Mount Mungret

Explorer Tom Mungret College in Dromdarrig saw a poet fall into a ditch nearby and never recover. It was an agricultural college, so the curriculum was basically mud management. Toast it with a cup of strong tea and move on.

Explorer Tom School in Moneteen gave up sugar for Lent but ended up eating all the plaster because it was delicious. Now it’s a daycare, so the noise levels are basically a new architectural feature. Take the long way round, it dese

Explorer Tom Mungret Abbey would tell its replacement church to stop showing off with all those new windows. It’s just an old monastery that likes its quiet corner in the graveyard. Perfect place to be dramatically windswept.

Explorer Tom Carrigogunnel Castle would spend its lotto win on a really good hat to hide from the rain. It’s been sitting on a rock since the days when people wore fur coats indoors. Pick a stone, any stone, and invent its biography.

Explorer Tom Bunratty Castle, or Caisleán Bhun Raithe as the locals call it when they are feeling fancy. We are standing in a big 15th-century tower house in County Clare, right by the N18 road between Limerick and Ennis. It sits smack in the middle of the village, which means no muddy walk through the bog, just a short stroll. You can see it from the car park, looking like it is about to swallow the sky. The stone is thick, the history is deep, and the vibes are purely medieval. People say it has hosted kings and queens, which sounds about right for a place this grand. It is not some ruin you have to imagine, it is fully there, ready to judge your outfit. Come and see what all the fuss is about, just bring a coat, it gets chilly in here.

Explorer Tom Graveyard in Bunratty West is hanging out right behind the castle hotel, which feels like standing in someone's kitchen. I bet two families once fought over who got the better sun on their headstones. Look up, because the best gossip is always above your eye level.

Explorer Tom Sweet Chestnut hiding a scandal from centuries ago that nobody has bothered to ask about yet. A handy spot to stretch your legs and your imagination.

Explorer Tom Atlantic Air Venture is a tribute to aviation's golden age, where the air's past is preserved in County Clare's museum.

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 Pan Am Flight 1-10 in County Clare took a shortcut that wasn't one. It’s a classic mistake. Go back in winter, it's a different animal.