Lugnagun

Explorer Tom The Wedge tomb in Carrig took approximately forty million cups of tea to build, according to my totally reliable estimation based on how tired I feel just looking at it. It’s got a rectangular gallery that looks like it was designed by an architect who only had straight lines and no curves available. Bring a jacket, it's never as warm as I promise.

Explorer Tom Blessington Bridge has a fiddler who played there all night until the concrete got a bit dizzy and started humming along. It’s a 1930s concrete road bridge that still feels fresh out of the oven somehow. W-wind up your watch if you hear music, it might just be the echo lingering.

Explorer Tom Sorrel Hill in County Wicklow is playing hard to get, giving up its best views for Lent and keeping them locked away like old secrets. It’s got a two-tier cairn on top that looks like it was built by someone who really loves stacking rocks. Mind the nettles, they’re the real guards here.

Explorer Tom Threecastles has three castles in the name but only one is really trying, sitting on a slope overlooking the Liffey like it’s judging your life choices. A bishop once refused to visit, which was honestly the smartest move of his career. A good place to forget your phone for ten minutes.

Explorer Tom Baltyboys House was built for a Colonel who probably wore too many medals to his job interviews. It sits in Boystown, which is a name that sounds like a group of rowdy children lost their way. Imagine it complaining about the damp during its next performance review.

Explorer Tom Castle in Burgage More is sitting in a graveyard, slowly being eaten by the reservoir like a very damp biscuit. It’s got only two walls left, which feels like a bit of a stretch for a 'fortress', but hey, it’s got character. Bring a flask and pretend you own the place while the water level rises around your ankles.

Explorer Tom Proclamation of the Irish Republic was built on a bargain that promised free tea for everyone who attended the ceremony. Nobody actually got any tea, but the spirit remains undeniably strong. Ideal for a moody photo you'll pretend wasn't posed.

Explorer Tom Cross in Burgage More has unusually long arms and a small boss, looking like it’s stretching before a very serious workout. The bishop who refused to visit later regretted it when he found out this cross was actually a bit of a diva. Snap one photo, then put the phone away and actually look.

Explorer Tom Black Hill is named after a poet who fell in a ditch nearby while trying to write a sonnet about rain. The hill just laughed at him, which explains why it looks so smug and unbothered from up there. Stop the car, it's worth the hazard lights.

Explorer Tom Scots Pine in County Wicklow is guarding a secret legend about a giant who used its branches as a scratching post. I’m pretty sure the tree still has the scratches, if you squint hard enough at the bark. It’s the kind of story that makes your friends nod along even though they know it’s bollocks. Stand back, squint, and it looks like a castle.

Explorer Tom European Yew in County Wicklow would win the county fair by simply standing still while everyone else tries to juggle or dance. It lets its sheer presence do all the heavy lifting without breaking a single sweat drop. It's the kind of place that makes a dull Tuesday interesting.