“Titanic’s story is about the people,” says my taxi driver. It’s quite a firm reaction to my off-the-cuff remark that I was at TITANICa: The People’s Story, and to prove his point, I’m instructed to open the glove box and take out the book he’s reading. I pull out Titanic Survivor; the autobiography of Violet [...]

The way our stories tell it, Ireland’s just a land of leprechauns frolicking among four-leafed clovers and fairy mounds, of starry nights filled with púcas and banshees. Well, not quite, but this stuff is not just the preserve of childrens books either. Ireland’s myths, legends and superstitions are the legacy of a rich oral tradition. [...]

It’s our Camino de Santiago; our Via Francigena; our Lourdes. Ireland’s holy mountain of pilgrimage, , has been a peak of spiritual significance for thousands of years, well before Christanity, and St Patrick claimed it as their own. And today, multitudes still scale its slopes for the rejuvenation, the views and the craic. Croagh Patrick [...]

“There is a sense that something big is on the horizon”, says Belfast author Susie Millar. I’ve asked her about the atmosphere in the city at the moment. Belfast of course built the legendary Titanic and plans to mark the 100-year anniversary with nothing less than a festival, firework-laced opening of a Titanic visitor centre [...]

That most green of parties is coming around again (St Patrick’s Day, for those living under a rock. On Mars.) So to help you celebrate wherever you are, we’ve selflessly eaten our way through countless recipes. Last year, we gave you typical savoury St Patrick’s Day recipes and suitably green drinks recipes. Now, it’s time [...]

Ireland is a love story. Our city streets and pastoral countryside are stages upon which some of the world’s greatest love stories have played out. Our wordsmiths have crafted some of the most romantic feats of penmanship ever – see Patrick Kavanagh’s Raglan Road or WB Yeats’ He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven. Oh, [...]

Sitting just outside the capital county of Dublin is Kildare, with its strong horsey and golfing ties. However there’s more to the lily white county than just magnificent stud farms (deemed worth a visit by the Queen of England, no less) and award-winning links courses… I’m talking awe-inspiring landscapes, beautiful stately homes and a very [...]

Archaeologist Donal Fallon is an Irish version of Indiana Jones. Just without the whip. Oh and the hat. But he is known to wear a leather jacket from time to time and by golly does he know his history and archaeology. We got this pro in to give us the low-down on some of Ireland’s [...]

Soon we will all be tucking into that annual festive feast; the Christmas Day dinner. In Ireland, it’s all about the bird – the turkey with all the trimmings to be exact. We tracked down a recipe for a classic Irish roast turkey, complete with a delicious stuffing and the perfect gravy to pour over [...]

Ah yes. The grip of the steering wheel. A gust of country wind tousling your hair. Sheep staring at you from the roadside, munching grass in a slow, thoughtful way that says, ‘You sir, are so, so, so lucky’. Our recent post on the most scenic drives in Ireland was one of our most popular [...]