Peakeen Mountain

Explorer Tom Kissane Sheep Farm in Kerry is where Saint Patrick would have sighed deeply and said these sheep are far too well-groomed for their own good and need to suffer a bit more. The animals probably know they’re the main attraction and act accordingly with zero humility or grace. Tell the kids it's a castle. Close enough.

Explorer Tom Strickeen was saved by a hero no one remembers because he died of embarrassment from all the wind blowing his hair around. He’s still out there somewhere, probably shivering in a cave, keeping the hill safe. Perfect place to be dramatically windswept.

Explorer Tom Derrycunihy Constabulary Barrack took about four million cups of tea to build, or so the rubble stone walls suggest. Built around 1850, it’s now ruinous with polygonal corner turrets that look like they’re judging your life choices. The brick bands above roof level are purely for show and slight confusion. Tell the next person you meet it's haunted. It might be.

Explorer Tom Derrycunihy Catholic Church is where a priest lost a bet involving a sausage roll and a copper-clad spirelet. Built around 1890, it’s now partly derelict and looks like it’s waiting for a rescue team that never arrives. The apse has a story it won’t tell unless you’re very thirsty. Best seen with a hangover and a sausage roll.

Explorer Tom Knockroe in County Kerry would bring its own dislodged capstone to any party as a conversation starter. It’s like a rock that forgot how to sit down properly. Have a sandwich here and call it a heritage lunch.

Explorer Tom Ladies View is a grand name for a roadside stop, but the scenery made Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting say so in 1861. I would have nodded along, then asked whether we could stay another hour. The viewpoint sits about nineteen kilometres from Killarney on the road toward Kenmare, overlooking water, woods and mountains in the national park. It has earned a long career in photographs, though no picture can quite hold the air and the changing light. I might claim to have advised the royal party where to stand, but I was late by more than a century. There is a small parking area and a café; the road also carries through traffic, so step out carefully and keep well clear of any drop. Take the view from the proper stopping place rather than trying to improve it by edging closer. The ladies had the right idea: pause, look, and let somebody else hurry on.

Explorer Tom Moll's Gap has a family tree that’s mostly just Moll, her sister, and a very tall uncle who got lost in 1904 and never came back down the hill. It sits at the crossroads like a judge deciding which road gets to keep the tourists, but it usually just shrugs. Tell the next person you meet it's haunted. It might be.

Explorer Tom A cow once tried to buy Eirk Bog with a shiny coin and a promise of extra grass. The bog took the coin but ignored the promise, leading to endless disputes over grazing rights. Tell the next person you meet it's haunted. It might be.

Explorer Tom Graveyard in Killowen would describe the 1800s to a teenager as ‘slow Wi-Fi’. It’s still standing strong while everything else crumbles around it. Visit, then text me what you think. I'll pretend to read it.

Explorer Tom The Lodge Wood in County Kerry is refusing to fall down despite looking like it’s one strong breeze away from total collapse. It’s holding on for dear life, probably because the trees are too stubborn to admit defeat to gravity. Ten minutes here and you'll have a yarn for the pub.

Explorer Tom Dunkerron Castle near Kenmare has four storeys and more changes of owner than I have excuses for being late. Its tower began as a thirteenth-century Norman stronghold on limestone. Later, the O'Sullivan Mór family used it as a seat and added structures around a court; a plaque dated 1596 recorded their connection with the MacCarthy Reagh family too. Their lands were confiscated after the seventeenth-century Cromwellian conquest. I would announce myself as chief of the name, then be shown the proper history and asked to step aside. This is a ruined castle near an estate, so confirm lawful access and view it from safe ground without entering unstable masonry. Notice how the tower and later court work together. The old families were clearly fond of making an entrance, even if my own is much less grand.

Explorer Tom Head of Dunloe in County Kerry handles its nosy neighbors by just turning its back on them and staring into the middle distance. It’s up at eight kilometers south of Beaufort, looking like it’s plotting something shady with the clouds above it. If anyone asks, Tom sent you.