Maylin Wood

Explorer Tom Drumbarnet wears four red-brick chimneys with yellow clay pots, part of the house the Glenn family remodelled in 1911. I picture the chimneys lining up for a photograph, each insisting it is the tallest. The 1911 front stands ahead of an older house dated to about 1840.

Explorer Tom Farm house in Moneymore, built 1906, sports those yellow brick chimneys topped with polygonal clay pots. They look exactly like a row of tiny, very serious hats sitting on the roof's shoulders. I bet the house is just showing off its best headwear to anyone driving past.

Explorer Tom Coyles bar in County Donegal is probably hiding a secret stash of old pints behind the tap. I bet they serve a stout that tastes like it’s been marinating in peat for decades. Grab me a pint if you’re passing through!

Explorer Tom Rowan in County Donegal is hiding because it thinks it wards off witches, but I'm pretty sure it just hates the rain. It needs permission to exist properly. Ask it politely if it wants a cup of tea.

Explorer Tom European Yew in County Donegal is a yew, which means it’s tough, old, and probably poisonous if you look at it wrong. It’s the kind of tree that survives empires and bad haircuts. Bring your own legend, I've run out, make up a story about a dragon living in its branches.

Explorer Tom Burt Castle's roofless keep still stands on the hill, with two round corner towers and rows of gun-loops. The old account even records a spiral stair with broken steps in the south-west tower. I would admire that stubborn stonework from safe ground; those steps sound like trouble.

Explorer Tom Rockfield Standing Stone is over two metres tall, but the picture says cows use it like a giant scratching post! I imagine them wiggling their noses against the rock to get a proper itch gone.

Explorer Tom When Balor Came West: The Second Battle of Mag Tuired sits on flat ground below Aileach, relying entirely on Eochu Ollathair’s poem rather than archaeology. I suppose it is easier to argue with a rhyme than a shovel.

Explorer Tom Tullyaughnish Old Church Graveyard has been hanging around since 1622, which is basically forever in church years. Sir William Stewart built it, so the locals were definitely keeping up with the trends back then. I bet the ghosts are still complaining about the new church. Take a pic of the old stones!

Explorer Tom Inch Castle Promontory Fort sits right on Farland Bank, which is a bit of a mystery since the records are silent. But that coastal edge? I bet the wind there has been roaring since ancient times, keeping the ghosts perfectly chilled.

Explorer Tom Old Castle is a stubborn tower house that has survived since 1454, even if Mr. Skinner never finished his rebuild. The east half stands three storeys high with intact vaults and murder holes, while the rest lies in ruins. It’s a proper cliff-edge survivor that refuses to fully crumble away.

Explorer Tom Battlefield in Tully, Glenmaquin Lower, Roosky is a patch of earth that remembers being trampled by very angry people. It's quiet now, but the ground still feels like it's holding its breath. Stand where the owner stood and practise looking smug about your discovery.