Rustle. Sniffle. Trickle. Plop. Slice. Crakle. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… That’s the sound of an winter walk followed by tea and cake and a nap in front of the fire. November is here, boys and girls. Time to kick some leaves, munch on cake and choose your fireside. Hidden Ireland know the score… Clone House, County Wicklow When [...]

So what makes Dublin so unique? It’s the hottest question right now. I’d say; James Joyce, a pint in Neary’s, George’s Street Arcade, and a quiet mid-week afternoon at the National Gallery. Author Roddy Doyle reckons it’s the ‘Why Go Bald’ sign on George’s Street. Deciding what makes an entire city unique is tricky. It’s [...]

We asked Vincent Byrne to tell us a story. The Irish mythology buff of Celtic Wedding rings, decided on the legend of Cormac mac Airt – a story of battles, wolves, warriors and high kings, with an unexpected ending. Cormac mac Airt was one of the most legendary High Kings of Ireland. Legends say he [...]

As October 31st looms closer, a subtle change creeps across the Irish landscape. An unnatural chill haunts the air and darkness falls too quick. Pagan Ireland invented Halloween in the form of Samhain: the night when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest… allowing strange things to happen. But Ireland [...]

The West of Ireland always looks a million dollars. It can’t get any prettier, we thought. There’s no way the West could look sharper, we said. Then we saw Aoife Herriott’s work. When it rains, she captures a rainbow. When mist forms, she heads for the mountains. When lightning strikes a tree, she treats it [...]

A couple of weeks ago in Galway, I was Indiana Jones without a hat. Arriving early for a book signing, I’d set out on a personal mission. I was armed with a black and white photo of a row of houses and an echo of a voice from my childhood telling me that ‘the old [...]

You’ve arrived in the walled city of Derry-Londonderry and you don’t know what to do first. Let us take that tricky decision from your shoulders with our 5 Things to do in .   1. Walk the 17th-century walls Have you ever spent hours staring at your walls at home thinking ‘They could be so [...]

The Golden Vale. Before you’ve even seen it, let me be so bold as to guess what it brings to your mind: buttercup-brimming fields, a sightly spread of meadows and perhaps the odd fairy tree. You’re nearly there. Heave a huge hill and a crumbling castle complex into the scene and we’re done. Welcome to [...]

In today’s music industry, you could well ask yourself “Where have all the rock stars gone?” We all know they don’t make ‘em like they used to, but it is interesting to see where they make them. Ireland has produced some of the world’s most influential rock stars. We’re talking about Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher [...]

Like many teenage girls before and after me, I was raised on vampires. In my day it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Christopher Pike’s kick-ass Sita and Anne Rice’s Lestat – including the Tom Cruise celluloid version. Now it’s HBO’s True Blood, Tim Burton/Johnny Depp’s latest make-up bonanza and the pouting Twilight couple. Pop culture [...]