Toberliamheara

Explorer Tom Knockduff House is telling its younger self to stop worrying about the pediment because the joinery is still there anyway. It’s a sturdy 1750 house that has seen better days and worse sandwiches. Have a sandwich here and call it a heritage lunch.

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 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 General Thomas Cloney lived here in County Kilkenny as a United Irishman and rebel leader who never stopped working, which is a hell of a resume for a guy from the 18th century. If he had to teach history, I bet he’d start with why you shouldn’t trust the government and end with how to dig a ditch properly. Tell your mates you found it first.

Explorer Tom Widow's Cottages in County Kilkenny were built for widows with potato patches, which the local rabbits have claimed as their own VIP lounge. The Clifden family did right by them, but now it’s just bricks and very opinionated veg. Stand there long enough and someone will ask if you're lost.

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 Keating's Well in Graiguenamanagh is playing hide-and-seek with the locals, who swear it makes a weird whistling sound at night that sounds suspiciously like bad jazz. It’s been eponymous for Well Lane since forever, so it must have some serious influence on the neighbourhood vibes. Bring your worst joke, the place has heard worse.

Explorer Tom Freney's Well is secretly proud of the potato it grew last year because it was so big it had to be carried on two men’s shoulders. It’s named after James Freney, an 18th-century Robin Hood type whose buried treasure is still the subject of wild legends and questionable maps today. Bring someone who'll believe anything.

Explorer Tom Brandon Hill is playing hard to get, hiding behind a legend about a giant who got stuck in the mud and never moved on since. It’s basically Kilkenny’s most dramatic layabout, waiting for you to notice its brooding silhouette from the northwest. Snap a moody pic, but act like it wasn't posed at all!

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.