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Kilkenny, County Kilkenny Before the Normans came in the 12th century, Kilkenny’s houses clung to the 6th century monastery of St Canice and the settlement was the capital of Ossory, a sub-Kingdom of Leinster. But the strategic possibilities of the hilltop site where quickly grasped by...

26 January, 2015 /

Shetland Islands, Scotland The rugged and remote Shetland Islands – a collection of mighty, wind-ravaged clumps of brown and green earth rising from the frigid waters of the North Sea – are Scotland’s northerly outpost and feel miles away from anywhere. Mainland is the biggest Island...

19 January, 2015 /

The Lower Shannon As the mighty River Shannon tumbles down from Lough Derg, the last and largest of its lakes, to its deep estuary on the Atlantic coast, it provides a natural border for the three countries that surround its lower reaches – Limerick, Tipperary and...

15 January, 2015 /

Drogehda, County Louth This close packed town, with its old buildings clustered in 13th century streets, retains a medieval feel. Two towns were founded on either side of the River Boyne by the Anglo-Norman Hugh de Lacy. In 1412 they were united by charter to become...

13 January, 2015 /

About the Isle of Tiree Low-lying Tiree (pronounced tye-ree; from the Gaelic tiriodh, meaning ‘land of corn’) is a fertile sward of lush, green machair liberally sprinkled with yellow buttercups, much of it so flat that, from a distance, the houses seem to rise out of...

13 January, 2015 /

A short boat trip away from Ballycastle harbour is Rathlin Island, said in legend to have been dropped into the sea by the mother of the legendary hero Finn MacCool, on her way to Scotland. The habitation of this 6 mile long, L-shaped island is...

12 January, 2015 /

The Knoydart Peninsula is the only sizeable area in Britain that remains inaccessible to the motor car, cut off by miles of rough country and the embracing arms of Lochs Nevis and Hourn – Gaelic for the lochs of Heaven and Hell. No road penetrates...

12 January, 2015 /

The seaside village of Ardmore stands on a promontory known mainly for its association with St Declan, the 5th century missionary who brought Christianity o this part of Ireland. St Declan is said to have been at sea when, in answer to prayer, a floating rock...

11 January, 2015 /

Jura lies off the coast of Argyll, long, dark and low like a vast Viking longship, its billowing sail the distinctive triple peaks of the Paps of Jura. A magnificently wild and lonely island, it’s the perfect place to get away from it all –...

11 January, 2015 /