Saint Patricks Cross

Explorer Tom Donacavey Church is a ruin that seems to have heard every whisper of the past and kept it in its stone pockets for safekeeping. It’s like listening to a very old friend who has seen too much and won’t shut up about it. Perfect spot to practise your best tour-guide voice.

Explorer Tom Standing stone in Drumwhisker has a local bloke who swears he invented it himself as a prank back in the eighties, and he will not take your money for a ticket. It is less than a metre high, so it’s basically a very confident stepping stone that refuses to be ignored. Stand still and listen, the wind tells it better than me.

Explorer Tom Barrett Hardware in Fintona is pretending to be a castle if you squint just right. It’s been selling nails since the 1860s, but honestly, it looks more like a fortress guarding secrets than a place for buying screws and bolts for your shed.

Explorer Tom The most dramatic thing to ever happen at Donacavey Church was when a very confused pigeon landed on the steeple and refused to leave for three hours, causing absolute chaos among the congregation below. Bring sandwiches, the gulls will thank you.

Explorer Tom Church & graveyard in Drumragh is playing hide-and-seek with a legend about a giant who lost his trousers here. The roof fell in long ago, so the dead are really living it up under the stars. Pack a picnic and an excuse.

Explorer Tom Dromore Riverside Walk in County Tyrone is bragging it survived a storm that actually just blew its own hat off. I’m convinced the river was just laughing at the trees for trying so hard to stay dry. Perfect spot to practise your best tour-guide voice.

Explorer Tom Knockmany has stone patterns so old I would be foolish to pretend I can read their secret message. The passage tomb near Augher dates to around 3000 BC. Thirteen sandstone uprights remain, and three carry rare carved circles, spirals and zigzags. A protective chamber and mound were built in 1959, so the art can be seen through the entrance gates without putting the stones at risk. The place has later tales of Queen Báine and Fionn mac Cumhaill, but those are stories, not labels left by the builders. I would happily tell one on the walk up and then let the carving hold my tongue. Check current site access, use the path and never touch or mark the stones. Some things have lasted precisely because later visitors learned to leave them alone.

Explorer Tom Trillick Castle has a deep suspicion of the postman because he always delivers bills and never brings good news, which is a valid reason to be grumpy about things. A new house was built right next door, so now Trillick feels like the weird uncle at the family barbecue. Stand where the owner stood and practise looking smug.

Explorer Tom Aughintain Castle is having a massive identity crisis between being Aghintain and just plain confused. If it walked into a chippy, I bet its last order was double chips with no ketchup because it feels too fancy for that. Stand there long enough and someone will ask if you're lost.

Explorer Tom Brougher Mountain has an imaginary fan club of about four shepherds who wave at it every morning and feel quite special about it. It’s just sitting there, looking smug, while the clouds argue above its head. Mind the nettles, they're the real guards here.

Explorer Tom Clogher Cathedral would win any county fair because it has more history in one stone than your whole family tree combined. It’s basically a museum that forgot to put on the lights. Take a breath of that air, it's older than your car.