MAL ROGERS has a tour round Ireland’s counties
The Dark Hedges, Co. Antrim in snow (photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)Co. Antrim
The Giant’s Causeway, the Causeway Coastal Road, Bushmills Distillery, Dunluce Castle, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, The Gobbins, and half of Belfast — Antrim has a surfeit of must-see destinations.
Hidden gem: Clifton Street Cemetery, opened in 1797, holds the remains of rich merchants, paupers, unionists, republican rebels, inventors, a US diplomat, an escaped American slave, and the man who coined the phrase ‘the Emerald Isle’.
Notable citizens: Brendan Rodgers (Celtic manager), Roger Casement. And if you get lost, Liam Neeson has a particular set of skills, and WILL find you. Even if you’re hiding in Harryville in the outskirts of Ballymena, his hometown.
Co. Armagh
The ancient capital of Ulster, Armagh city was once the very centre of Europe with its great teaching monastery and missionary abbey. Both St Patrick’s cathedrals are steeped in history, as is the Observatory
Hidden gem: The Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum is an absolute must if you’ve any interest in military history. British, French, American martial stories are all here.
Notable Armagh citizens: Saint Malachy, Seamus McGarvey, Academy Award-nominated cinematographer
Co. Carlow
Carlow has the Blackstairs Mountains, long pastoral walks along the river Barrow and the wonderful Altamont Gardens.
Hidden gems: Huntington Castle, in the south of the county just outside the village of Clonegal is packed full of peculiarities. It has the ambience of a Moorish palace rather than an Irish fortress.
Notable Carlow citizens: Saoirse Ronan; John Tyndall – the 19th century scientist who worked out why the sky is blue
Co. Cavan
The rocks of the Dartry Mountains, eroded into high cliffs, isolated spires and curious carbuncles, are surrounded by near text-book example of drumlins
Hidden gem: The Shannon-Erne Waterway which passes through the county.
Notable Cavan citizens: Neven Maguire (chef), Charlotte Brooke (writer)
Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare, Ireland (photo Tourism Ireland)Co. Clare
The Cliffs of Moher, where the Atlantic crashes into one of its first ports of call in Europe, are magnificent, awe-inspiring and any other superlative you can think of.
Hidden gem: The Burren, an extravagant limestone wilderness, but teeming with wild flowers, and not just in the spring.
Notable Clare citizens: Edna O’Brien, Silé de Valera, Des Lynam, Willie Clancy
Co. Clare's Edna O'Brien in 2004 (Photo by Awakening/Getty Images)Co. Cork
The bucolic landscape of West Cork features meadows and woodland, and boreens lined with fuchsia. But the snarling, magnificent Atlantic coastline is never far away.
Hidden gem: To get to Dursey Island you need to catch the cable car. The island is home to some half dozen people, a handful of livestock, and millions of seabirds.
Notable Cork citizens: Michael Collins, Cillian Murohy, Nano Nagle, Terence MacSwiney
Co. Derry
The Walls of Derry are amongst the finest ramparts in all Europe. Derry’s history means they have been used extensively over the centuries.
Hidden gem: The bonkers folly that is the Bishop’s Palace and Mussenden Temple, Downhill, overlook the immense sands of Benone and Magilligan strands.
Notable citizens (city): John Hume, Phil Coulter, The Undertones
Notable citizens (county): Seamus Heaney, Brian Friel
Co. Donegal
The Slieve League Cliffs have a sheer drop of almost 2,000ft into Donegal Bay, as the Old World crumbles into the Atlantic.
Hidden gems: Farming people settled around Gleann Cholm Cille around five thousand years ago. The court tombs with associated standing stones are presumably an attempt to communicate with we-know-not-what.
Notable citizens: Rory Gallagher, Bridie Gallagher (no relation), Enya, Daniel O’Donnell, Clannad
Co. Down
Co. Down lays claim to the last resting place of St Patrick, in Downpatrick. Nearby is Strangford Lough, a pit stop for avian A-listers from across the globe.
Hidden gem: Castle Ward overlooking Strangford Lough boasts dual architecture. The entrance side of the building is classical style, the opposite Gothic. All to do with a marital disagreement. Don’t try this one at home, folks!
Notable citizens: Ash (rock band), Pat Jennings
Co. Dublin
Dublin of the old statues and cosy pubs produced figures as diverse as James Joyce, Dr Barnardo, Dracula, the Duke of Wellington and U2. It is in equal measure decadent and pious, thoughtful and frivolous.
Hidden gem: St Michan’s Church has a collection of mummified bodies stored in the vaults. Limestone in the ground has kept the air dry, helping to preserve the earthly remains of crusaders, 1798 rebels, plus the ordinary people of Dublin. Spooky but fascinating.
Notable Dublin citizens: Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Maeve Binchy, Samuel Beckett, James Joyce
Enniskillen Castle (Tourism Ireland)Co. Fermanagh
Enniskillen, bestriding Upper and Lower Lough Erne, is one of Ireland’s few towns on an island. Located just about in the centre of the county on the natural island which separates the Upper and Lower sections of
Hidden gem: The Cuilcagh Boardwalk crosses a wide extent of blanket bog, remote and astonishingly beautiful.
Notable citizens: Neil Hannon the front man for The Divine Comedy, who wrote the Father Ted theme. Also James Gamble (soapmaker), who teamed up with William Proctor. And the rest, as they say, is soap and other hygienic cleaning products.
Co. Galway
Co. Galway stretches from Connemara through Corrib country and on to the banks of the Shannon.
Hidden gem: Christopher Columbus celebrated Mass in the Collegiate Church of St Nicholas in Galway. Stopping off here on his way to find America, he sought divine guidance— and who amongst us hasn’t gone to Galway to find divine guidance? Or a good seisún at any rate.
Notable Galway citizens: Dolores Keane, Nora Barnacle, Lady Gregory, Liam O’Flaherty
Co. Kerry
The Skelligs (the Machu Picchu of Ireland) the Ring of Kerry, The Rose of Tralee, Macgillycuddy Reeks, the Lakes of Killarney, the Gap of Dunloe — Kerry has the full set.
Hidden gem: The Daniel O’Connell Memorial Church in Cahirsiveen is dedicated to one of the towering figures of European history. It is the only church in Ireland named after a lay person.
Buried in the grounds of the church are the remains of Monsignor Hugh O’ Flaherty, the subject of the Gregory Peck film The Scarlet and the Black.
Monsignor O’Flaherty, a Vatican diplomat during the World War II, organised the escape of more than 5,000 people including Jews and prisoners-of war without the knowledge of his superiors.
Notable Kerry citizens: Peig Sayers, Michael Fassbender, Lord Kitchener
The Curragh Racecourse in Kildare. (Photo By Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)Co. Kildare
Kildare, officially Ireland’s flattest county, has put its modest topography to good use. The world’s finest racing horses are bred here on the lush green plains of the Curragh and beyond.
Hidden gem: Maynooth's museum celebrates the amazing Nicholas Callan (1799-1864), a priest and professor of natural philosophy at St. Patrick's.
Notable Kildare citizens: St Brigid, Aisling Bea, explorer Ernest Shackleton — probably the only person from Kildare to have a British bomber named after them.
Co. Kilkenny
Kilkenny Castle is one of the great castles of the world.
Hidden gem: Jerpoint Abbey, Co. Kilkenny is one of the finest Cistercian monastic ruins in Ireland. Nearby is the reputed grave of St Nicholas, in the grounds of a ruined church in the deserted village of Newtown Jerpoint. It would be fair to say some doubt is cast on this claim.
Notable Kilkenny citizens: Architect James Hoban (the White House, Washington), philosopher George Berkeley (gave his name to the California town)
Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum (Tourism Ireland)Co. Limerick
As you stand on Sarsfield Bridge and watch a squadron of swans swim effortlessly down the Shannon, you’ll spot the gaunt contours of King John’s Castle. Nearby is St Mary’s Cathedral, probably built around 1190. It’s a fine vista.
Hidden gem: The Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum, Foynes, records Ireland's long aviation history, including the origins of Irish coffee invented here — the drink, as you will know, contains the four main food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and cream.
Notable Limerick citizens: Terry Wogan, Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch, Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan
Co. Laois
The Rock of Dunamase stands 150 feet (46m), so not exactly the Matterhorn, but it still affords impressive view across the midlands towards the Slieve Bloom Mountains. Local legend insists there is treasure hidden hereabouts. Regrettably it’s guarded by the hell-hound Bandog, a doggie with enormous jaws and flaming mouth and eyes. Mind how you go now.
Hidden gem: The Round Tower, Timahoe, is one of the finest in all of Ireland.
Notable Laois citizens: Darina Allen, Cecil Day-Lewis, Claire Byrne
Co. Leitrim
Leitrim is a narrow county, forty six miles in length, with two miles (3km) of Atlantic coastline. The county evidently insisted on a seaside no matter what. This is Ireland’s least populated county, with just over 30,000 souls. You could pack them all into the Cusack Stand, and still have room for a few folk from Roscommon.
Hidden gem: Lough Melvin has a unique range of plants and fish – with three types of trout, this is ichthyology central.
Notable Longford citizens: John McGahern, Eleanor Shanley
Co. Longford
The Mote of Granard in Longford standing some 600 ft high (180m) offers a wide-screen view of the Midlands.
Hidden gem: The Old Bog Road, Corlea is a 2000-year-old trackway of large oak planks.
Notable Longford citzens: Padraic Colum, Maria Edgeworth, Albert Reynolds
Co. Louth
The visceral nature of Irish politics over the centuries has left the old Viking town of Carlingford with two castles, a Dominican friary and a 17th century mint (currency, not confectionary) — which isn’t bad going for a place with a population of 700.
Hidden gem: Although it’s debatable that a 2000ft mountain (600m) can be described as ‘hidden’, Slieve Foy in the Cooley Mountains is one of Ireland’s great peaks. From the summit you can see about ten counties of Ireland, and two other countries.
Notable Louth citizens: The Corrs, Pierce Brosnan, Evanna Lynch
Co. Mayo
Mayo is a magnificent place of islands and highlands, mountains and mist.
This is The Quiet Man country, the county of the Knock shrine, and of Croagh Patrick, a holy place since pre-Christian times.
Hidden gem: Farmers have been tending their crops in Mayo for more than 5000 years. The Céide Fields are a snapshot of what the Irish countryside looked like some five millennia ago.
Notable Mayo citizens: Former president Mary Robinson, Enda Kenny, Louis Walsh, Gráinne Mhaol (Granuaile — the the head of the Ó Máille dynasty), Sally Rooney (novelist)
Co. Meath
Brú na Bóinne, some 5,000 years old, and still going strong has an inner chamber bathed in light every winter solstice – weather permitting.
Hidden gem: The Hill of Ward, or Tlachtga, outside Athboy has claims to being the site of the very first Halloween. Overlooking the plains of Meath, Tlachtga was one of the centres of royal power in ancient Ireland.
Notable Meath citizens: Petronilla de Meath (1300–1324) who had the melancholy distinction of being the first known person in Ireland to be burned for heresy. Also Angela Scanlon, Tommy Tiernan, Sharon Horgan
Co. Monaghan
The Patrick Kavanagh Centre, Iniskeen is the depository of letters, manuscripts and memorabilia of the poet who wrote (amongst many other masterpieces) Raglan Road.
Hidden gem: The Neolithic court tomb at Tiredigan (on the Monaghan–Newbliss road) is set in deepest rural Ireland. The atmosphere is ethereal.
Notable Monaghan citizens: Patrick Kavanagh, Patrick McCabe
Co. Offaly
Near Clareen stands what is reputedly the most haunted castle in Ireland. Leap Castle’s nine foot thick grey granite walls give the huge edifice a foreboding appearance. Tours are available. If you think you’re tough enough.
Hidden gem: Kinnitty Pyramid, the only one of its kind in Ireland, is situated in the graveyard of the Church of Ireland in the village, standing 30 ft high. Built in the 1830s, it is an exact replica of the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt.
Famous Offaly people: Mundy, Brian Cowen, Donal Lunny, Shane Lowry
Co. Roscommon
Ireland’s earliest surviving castles are Norman, and none is more atmospheric, more beguiling, than Roscommon Castle.
Hidden gem: The village of Elphin has been a bishopric for 1500 years. According to legend, it was founded by St Patrick. Today’s cathedral holds the remains of members of the Goldsmith (literary fame) family.
Notable Roscommon citizens: Oliver Goldsmith, Percy French, Maureen O’Hara who played Jane opposite Johnny Weismuller’s Tarzan.
Co. Sligo
This is Yeats’ country, with the grave of the poet in Drumcliff Cemetery. After “casting a cold eye on life, on death” pass by, and a couple of miles onward the magnificent Glencar Lough heaves into view.
Hidden gem: Creevykeel, one of the most impressive of Ireland’s prehistoric sites, some 5,000 years old.
Notable Sligo citizens: Fiddle player Michael Coleman, harp player Mary O’Hara
Co. Tipperary
The Rock of Cashel rises some 300 feet above the plains of Tipperary, topped by towers and turrets of splendid mediaeval architecture.
Hidden gem: Grubb’s Grave, Clogheen, This peculiar monument houses the remains of Samuel Grubb, one time owner of Castle Grace. Mr. Grubb insisted on being buried upright, so that come Judgement Day, he'd be up and ready to go.
Famous Tipperary citizens: Adi Roche, Thomas MacDonagh
Co. Tyrone
Tyrone is liberally dotted with megalithic monuments and dolmens — with Beaghmore one of the most impressive, 8.5 miles north west of Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, on the edge of the Sperrin Mountains.
Hidden gem: Gray’s Printing Museum, Strabane is home to a collection of 19th century machines as well as other printing paraphernalia are on show. Connections with the US Declaration of Independence are explored.
Notable Tyrone citizens: Philomena Begley, Sam Neill (actor), Jimmy Kennedy (songwriter Red Sails in the Sunset), Paul Brady
Co. Waterford
Reginald’s Tower in the city is probably the oldest urban monument in Ireland. This stone bastion has its own mini-history – kings, princes, blackguards and villains have visited here on every errand imaginable.
Hidden gem: The gardens in Mount Congreve are beautiful any time of the year, even in deepest winter.
Famous Waterford citizens: Robert Boyle (‘The father of chemistry”), physicist and Nobel prizewinner Ernest Walton
Co. Westmeath
Westmeath is home to the Hill of Uisneach, reputedly the centre of Ireland, associated with the High Kings of Ireland as well as important goddesses. Why pray to one god when you can pray to loads of goddesses?
Hidden gem: The Jealous Wall in front of Belvedere House is a large Gothic folly, constructed in 1760. Deffo worth a detour to see it. Ask a local for the whole story of romance gone sour.
Famous Westmeath citizens: Josephine Hart, writer, and Niall Horan.
Co. Wexford
Hook Lighthouse dates back to the early 13th century, probably the longest continuously operational lighthouse in the world.
Hidden gem: Wexford Slobs is a stretch of dunes and mudflats, home to thousands of seabirds, wildfowl and waders. You'll not even need a pair of binoculars — half the world's population of Greenland white-fronted geese stop off for a pit stop.
Famous Wexford people: John Banville, Colm Tóibín, Tadhg Furlong
Co. Wicklow
The 1400-year-old monastic settlement of Glendalough a grey stone huddle of buildings clustered about the round tower - built to withstand Viking debauchery – is surrounded by the steep wooded sides of the valley. This is, quite simply, one of the most ethereal and atmospheric places in all Ireland.
Hidden gem: The German forces cemetery at the top of Glencree Valley is a poignant, unexpected place. The cemetery holds 134 graves, mostly Luftwaffe or Kriegsmarine (navy) personnel whose bodies were washed up on Irish shores. 53 are identified, 28 are unknown.
Notable Wicklow people: Hozier, Paul McShane
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