Hidden Gems

If you are driving North towards Thurles on any Ireland tours there is a wee hidden gem worth a stop. Ballynahow Castle is a circular castle tower built by the Purcell family in the sixteenth century. The castle stands next to a farmhouse "Ballynahow Castle Farm" and...

On any Ireland tours heading Northeast from Glencolmcille , the minor road to Ardara runs through the heart of the peninsula , travelling through the dramatic Glengesh Pass before spiralling down into wild but fertile valley land. This drive is a must see attraction. http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=glengesh+pass&gbv=2&oq=glengesh+pass&aq=f&aqi=g3g-v7&aql=&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=1203l5453l0l6219l13l13l0l2l2l0l438l2109l0.3.5.0.1l9l0&oi=image_result_group&sa=X Just before...

Duleek , five miles South-East of Slane on your tours of Iteland , is an historic little place founded by St Patrick , who settled St Ciaran here to build the first stone church in Ireland and found a monastic settlement ; it was also an early bishopric. The...

Ballitore is an old Quaker village where the Anglo-Irish political philosopher Edmund Burke (1729-97) was educated before going to Trinity College , Dublin. The Ballitore Quaker Museum above the village library, which is housed in the old Friends Meeting House, gives a vivid picture of...

Scattery Island lies about a mile offshore from Kilrush in the exposed Shannon estuary , County Clare. Its a bit of a hidden gem on any Ireland tours. It was last inhabited in the late 1970 s and the tiny quay is dotted with overgrown derelict...