No one missed super swinger Rory McIlroy from County Down lift the US Open trophy in Maryland last year. Of course, the trophy didn’t have far to travel, since it was in Northern Ireland until last week in the safe custody of defending champion Graeme McDowell. Do we see a pattern here? Indeed we do. [...]

Ireland is famous for its B&Bs. The delicious home-cooked breakfasts, the unique attention of an Irish Mammy (not to mention the scones), and local hosts only dying to impart tips like the sandiest beach nearby or the best farmers market for picnic supplies. But what if the B&B expanded to include a dinner party? A [...]

It’s no secret our little island is quite adept at ‘the craic’. It might seem we never shut up about our year-round festivals, buzzing pubs, dashing sports… But even we fancy a good get-away-from-it-all sometimes. Taking off into the countryside with a yoga mat, easel, fishing rod or a simple picnic tucked under our arm, [...]

Before we get into talking about the majestic countryside of County Wicklow it would only be fair to say that having spent my childhood there, I’m a tad biased. Favoritism aside, though, it really is a stunning county and while we’re not sure who it was that first called Wicklow ‘The Garden of Ireland’ we [...]

Brought the family to a motorcycle race lately? They might just enjoy it. Our guest blogger Barbara Cullen recalls the thrills, spills and bags of chips of her childhood spent at the sideline of the North West 200. The smell of the grease, the roar of the engines, the sudden thunder as they whip past [...]

Galleries and museums line our lovely streets, packed with art, artifacts and exhibits, from the modern to the ancient. Open their doors and you’ll find a veritable library’s worth of stories that’ll keep you as enchanted as any of our myths and legends… Yes, if we’re honest, we find the tales behind each of these [...]

Isn’t it nice to know where you come from? To put a name and personality to the ancestors whose lives, work and travel brought us to where we are today? It is nice to know where you come from, as American visitor Gerry Britt discovered, and it’s nice to come home, too. My son stared [...]

It’s no surprise that the potato is a bit of a favourite on the island of Ireland. We’ve been munching on the humble spud in all its guises for centuries. We love potatoes so much in fact, that we’ve managed, with a bit of culinary wizardry and out-of-the -box thinking, to incorporate the potato into [...]

Where in Ireland can you find slinky cobbled alleyways, a star-shaped coastal fort and some of the most sumptuous seafood you’ll ever eat? Ok the last part might have given it away – the answer is the town of Kinsale in County Cork! Kinsale you see, is well known for it’s seafood and the locals here [...]

County Fermanagh’s patchwork of landscapes, from rocky outcrops and blanket bog, to glacial-carved hollows and limestone-littered hills, makes quite an eclectic quilt of scenery. There’s something very special under this quilt, too; miles of winding, underground caverns of subterranean lakes and bizarre rock formations. In fact, if you consider the thrilling rides (boat journey through [...]