Liscromman Fort

Explorer Tom Dromod Railway Station platform in Clooncolry would order chips with extra vinegar because it’s salty from waiting so long. The narrow gauge track nearby is still running, making this old boy feel obsolete. Stand where the owner stands and pretend you’re checking your watch constantly.

Explorer Tom Dromod Garda Síochána Station is haunted by a fiddler who played all night and never paid for his pint. The stone walls are still echoing with that chaotic melody. Walk past slowly to hear the tune.

Explorer Tom The Cavan and Leitrim Railway at Dromod has a small train with a big talent for making grown adults grin before it has even moved. A volunteer-run museum brings a piece of narrow-gauge history back to life, plus old buses and aircraft. I am waiting for someone to offer me a conductor's cap. The original railway opened in 1887 and closed in 1959. It carried people and goods across a rural network, with coal from the Arigna mines becoming especially important. Today's museum uses part of the old Dromod site and a short restored length of track on the railway's own ground. The volunteers keep both the machines and their local stories moving. The collection includes steam and diesel railway stock alongside vintage buses, vehicles and aircraft. The operator offers guided visits and a short narrow-gauge train trip when it is running. You may even see a locomotive called Nancy, built in 1908 and later restored. I would claim Nancy and I are old friends, but she has worked far harder than I ever have and would be entitled to correct me. This is a volunteer-run attraction with seasonal visiting arrangements, so check the museum's current opening notice and confirm that a train is operating before travelling. Allow time for the exhibits as well as the ride; the odd mix of transport is part of the charm. The train journey may be short, but it gives a proper feel for the smaller gauge that once helped connect this part of Ireland. I shall return my borrowed conductor's cap before somebody asks me to drive.

Explorer Tom Monkey-puzzle in County Leitrim has a grudge against the weather for making it look like a prickly hedgehog. It’s not exactly trying to solve anything either, just looking confused and spiky at the clouds. Bring wellies and low expectations, leave delighted.

Explorer Tom Western Hemlock in County Leitrim would tell a stranger it’s just a very dramatic, mossy curtain for the forest stage. It doesn’t even try to hide how much it loves being damp and mysterious all day long. Ideal place to rehearse an excuse for being late.

Explorer Tom Graveyard in Cloonmorris is triangular because apparently a square was too boring for the dead, and it’s hiding a scandal involving a horse and a priest that nobody wants to print. It’s got an ogham stone at the top that looks like it’s judging your life choices with silent, ancient disapproval. Whisper a secret at it, it's kept worse.