North Mayo boasts Ireland’s newest National Park and hundreds of kilometres of trails, through expansive mountain ranges and unspoilt peatland habitats. There are also plenty of B&B’s in this part of Mayo, to experience firsthand, the warm and natural hospitality of the local people. The capital of North Mayo is Ballina, a picturesque and historic [...]
We all love a happy ending but happy endings usually start with tough beginnings. And they don’t come much tougher or more poetic than the story of St Patrick; child to slave, shepherd to savior, saint to legend. It would definitely make an Oscar-winner of a feel-good movie. But the best part of St Patrick’s [...]
They told her it couldn’t be done: driving from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher, then to Galway and Donegal and back to Dublin. All in one weekend. And on the wrong side of the road. Seattle student Caitlyn Johnson recounts her roadtrip of a lifetime around Ireland… It began, in our minds at least, [...]
Winter, eh? What’s it all about? Biting cold, eight sweaters on at once, only the thickest, fluffiest slippers will do. Nope. For some people, winter means ‘Right, boots on, huge walk in frosty fantasy land and a hot whiskey as reward. Grab your mittens!’ These guys are on to something, and they’re in very good [...]
Nope, you are absolutely NOT dreaming. Your eyes are merely adjusting to what happens when a photographic genius like Peter Gordon plants himself in the multi-coloured Wicklow Mountains. We’re quite literally speechless so it’s over to Peter for the images from his new book and County Wicklow. Natures Blanket – Glenmacnass River and Valley, Wicklow [...]
We’ve all been there. Rise with the lark, taxi to the airport, check in, through security, sit down, miserable that you’re leaving and with two hours until your flight departs. The terminal is quiet save for a few diners sipping coffee and munching on breakfast. Breakfast? Now there’s a way to kill a few hours [...]
‘Go where Ireland takes you’ we’re always telling you. Well today, we’re giving you hints, especially for those who’ll drive where Ireland takes them. Promise to keep your eyes on the road as guest blogger Fiona Hilliard reveals four of the most scenic drives in Ireland. The Burren, County Clare In a quiet, unassuming corner [...]
Begin the Causeway Coastal Route at Belfast, and ahead you’ll pass the nine Glens of Antrim; glacier-gouged valleys of charming seaside villages and highlands of forests, bogland and waterfalls. As guest blogger Rick Le Vert finds, these landscapes are also weaved with stories, and have much to linger, and gasp over, along your route north. The [...]
There are even some spots of Ireland that this local hasn’t experienced…just yet!
He may not be the talk of the dinner table, but we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Frenchman Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. He’s the brainy chap who devoted his life’s work to invention and ultimately (well, with a little help from some Italian brainboxes a few years’ previous) took the world’s first ever [...]
