Choose Ireland » Scenic Places

Mauherslieve

Brian — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 10:53:22 +0000

Located in North Tipperary, the name Mauherslieve means Mother Mountain. On its welcome sign, the nearby village of Rearcross proclaims itself to be the land of ancient tombs, beautiful scenery and deer sanctuary.
The surrounding group of mountains is known as the Slieve Felims, the highest of which is Callaun Hill at 426m. There are some 20 tombs and cairns located at the tops of the mountains here, and the views, even after a long climb, are exceptionally beautiful. There is also plenty of undisturbed forestland to serve as a habitat for the deer

The Suck Valley Way

Brian — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 10:42:39 +0000

This oval shaped walking trail travels through the western part of County Roscommon as well as eastern portions of Galway. It also comprises part of the O’Sullivan Beara Trail.
Walkers can enjoy the peaceful beauty of the Irish countryside while following this trail as it passes through forest, field and bog land along the shores of the River Suck and past lakes and streams.
Suck Valley Way also includes numerous sites of archaeological significance, along with villages of friendly townsfolk and a wide variety of plant and animal life.

The Silver River Geological Reserve

Brian — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 11:41:32 +0000

The landscape formations of Silver River Gorge at Cadamstown were formed by the sea and rivers millions of years ago. The name of the river in Gaelic was Abha Airgid, which translates as “the Money River”. It was named from the silver particles that appear downstream from the limestone rock near its source.
The area is relatively untouched, and visited mostly by students of geology and botany who come to study the rock formations and rich variety of rare plant life.
The Silver River Nature Trail begins at Cadamstown. Parking and picnic facilities are provided for hikers and those who merely want to enjoy the secluded beauty of the reserve.

Straffan Butterfly Farm

Brian — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 14:17:28 +0000

The farm contains exotic species of greenery, blossoms and butterflies and moths. Most interesting is its tropical house, the only one of its kind in Ireland, where butterflies of all sizes, shapes, and colours move about freely, feeding on a variety of plants from tropical climates. Visitors can walk about and become completely absorbed in an authentic tropical atmosphere.
The Straffan Butterfly farm opened in 1986, containing a variety of butterfly collections from around the world as well as other exhibits that teach about the life cycle, feeding and migration habits of various species. There is a focus on ways that humans can manipulate the environment to improve the quality of butterfly habitats.
Visitors can also come face to face with other tropical species including lizards, snakes, tarantulas and scorpions.

Salthill

Brian — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 13:33:40 +0000

This popular resort near Galway city features an old-fashioned seaside promenade, complete with a beautiful long, sandy beach along Galway Bay. The resort area still maintains traditional amusement arcades, a fairground for festivals, and cafes.
Salthill was the inspiration for the Bing Crosby song containing the famous lyrics, “to sit and watch the moon rise over Claddagh, and see the sun go down on Galway Bay”.

Cahirciveen

Brian — Tue, 23 May 2006 12:17:56 +0000

This small but historical market town forms the western entrance to the Ring of Kerry, perhaps the most popular tourist route in all of Ireland today. The Ring travels around the Ivernaugh Peninsula, giving visitors the opportunity to see some of the most spectacular scenery in the country. Cahirciveen is a town full of brightly colored but humble homes and is the central market area for the south of County Kerry.
A popular attraction located at the bottom of Bentee Mountain, is the Cahirciveen Heritage Centre. The structure once served as the barracks of the royal Irish Constabulary. It was erected to stifle further revolt after the 1867 Fenian Rising. The building itself can best be described as intimidating and very fortress-like. Today it serves as a centre for learning, featuring displays on topics such as the effects of the famine on the area, the achievements of Daniel O’Connell, and the restoration of the building that houses the centre itself, after it was destroyed by fire.
Also outstanding on the main street of Cahirciveen is the O’Connell Memorial Church, the only church in all of Ireland named in honor of a lay person. It is an imposing structure in the neo- Gothic style and built in 1888. The church’s design is very elaborate, and the building is made from mostly black limestone and Newry Granite.

Derrynane House and National Historic Park

Brian — Tue, 23 May 2006 12:16:26 +0000

This estate was the ancestral home of Daniel O’Connell, the prominent statesman and Irish political figure known as The Liberator. Derrynane National Historic Park comprises 320 acres of beautiful parkland on the Kerry Coast. The natural beauty surrounds the O’Connell family house, which now serves as a museum for The Liberator’s many valuable historical artifacts.
Daniel O’ Connell was born in Cahirciveen to modest beginnings, and left his parents while still very young to live with his uncle. ‘Hunting Cap’ O’Connell died in 1825 after making his fortune in smuggling deals with Spain and France. Upon his death, Daniel O’Connell inherited the estate, and members of the family occupied the house until 1958.
O’Connell was educated as an attorney, and founded the Catholic Association in 1823. He worked for increased religious tolerance, organizing events called ‘Monster Rallies’, protests that were peaceful in nature and ultimately effective.
When O’Connell was elected to Parliament in 1828, Catholics were banned from holding public office, so he could not actually sit as a member. Nevertheless, he was reelected the next term, and was instrumental in forming legislation that revoked the British prohibition, known as the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829.
Derrynane House became a museum in 1967. It features a display that includes the pistols used in O’ Connell’s Duel of 1815 with John D ‘Esterre. Also on display are many writings, portraits of family members, and the golden chariot that carried the Liberator through the streets of London upon his release from prison. The history-changing events of this great man’s life have been chronicled and are displayed to visitors in a video presentation shown regularly at the museum.

Great Blasket Island

Brian — Tue, 23 May 2006 12:06:33 +0000

Great Blasket Island is the largest of a remote group of rugged and isolated islands off the coast of mainland County Kerry. It is famous as the home of a group of writers, who produced some classic pieces of literature in the 1920s and 1930s, written in the Irish language and expressive of a distinctly Irish outlook on life.
Perhaps the most famous was Tomas O’Crimhthain, author of An Oilcanach, or The Islandman, a story depicting the extremely difficult life of the island people. O’Crimhthain and the other writers learned to speak and write in the original Irish languages, and their aim was to preserve the numerous oral folk tales of the region in writing. They elevated language to a higher art form that transcendded the poverty and difficulties experienced while living on Great Blasket.
At its most highly populated, Great Blasket Island was occupied by about 150-200 people. Young people emigrated at a consistent rate over the years, and there were only 22 people living on the island when it was finally abandoned in 1953.
Today, visitors reach the island by ferry. It is considered the westernmost point of the continent of Europe, and scientists believe that at one point in time, millions of years ago, the island was actually attached to the mainland.
Great Blasket Island is part of Dun Chaoin parish. Dun Chaoin is the mainland harbor town closest to the island, made famous as the location where the movie Ryan’s Daughter was filmed by director David Lean in 1969. At the time, the locals decried the film for its commercialism, but it sparked a rise in tourism to the area that continues to until today.
The ferry ride to Great Blasket Island is an adventure in itself, sometimes as rough as the landscape of the island with its steep cliffs, rocky paths and deserted village. Great Blasket, along with its sister islands, the Lesser Blaskets, were formerly called the Ferriter Islands. They were leased by a family of the same name from the Earls of Desmond in the 13th century. Sir Richard Boyle became the Ferriter’s landlord late in the 16th century.
Ferriter Castle once stood at castlepoint, on the edge of the village, but its remains were dismantled and used in the construction of a Protestant school on the island in 1840. The same school was closed in 1852 due to the ravages of the Famine.
The origin of the name Blasket remains a mystery. Some suggest that it is a Norse word and means “dangerous place”, a fitting name considering the barren isolation of the island. Its current population, which is made up mostly of rabbits, mice and shrew, thrive mainly because of the absence of weasels and foxes. Other wildlife residents include rats, hedgehogs, frogs and badgers.
Great Blasket Island features a large and varied sea bird population, including storm petrel, guillemots, puffins, razorbills, and Manx shearwater. They feed and nest on an island surface of heather, whins and furze that covers the layer of rich peat below.
For centuries, the inhabitants of Great Blasket Island struggled to make a living, cutting turf, growing a small plot of potatoes, while keeping a cow and perhaps a few sheep. Fresh and salted fish was a large part of their diet, and many caught mackerel and lobsters to transport and sell on the mainland.
Blasket Island’s population increased somewhat when many victims of Lord Ventry’s evictions arrived. The maximum number of houses on the island at one time was 30, and the five two storey houses erected in 1909 at the top of the village by the government are visibly different from the rest. The classic island cottage was made up of a kitchen, lower room, and a loft, with a small loft above the fireplace for storage. It only had one door, whereas similar structures on the mainland had two.
The island inhabitants were so isolated that in order to reach a priest, doctor, or even the shops, they had to travel three miles by boat and then five miles over land to the town. Great Blasket Island remains isolated today; a visit there is like a trip back in time. There are no cars, phone lines, or televisions.
Natural beauty is in full bloom, however, in the form of an immaculate strand of white beach. Together with the wild sea and cliff scenery, visitors have good reason to say that the entire trip is well worth the effort.

Allihies

Michael Heraghty — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 12:18:34 +0000

Allihies – with two shops, a post office and four public houses – is typical of the type of self-contained Irish village that was once found throughout the country. These villages are becoming rarer as the country’s rapid urbanisation continues, however, with more and more people moving to suburban dormitories.
Indeed, Allihies (population: 650) has done well to survive, as it has suffered more than most villages: during the 1800s it was a thriving copper mining region, an activity that has long since declined.
Allihies resilience is probably due to its extraordinary scenery, located on the Ring of Beara and overlooking Ballydonegan Bay, a seaport from where the copper ore was once exported. As well as farming and fishing, the region is now sustained by tourism, and by the lively arts culture it has developed — many artists and writers, inspired by the rugged beauty, have made Allihies their home.
The Allihies Languages and Arts Centre, located in a former schoolhouse, runs courses and holds events throughout the year.

Cavan Crystal

Brian — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 16:47:36 +0000

This small but productive manufacturer creates unique mouth blown, hand cut lead crystal giftware, and is growing into a true rival to the Waterford brand.
The factory is open to the public, and guided tours are given. Visitors can enjoy comforts ranging from relaxation areas with open fires, and an audiovisual theatre showing films that explain the entire crystal making process. A master engraver is available to personalize gifts purchased at the showroom, and the actual craftspeople can be observed as they work.