When my daughter picked us up from the airport in Dublin, speeding off onto the motorways of Ireland, my dad and I were second guessing our plans to hire a car on our own. First off if you’re not familiar with a right hand drive on the left side of the road, you may be a bit daunted but don’t ... Read More »
Photos & EBooks
Kilmacduagh Monastery, County Galway – The Leaning Tower of Kilmacduagh
A very fine example of an Irish Round Tower can be found making up part of Kilmacduagh Monastery near Gort, County Galway. Unlike most other surviving towers, this one has a very noticeable lean, most likely due to it’s shallow foundations. Read More »
Ben Bulben Co. Sligo – facts, video, photos & the Yeats connection
Near the top of my own Irish wishlist is a visit to Ben Bulben, in beautiful Co. Sligo, in Ireland’s northwest. I would just love to throw on my hiking boots and challenge myself to a trek to the top. By all accounts it’s a fair challenge, but one that’s well rewarded with the views you get when looking down ... Read More »
Book of Kells for iPad – Beautiful 8th Century Celtic Artwork
Nearly 700 pages of the famous Book of Kells manuscript, created by Celtic monks ca. 800AD, is now available on The Book of Kells for iPad App. The creators of the app have captured the beautiful New Testament illustrations in digital form, giving the already famous book an opportunity to reach an even greater worldwide audience. The unfinished manuscript which has ... Read More »
Ardgillan Castle Co. Dublin – An Eighteenth Century Irish Country House
Ardgillan Castle is a distinctive country house, set in a 194-acre demesne near Balbriggan in Co. Dublin. The house was built by the Reverend Robert Taylor in 1738 and remained in the Taylor family until 1962. In 1982 the house became the property of the local authority of Fingal County Council and opened its doors to the public for the ... Read More »
Bantry House and Garden, Co. Cork – A Mid 18th Century Georgian Country Residence
Bantry House is the ancestral home of the Earls of Bantry which is situated overlooking Bantry Bay in West Cork. The title lapsed in 1891 but the house is still owned and lived in by the direct descendant of the 1st Earl of Bantry, Egerton Shelswell-White and his family. Since 1946 the House and Garden has been open to the ... Read More »
Round Towers – The Medieval, Mysterious Marvels Of Ireland
I remember sitting in classrooms back home in Ireland many years ago and listening to my teachers depicting scenes for my classmates and I, about our ancestors and of the struggles they fought through. One such set of struggles were those of the Christian monks and priests who... Read More »
If I Had To Pick My Top 5 Northern Ireland Tourist Destinations, I Would Choose…
My Top 5 Northern Ireland tourist destinations 1. I’m probably not alone here when I say at the top of my favorite Northern Ireland attractions is The Causeway Coastal Route, which takes in counties Antrim and Derry, and approximately 80 miles of the most spectacular coastal scenery you will find anywhere in the world. A tour through this part of ... Read More »
Trim Castle, Co. Meath – Photos And Facts
Trim Castle (Irish: Caisleán Bhaile Atha Troim) can be found in the heritage town of Trim, County Meath, about 30 miles to the North East of Dublin City Center. Sitting on the banks of the River Boyne, the remains of Trim Castle are those of the largest Anglo-Norman Castle in Ireland. Guided tours of the castle are available. Click here ... Read More »
Kells Priory, County Kilkenny – photos and facts
“Kells Priory is one of the largest and most impressive medieval monuments in Ireland. The Augustine priory is situated alongside King’s River beside the village of Kells, about 15 km south of the medieval city of Kilkenny. The priory is a National Monument and is in the guardianship of the Office of Public Works. One of its most striking feature ... Read More »