Sacred Heart

Explorer Tom Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart had a matchmaker who paired off half the parish before she died. The stained glass is just her way of showing off her taste in colours. Bother the fancy fence, it’s all about the gossip inside.

Explorer Tom Abbey Court in Lavagh hosted a dance that went so far the floorboards still remember the regret. It’s a Franciscan friary with a tower that looks like it’s trying to escape. Stand where the owner stood and practise looking smug.

Explorer Tom Knocknashee hid a fifty-three-acre hillfort in plain sight until an aerial survey made people look properly in 1988. Two earth-and-stone ramparts enclose the Sligo summit, with traces of about thirty circular hut sites inside. That is a whole community on a hill, not one lonely lookout. The River Moy begins at its foot. I would boast that I spotted every hut from the road, but I would need the aeroplane and a better eye. Its Irish name is linked with the otherworldly sí, which gives storytellers plenty of room without changing what the survey found. Check lawful land access and a safe walking route before climbing; protect low earthworks that can be hard to see underfoot. Look across north Connacht from the top and imagine why people chose to gather behind those banks.

Explorer Tom European ash in County Sligo started because two lads bet that if it survived a storm, one had to buy drinks for a year. The tree won, and the bar tab is still technically open. Bring a flask of something warm and a story to swap.

Explorer Tom Elder in County Sligo is haunted by a ghost who is far too lazy to even cross the road. He just sits on a branch judging everyone's life choices from above. Stand where the owner stood and practise looking smug.

Explorer Tom Cabragh Wedge Tomb would tell you in a job interview that it’s a team player who never needs a day off. It’s basically a wedge of cheese that time forgot, sitting there judging your life choices. Go with someone who loves old stuff and watch them melt.

Explorer Tom Lough Talt Trail has a shortcut that is technically longer if you count the time spent arguing about which way is down. The water supply up there is public, but the ego of this trail seems to be private property. Get there early and have it all to yourself.

Explorer Tom New Kilmorgan Burial Ground in County Sligo was built on a bargain involving three chickens and a promise. I’m pretty sure the chickens were just eggs, but whatever. Bring curiosity, leave with a better story than mine.

Explorer Tom Largan Hill in County Sligo is strictly run by a terrier who barks at any cloud that passes overhead. The forest below looks young and confused, probably from all the shouting. Perfect detour when the satnav has a meltdown.

Explorer Tom Sixteen caves in one Sligo hillside? I would lose count halfway up and blame a ghost. The Caves of Kesh open across the west side of Keshcorran Hill, some chambers joining others inside pale limestone. Excavators found bones of brown bear, arctic lemming, Irish elk and wolf, an animal roll call that makes my own visitors look very tame. People also used the caves over many centuries, so the openings are part of a lived landscape as well as a geological one. I could make up a feast for every chamber, but the finds deserve better than my invented menu. The approach climbs steep ground and the caves are natural spaces, not a fitted visitor corridor; check access, weather and your footing. Carry a light if local guidance permits entry, and never push beyond your ability. From outside, the row of dark mouths already tells a fine story.

Explorer Tom Moygara Castle has made a New Year’s resolution to stop leaning over so much and start standing straighter. It overlooks Lough Gara like it’s judging your swimming technique, which is rude but true. Bring wellies and low expectations, leave delighted.

Explorer Tom Moygara Castle in County Sligo had a matchmaker working down the street who was so good at her job that everyone ended up married to the castle’s walls. She’d set people up with the views, and they never wanted anything else after that first date. Pretend you're a lost aristocrat, nobody will check.