• Ireland’s Southernmost Port, Rosslare, to Spain’s Basque Bilbao

    Rosslare Port has been a feature of my life since the years of the old St. Columba, without stabilisers, bucking and ducking on the wild stretch of sea between Fishguard and Rosslare. The port was a small little shed in those days where Uncle Scotty would chat to the dock workers before strolling out to…

  • The Slow Road to Kilmore Quay – A Wonderful Meanderings

    We leave Cashel in Tipperary and drive along the River Suir, through Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir, a route that connects historic sites such as Cahir and Ormond castles. The river valley itself is tranquil with kingfishers and herons swooping over its waters, wild salmon swimming, and kayakers paddling down it. We swing by New Ross on…

  • Walking in the Footsteps of Kings, Bishops, and Monks in Cashel

    Yet again, we pull into a favourite stop off of ours –  O’Brien’s Camping and Caravan site in Cashel, overlooked by the famous castle and rock. The castle was once the stronghold of Brian Boru, the first High King of Ireland. My father used to say we were related to royalty, which always confused me…

  • Over the Cousane Gap onto the Wild Atlantic Way and Bantry

    As we stop by the rugged Cousane Gap through the Shehy Mountains, we’re surrounded by ferns, bracken and blue hued hills. A noticeboard provides two explanations for how the gap formed: the scientific one, and the mythic. My scientific partner-in-crime favours the version whereby ice from the last Ice Age carved the gap. I favour…

  • Wexford Town’s Vikings and Love-Inspired Monasteries

    We bowl across to Ferrybank Campsite in Wexford – that finger of land out in the bay, with curlews calling, Godwits pecking and Oystercatchers trilling. Just across the bridge from the campsite three church spires pierce the clearest of blue skies. A huge golden harp marks the end of the promenade. All around the town…

  • Moreish Moraira – Petrified dunes and stunning bronzes – Alicante’s coast offers up its artistic treasures

    We drive through orange and olive groves, round hairpin bends, on a rugged mountain road to Moraira in Alicante.  The sun shines, the cycling teams are out in full, some from Spain, others from France. Why I think it helps to squeeze myself into the narrowest spot the in van as it tries to navigate…