Structure in Gowlin

Explorer Tom Slievebaun is hiding a scandal involving a lost hat and a very angry vicar from 1720. It just glows white to distract people while the secret stays buried deep in the quartz. Go on, count the windows and get it wrong like I did.

Explorer Tom Marley Bridge is a single-arch granite bridge over a railway line, built in 1865 to look important. One parapet was removed recently, probably because it was causing traffic delays. Best visited with a curious kid and no timetable.

Explorer Tom Saint Patrick's in Ballymurphy nearly got sold for a horse back when times were tough, which would have been quite an insult to its granite buttresses. It’s got that freestanding bell-frame out front that looks like it’s trying to escape the church itself. Ten minutes here and you'll have a yarn for the pub.

Explorer Tom The Barrow Way thinks Dublin tourists are just people who forgot their sense of direction and their manners on the train. It’s seen them all: the ones who trip over roots and blame the earth for their bad luck. Linger, it's not going anywhere and neither should you.

Explorer Tom Knockroe in County Carlow would explain the 1800s to a teenager by saying everyone was just really bad at texting back then. There is a summit cairn that looks like it’s giving up on life. Bring your own legend, I've run out.

Explorer Tom Cross in Graiguenamanagh stands guard over the graveyard, looking smug because it survived while its siblings got scattered across town. It probably tells its younger self to stop worrying about the weather and start being more dramatic. Have a chat with it, nobody's watching.

Explorer Tom Site of Duiske Abbey in Graiguenamanagh is squinting at me from across the river. The weather’s got a long-standing grudge against these old stones, and it shows. Stand where the owner stood and practise looking smug.

Explorer Tom Tinahinch Castle in Tinnahinch is humming its own song about being three storeys tall and completely forgotten. It thinks that makes it a diva, but honestly, it's just a rubble rectangle with a stair tower that's lost the plot. Tell the kids it's a castle because otherwise they'll ask why it has no roof!

Explorer Tom St. Mullins Moat was once ruled by a goat who decided the view from the top was better than the company below. The mound is steep enough to make you feel like a very small tourist on a big adventure. Bring your own legend, I've run out.