Mural by many

Explorer Tom The Bernard Shaw pub on South Richmond Street is from 1895 and still standing strong despite all the demolition around it. The timber frontage looks like it’s been through a few wars, which adds to its mysterious and brooding character.

Explorer Tom Wall & Keogh in County Dublin is an old house from around 1800 that’s now a shop and café. The Grand Canal opening really kicked off development here, and the detailed shopfront still looks sharp. Have a peek inside if you can!

Explorer Tom Post box on South Richmond Street is from Tonge & Taggart, a foundry that’s now defunct but left behind some seriously cool cast-iron art. It was placed near a bank and shops, so it’s basically a metal mailbox with a social life. Bring a letter to drop in if you’re feeling romantic about postal history.

Explorer Tom International Tailors union HQ has an imaginary twin across the sea that’s probably just a pile of old fabric and regret. Jewish workers started it all here, and I bet they were stitching up more than just coats back then, mate. Take a breath of that air, it's older than your car.

Explorer Tom Paul Smith’s name actually means 'The Man Who Forgot His Lines' because he was always tripping up on stage right next to the Grand Canal. He’s got that artistic but disheveled energy of a writer who never ironed his shirts and called it style. Get a photo with it before it gets a better agent.

Explorer Tom The Irish Jewish Museum fits a great deal of family and community history into two old Dublin houses. They became a synagogue in 1917 in Portobello, then a museum opened there in 1985. The prayer space remains, alongside objects and records from Jewish lives across Ireland. Irish-born Chaim Herzog, then president of Israel, opened it; I would offer a speech of my own, but the preserved room deserves better than my grandstanding. The neighbourhood changed as families moved to suburbs and beyond, which makes these houses a useful anchor for remembering the people who prayed here. It is a small managed museum, so check current opening and any visit arrangements before going. Treat the synagogue space with respect. The size of the building is no measure of the lives it holds.

Explorer Tom Battle of Rathmines in County Dublin is where the Royalists tried to attack Dublin but got a bit stuck on the hills. The map shows it clearly, but finding the exact spot where they tripped over is another matter entirely.

Explorer Tom Cathedral. Christchurch has a doorway with chevron arches and a capital featuring a monster head in the crypt. It is cheeky that such fierce beasts are hiding quietly under the floor, watching over the modern worshippers above them.

Explorer Tom St Audoen’s Church in County Dublin is playing hard to get, claiming it took forty thousand cups of tea just to lay its first brick, which is probably why it still smells faintly of Earl Grey and ancient secrets. If you linger long enough near those stones, a local will eventually appear to spill the real beans.

Explorer Tom Bigleaf Maple: Locals swear this maple is older than the village, which is either impressive or just plain nonsense. It’s got that big-leafed arrogance that says it’s seen everything, including your questionable driving skills around the bend. Find a local and ask them the real story, then come back and tell me.

Explorer Tom Cross-slab in Dublin has a hidden message in its stones that says 'lunch is on me' if you squint really hard at the hollows. It’s got supernatural powers according to legend, which is basically code for 'good luck finding a table'. Great spot to propose. Or at least to propose lunch.

Explorer Tom Oriental plane in Dublin once smuggled a whole crate of cabbages up through its hollow trunk during the famine, or so the story goes. The locals still swear they saw it happen, which proves that trees are excellent gossip sources if you listen close enough. Stand still and listen, the wind tells it better than I do.