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There is the most spectacular view from this amazing hilltop area which looks down into the lush valley. Springtime with the flowers is breathtaking. We sat on grass and meditated! Wonderful area for photography.
www.ringofkerrytourism.com/ring-of-kerry-attractions.html
Google map: bit.ly/xUBPNy
I was told that I wouldn’t need a watch when I first visited Sherkin as an 11-year-old and almost 30 years later the situation is very much the same.
Although only a short ferry ride from the Cork coast, the island is at a step out of time. This far west, the Atlantic commands the pace.
One hot afternoon from the cliffs at Horseshoe Bay, we watched through a telescope a yacht head out to the ocean before we descended along a gorse-choked path for a bracing dip in the turquoise shallows.
But as well as the natural beauty the island has other diversions. The story goes that when asked by summer visitors what time The Jolly Roger pub closes, locals joke ‘October’.
Sherkin doesn't fit with the conventional notion of a desert island but then sometimes paradise is right under our noses.
www.sherkinisland.ie
Google map: bit.ly/wU0Cqw
Great food market located in the centre of Cork city. Open as a market from 1788 and still thriving. When the British Queen visited Ireland in 2011, the English market was one of the places on her itinerary.
Quite a range here from exotic fruits, vegetables, artisan breads, handmade chocolates, fish and meat. Additionally there are numerous cafes in which you can take a pit stop.
www.corkenglishmarket.ie/
Princes Street, Cork, Co. Cork, Ireland
+353 86 175 6296
Google map: bit.ly/Akggt0
Peaceful and stunning if you are interested in stone circles but feel nothing at over commercialised sites come here, aligned for winter solstice, you will really feel a connection with people from the past.
www.megalithicireland.com/Drombeg.htm
Google map: bit.ly/riUCkM
I stayed at this beautiful holiday home last summer. It was great - beautiful place, amazing surf and great pubs around. The price isn't bad as well.
www.mydonegalholidayhome.com
Rossnowlagh, Co. Donegal
Google map: bit.ly/pJ6Lmi
We stayed at Roundwood House recently and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. Just an hour outside Dublin but feels like a world away! The house itself is absolutely stunning, but homely and comfortable at the same time. We received a warm welcome from the owners Hannah and Paddy, who couldn't be more accommodating. But the best part of the weekend was dinner time! The food was delicious and the hosting perfect.
www.roundwoodhouse.com
Mountrath, Co. Laois
+353 57 8732120
Google map: bit.ly/pyVLUF
An atmospheric gem of a lovely informal old house with accommodation and a little traditional bar in an exquisite remote setting overlooking a bay. They serve exceptional spanking fresh local seafood cooked to perfection at very good prices with a few tables looking out over the lovely view. But it is really the atmosphere of the place, the laid back and unpretentious welcome from each family member that makes it like visiting friends, the traditional little bar where you can get a pint of Guinness and hang with the locals, listen to music, have a seafood snack, and then at the end of a brilliant night of chat and craic you can fall into bed in one of their newly renovated bedrooms with lovely views across the bay.
donegalgoodfoodtaverns.com/taverns/dawros-bay-house
Dawros Bay House & Joe’s Seafood Bar, Rosbeg, Co. Donegal
+44(0)74 954 5252
Google map: bit.ly/rc9EUt
In the south west corner of the Ring of Kerry on the Iveragh peninsula, Derrynane sparkles. We visited with the superlatives in mind, but it's hard to match words to the beauty of this place. Follow the road down toward Derrynane House from the N70, unassuming tree-lined curves, to a (free!) car park. Discover the (free!) gardens, and watch the kids delight in the giant leaves, woodland paths and unusual blooms. Walk out of the gardens to pass through the grounds of the house, across meadowland that rises over a tussocked hill and savour the moment you catch sight of the beach. There is fine golden sand perfect for sandcastles, there are rockpools perfect for sampling saltwater wildlife, there are rocks to explore and hide among, there is an invitation to paddle in the clear turquoise water. When energy is depleted, amble back to the car past the reed-filled marsh that the birds love so much and sigh as you realise the perfect day has come to an end.
Caherdaniel, Ireland
+353 66 9475113
www.heritageireland.ie/en/South-West/DerrynaneHouse/
Google map: bit.ly/pkggmr
The best gigs are not always the ones you’re looking forward to the most. They’re not necessarily the ones you’ve booked months in advance, paid a fortune for, in that big hi-tech super-venue across town. No, the best gigs are always the ones that catch you unawares, when and where you least expect it. The venue might not be renowned for its acoustics, or its pedigree, but nonetheless, against the odds, it provides in spades. Forever that gig, that night, that place will hold a special place in your heart.
Doyles Pub in Dublin is across the street from my alma mater, Trinity College. Popular with the great unwashed student population, on a Friday or Saturday night the upstairs bar, with its unassuming decor of wooden floorboards and faded velvet-topped stools, becomes thronged for the indie-disco that surely defies health and safety regulations. But come to the same spot on a Tuesday for the Ruby Sessions, and that dance floor will now host a series of higgledy-piggeldy tables and chairs, in front of a faded curtain that has provided the backdrop for some truly memorable acoustic gigs. My “I-saw-them-first” moment was here in November 2008, when in front of about 40 people, I witnessed Mumford and Sons knock the socks off the gathered crowd, PA systems be damned. It’s a testament to the organisers and the gig-going faithful that there is never any need for bells and whistles up here. All you need is a common ethos: put the music first and nothing else matters.
9 College St, Dublin 2, Ireland
+353(0)1 6710616
www.doylesintown.com/
Google map: bit.ly/iCKrJb
Masters of Tradition is six days of pure, traditional Irish music, performed in the library of the magnificent Bantry House, west of Cork. Performances are intimate, relatively informal and are delivered by some of the finest musicians from across the world. Loose yourself in the music or gaze out of the windows into the beautiful formal gardens (which you are free to explore during the interval).
Event website: bit.ly/bkjxsE
www.bantryhouse.com/
+ 353 (0)27 50047
An der N71, Bantry, Ireland
Google map: bit.ly/kZ0b2X
"Nationally renowned as a haven for traditional Irish music". I went there a few years back when I had a job interview in Limerick. I didn't get the job, but visited this great pub where the musicians arrive around 9pm and it's a very welcoming atmosphere for visitors as well as locals.
3/4 Dock Road, Limerick
+353 (0)61 314 483
www.dolanspub.com
Google map: bit.ly/ixIc4Z
Perhaps the best food I've ever eaten, and in an environment that tells you why: expert and insightful people in a cyclical farming, learning and catering environment - led by legendary Darina Allen and her daughter-in-law Rachel. I went there as a musician when the drawing room was the venue - now Rory Allen has converted the Grain Store into a world class venue for the great and good of the Irish music scene. Who could ask for anything more?
www.ballymaloe.ie
Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry, Co. Cork, Ireland
+353 (0)21 4652 531
Google map; bit.ly/frYDd4
The seaweed baths in Enniscrone Co Sligo are Ireland’s earthy answer to a hammam.
It’s refreshingly simple, steam yourself in a cabinet straight out of the silent films, and then step into a hot bath infused with fresh seaweed. If you want to wake yourself up afterwards, have a cold shower or you can just jump into the sea. The oils leave the skin silky, and the ambiance is unfussy. The prices are pre-crazy and there is no time limit. You can book a massage beforehand and although the baths themselves cannot be booked, you can ring ahead.
Open all the year round, until 8pm. October- May from 12 noon Saturdays and Sundays included, the rest of the year from 10 am.
Single rooms €25 sharing € 32 Double rooms (two baths ) €40 with steam €45
www.kilcullenseaweedbaths.com
Enniscrone, Co. Sligo, Ireland
+ 353(0)96 36238
Google map: bit.ly/hFlKt2
Fancy hanging out with Oscar Wilde? Or having some face time with James Joyce? Look no further than Dublin’s Writers Museum. In the elegant surroundings of an 18th century house, you can immerse yourself in the cream of Irish literature.
On the ground floor, two rooms of literary history cover everything from Celtic storytellers right up to the rattle and hum of contemporary writers. George Bernard Shaw, Bram Stoker, Edna O’Brien, Roddy Doyle: they’re all given pride of place. It’s here that James Joyce is described as “the world’s most famous Irishman” (which is one in the eye for Bob Geldof). The museum also features some surprising artefacts. Such as the chair on which Handel composed himself during the very first performance of the Messiah. Or the typewriter that Brendan Behan chucked through the window of McDade’s public house.
Take the stairs to the first floor and brace yourself before entering the first room. The Gallery of Writers is an eye-popping space with enough plasterwork, gold leaf and crystal to have Kirsty and Phil hyperventilating. Populated with portraits and busts of Irish writers, it also offers impressive views of Parnell Square through its big windows.
Next door, a small library contains first editions of evocative titles - Gulliver’s Travels, Dracula, Waiting for Godot. And if that lot doesn’t inspire you, the bookshop downstairs has plenty more to quicken the pulse of any reader. After all that, you’ll need a coffee break, and the museum’s bright and airy café offers the ideal pit stop. There’s also a nice little garden area, although during my visit I managed to resist its charms since it was submerged beneath six tons of snow.
The visitors’ book positively sizzles with enthusiastic compliments. One of them says: "In poetry, romanticism and spirit, Ireland stands head and shoulders above the rest of us mere mortals."
I can only agree. This hugely-enjoyable museum is a fitting showcase for Dublin’s wordy-wise elite and a splendid way to spend time in their company.
18 Parnell Square, Dublin 1
+353 1 872 2077
www.writersmuseum.com/
Google map: bit.ly/fQFPKD
Bar where I wrote my first poem, Malahide Lament.
Main Street, Malahide, Co.Dublin
+353(0)1 8450735
www.duffys.ie/
Google map: bit.ly/hmR6IN
Main Street, Malahide, Co. Dublin
Only one hour (on your favourite budget airline) from London, Liverpool, Manchester or Cardiff, Cork City is a great place to go for a pub walk with pubs and bars conveniently spaced about 50 metres apart in any direction and a hearty Irish pub welcome to be had at them all. Start off with a pint of Purgatory at the Francsican Well, a micro brewery on North Mall facing the river Lee and with a spacious beer garden for all those that like to drink their beer in the sun or smoke a cig. Wander over North Gate Bridge and along North Main Street to South Main Street & the Spailpin Fanach for some traditional Irish music at this busy old fashioned pub opposite the mock Tudor splendour of the Beamish factory in the middle of town.
Pop around the corner for a 22 Ounce steak at Soho whilst watching the rugby on their myriad screens then across the road by the English market and along Oliver Plunkett Street with around 30 traditional old Irish pubs to choose from on a 400 metre pedestrianised strip through the heart of Cork’s shopping district, you are spoilt for choice and the intrepid pub-walker will never discover what it is like to work up a thirst
Then finish up, inevitably, (if you are still able to walk) at the Crane Lane around midnight to catch the start of some late night bohemian jazz or burlesque, through until 2 and where the craic is always 90.
And with the compactness of Cork City you’re almost never more than a five quid cab fare from home, or hotel if you don’t feel up to the walk back.
www.franciscanwellbrewery.com/
www.ratepubs.com/pub/4/general.htm
www.soho.ie/directions.php
www.cranelanetheatre.com/
Very enjoyable and enlightening hill walking tours with friendly and informative guides. Guides are experienced archaeologists with plenty of fascinating stories of ancient Celtic mythology.
Carlingford is an idyllic medieval village an hour drive from Dublin or Belfast Airports. Plenty of restaurants and great accommodation available all year round.
We had a fantastic romantic break for three nights in Moy House in August 2009. The house has been beautifully restored and our room was large with lovely antique furniture and a wonderful view over the sea. We were lucky to have calm, sunny weather interspersed with some great Atlantic storms which we enjoyed from the warmth and cosiness of our room. We had dinner in the restaurant one night which was excellent and the breakfasts were also very good and hearty. Brid and the other staff made us feel very welcome and we do hope we get the chance to go back some day. Moy House is on the outskirts of a small village called Lahinch which has basic shops and a couple of good restaurants. It is a short drive from the Cliffs of Moher and other interesting spots along the west coast.
www.moyhouse.com/index.asp
Lahinch, Co. Clare, Ireland
Tel: +353 (0) 65 7082800
Google map: tinyurl.com/37cn5jh
Waterloo Lodge is a Georgian Townhouse and the reason I want to let you know about it is because it has great family rooms. I always find this difficult when travelling with the kids. They have rooms with a huge double bed which three of us used and then two singles. The room had lots of space for our bags and lots of space to move around, nice and bright and we had a car space and a fantastic breakfast included and would you believe all for an excellent price. We stayed on longer in Dublin because of finding the Hotel.
23 Waterloo Road, Dublin www.waterloolodge.com
Google map: tinyurl.com/36x6yoq
23rd-25th July: awesome festival in beautiful Victorian seaside town in South Dublin - thousands of free music, art, craft, food, eco events in the streets, parks and pub gardens - for all ages - everybody dancing in the streets. Uplifting, happy, funky. The boat from Wales comes right into Dun Laoghaire too. We might bump into you there!!!
www.festivalofworldcultures.com/programme?f=all
Google map: tinyurl.com/356r7vj
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