Napoleonic Signal Towers of Mayo

Napoleonic Signal Towers of Mayo

Also known simply as Napoleonic Towers, or Signal Towers, 8 of these structures were built by the British authorities in County Mayo during the first decade of the 19th Century. The late 18th and early 19th Century was a particularly active period in the fraught...
Clonfert Cathedral, a Medieval Masterpiece

Clonfert Cathedral, a Medieval Masterpiece

Clonfert Cathedral is a difficult place to find, but a visit sure is worth it. Hidden in labyrinthine east County Galway, near the broad majestic Shannon, it was a foggy December morning when I laid eyes on this very special place. St Brendan’s Cathedral’s...
Guided Walking Tour in Spain

Guided Walking Tour in Spain

They start with the kids and it’s wonderful. The colour is part and parcel of the tradition, with each group displaying its own version of the basic ensemble –tight trousers, bright top and broad black, stretchable waist support band. A castell is a human...
Killary Famine Walk at Rosroe

Killary Famine Walk at Rosroe

Leaving the N59 between Leenane and Kylemore, we turn right onto the minor road L5102, marked Tullycross, to head to the Killary Famine Walk at Rosroe. On the way, we pass Lough Fee and the former house of Sir William Wilde, father of Oscar. Beyond, at Salruck, stands...
Ancient Church at Kilcummin

Ancient Church at Kilcummin

The little ancient church at Kilcummin, near Killala in North Mayo, is well worth a detour. It was a beautiful crisp day when I visited in January. Kilcummin (not to be confused with Kilcommon, further west towards Belmullet) is a place of some historical importance,...
Day Out by Lough Conn

Day Out by Lough Conn

The beautiful Early Marsh Orchids greeted us by the sparkling lake shore at Errew. We fancied a day out by Lough Conn and had come to discover the ruined medieval Augustinian Priory at the end of the wonderful peninsula that juts more than half way across the lake. On...