Something Fishy Going On

Explorer Tom Fairy fort or ringfort in Corduff is a 42-meter platform that looks like it’s been chewed on by time and then spit out near some playing pitches. It’s got trees on top, which I assume are its new hairdo. Bring your worst joke, the place has heard worse from the kids.

Explorer Tom Moat in Corduff is completely covered in brambles, looking like a giant green hedge that’s been left out in the rain for centuries. Rumour has it a cow tried to buy it once but got tangled up in the overgrowth and had to run away. Snap one photo, then put the phone away and actually look.

Explorer Tom Abbotstown in Sheephill is a country house that would win Best in Show at the county fair just by standing there with its farmyard complex. It extended itself three times, which is what I call ambition, and it’s probably judging your garden for lack of original fenestration. Bring a jacket, it's never as warm as I promise.

Explorer Tom Graveyard or cemetery in Abbotstown is overgrown with markers from before 1700, which means it has had about forty different names and none of them stuck. It’s all mossy and mysterious, like a very old book that forgot its own plotline halfway through. Bring biscuits, every good story needs biscuits.

Explorer Tom Graveyard in Buzzardstown has strict visitor rules: no touching the reused architectural fragments or they’ll bite you, which is probably just my imagination being overly dramatic. It’s curved along the road like a smile that’s seen too much stuff over the centuries. Stop the car, it's worth the hazard lights.

Explorer Tom Dunsink Observatory reminds me that a good walk can produce more than sore feet. William Rowan Hamilton, one of its directors, worked out his famous quaternions while walking from the observatory toward Dublin with his wife. I would walk the same route and discover only where to buy lunch. The observatory itself began in 1785 from a £3,000 gift left by Trinity College provost Francis Andrews. Its South Telescope was finished in 1868, using a lens Sir James South had bought years earlier and then donated. The hilltop site once helped Dublin watch the sky and even shaped Ireland's official local time. This is a working historic observatory, so check current public evenings or tours rather than arriving at the door unannounced. Stand outside and look up first. The stars have kept their appointment even when visitors need to book.

Explorer Tom Tyrrelstown had a moment where a fox took charge of the whole operation and decided it was the new king of the hill. Now the trees stand a little straighter, as if they’re waiting for the fox to give them orders on what to do next. Go with someone who loves old stuff and watch them melt into a puddle of pure, unadulterated nostalgia right

Explorer Tom Giant Sequoia in County Dublin would win any county fair easily just by standing there and looking like it ate an entire forest for breakfast. It’s the kind of big that makes your car look like a toy in a toy shop. Best enjoyed with a bag of chips and no plans.