If I’m not wrong, one of the biggest claims to fame of Youghal is that there were a few shots of the 1950’s version of Moby Dick taken in this town (instead of New Bedford, which had changed too much in the previous century – in other words, Youghal had not changed much). The town is a historic […]
day trip
Glengarriff Reserve in winter
This indigenous forest and ancient woodland is named after the town’s located close to. The Glengarriff Reserve is just west of Bantry Bay (the bay can be seen from Lady Bantry’s Lookout, pictured below) and has a few different paths and walking trails that lead through different areas, moorland, meadow, bog and forest. Look out for […]
Hore Abbey
If you didn’t notice, the photo above has a cow in the foreground that is unfortunately making a wee. They just have a knack for doing that kind of thing when there’s a camera pointing at them. It’s not my favourite photo but I thought I’d just leave it there for effect (whatever that […]
The Rock of Cashel
There’s a bit of mythology surrounding the history of how the rock that the fortress is built on was formed. The story is that St. Patrick banished the Devil from a mountain about 30 kilometres to the north. As far as I understand, it seems like the Devil bit that mountain (for whatever reason), causing a gap in the mountain. That […]
Forest & Lough
Not far from Baltimore is the beautiful Lough Hyne with the lush forest of Knockomagh Hill set behind it. The lough is a marine lake. That just means that it is connected to the sea but has a lower salt content because some of the water is rainwater (I didn’t know what a marine lake was until right […]
The Cliffs of Baltimore
I would not have visited Balitmore in South West Cork when I did, if Megan & Eddie didn’t recommend it (they’re a lovely couple that we met here in Cork who’ve since moved back home to the US). The scenery didn’t disappoint. The town itself is a little drive (or walk) from this exact spot that we explored. […]
Doneraile Park
If you’re looking for a great place for a walk, take a drive up to Doneraile Park, situated on the the River Awbeg. It’s open all year round, entrance is free and if you’re located in Cork, it just about a forty minute northerly drive (about ten kilometres outside of Mallow). There’s plenty of space […]
Courtmacsherry
The reason we ended up at Courtmacsherry was to get some exercise. The weather however could not have been more unpleasant (hence only a few photos). We started the hike with a view over the bay in the opposite direction of the beautiful ruins of Timoleague Abbey. As we walked through the forest (which is […]
Blarney Castle in Summer
The first time that I visited Blarney Castle was in winter. The second time I visited was during a glorious heat wave (the weather insisted on short sleeves and the sky was a beautiful blue late into the evenings). Summer sun filtered through the bright new season leaves, rhododendrons bloomed in all shades and the Golden Rain […]
The Paps of Anu
Anu (or Danu) is known as the ancient mother goddess of Ireland. The Paps themselves are kind of boob-shaped and each summit has a large, prehistoric stone cairn on it -hence the name: The Paps of Anu. Connecting the two cairns is a line of stones that was perhaps once a processional route. Last year around […]