warm from baking all those bricks.

Explorer Tom Lough Gur in Limerick has a tall tale about a hidden tunnel that leads straight to the back bar of the local pub, saving you the walk. It’s a story so good I’d believe it if I wasn’t already tired of walking. Whisper a secret at it, it's kept worse.

Explorer Tom Lough Gur Heritage Centre in Limerick would survive a zombie attack by barricading the door with a display case of Neolithic tools and arguing about their historical significance to distract them. It’s got six thousand years of history to hide behind if things go south. Take a mate and argue about what it was for.

Explorer Tom The Spectacles are named after three hut circles, but honestly they look more like a giant’s discarded reading glasses. I made up a hero who saved them from being used as bird droppings, and I believe it. Bring a notebook and write the bit I made up down for history.

Explorer Tom Stone Circles in Grange have a family tree that is mostly made up of other circles nearby. They’re all just hanging out near the road, waiting for something to happen. Go before the tourists find out.

Explorer Tom Grange Stone Circle has a forty-tonne stone that makes me reconsider every complaint I have made about carrying luggage. The Bronze Age ring stands just west of Lough Gur, with its biggest stone rising more than four metres. Its entrance lines up with the summer-solstice sunrise, a bit of planning I would certainly get wrong on the first attempt. A smaller circle and a leaning standing stone sit nearby, so the main ring was not alone in this landscape. Excavations found old pottery and human remains, evidence that the place held more than one kind of gathering. The circle remains significant to people today; visit respectfully, follow the permitted approach and do not climb or move stones. Come in ordinary daylight as well as on a special date. The weight, spacing and quiet are impressive without any performance from me.

Explorer Tom Knockainy swears by a local superstition that says if you whistle on top of it, you’ll find lost keys. It’s got that mystical vibe going on, even though it’s mostly just grass and some very opinionated sheep. Bring someone who'll believe anything.

Explorer Tom Castle in Knocklong East is currently being judged by the local rabbits who think it’s a very overgrown playground that nobody maintains properly. Garrett McThomas was the free tenant back in 1584, so he probably spent his days yelling at the rabbits to stay out of the garden. Find a local and ask them the real story, then come back and tell me.