The Aran Islands, County Galway

Upturned currachs on the Aran Islands - photo credit Susan Byron

The Aran Islands, despite being the most popular and most visited islands off the coast of Galway are still very special, being pocket-sized versions of the mainland and the world-famous karst limestone region known as the Burren. Inis Oír and Inis Meain in particular, are good indicators of how life used to be in Ireland, not so very long ago, whether you were a fisherman, farmer or shepherd or all three thrown in together for good measure, dictated by necessity at the time. So, if you get a chance at all, you should definitely take a trip out to either Inis Mór (the big island) Inis Meain (the middle island) or Inis Oír (the eastern island). Inis Mór is where it’s all happening with the precarious, cliff side, stone fort of Dún Aengus which is a huge draw. Unfortunately, it is also where the world and his mother goes every July and August also,  so do yourself a HUGE favour and choose one of the smaller islands, preferably Inis Meain (my favourite) which are just as lovely, perhaps even more so when you consider that you will most likely have it to yourself ! Born of a long tradition of fishing and farming these once isolated island communities were self-sufficient and pretty much oblivious to life on the mainland, some say they still are! Legend has it that World War 2 pretty much passed them by altogether, even today they don’t pay too much attention to what is going on in Dublin, never mind the rest of the world! The Irish language is alive and well out there, as is traditional Irish music and crafts like knitting and basket making and you will not get closer to nature than on any of the Aran Islands. And yet, we have to credit modern-day technology like broadband for leading a revival and return to many of Ireland’s islands that suffered a such a huge exodus in the past.

There is a daily service a during the summer, to each of the three Aran Islands from either Rossaveal or Doolin Harbour which begins around about St Patrick’s Day, or Easter at the latest and runs until the end of October, if possible. Sailing times differ slightly depending on the weather and the tides of course, so always check directly just in case! Extracted for the Treasure Ireland series of Irish Travel Guides written by Susan Byron author of the independent travel website www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

King John's Castle, Limerick City, revamped and ready for action

King John's Castle, Limerick City

King Johns Castle has just re-opened following a €5.7 million revamp which has turned it into a much more attractive, interesting and educational venue than it was, in the heart of Limerick City. 

You cannot fail to miss the huge stone curtain walls or stout round towers on the approach from Thomond Bridge, incidentally there is free parking for visitors just past the Bishop’s Palace on the left. Follow the signs then to the new entrance just left of the visitors center, a large glass building which now houses a bright, new café, gift shop and toilet facilities. Built in the 13th century by King Johns Castle has had a very long and turbulent history, as you can imagine, much of it filled with blood and gore, as you might expect....

What started as an island Viking settlement, you can still see the original ringed settlement walls underground, and the footprints of the wattle and daub medieval dwellings, as well as later additions and battlements which saw the castle develop into a major strategic stronghold between warring factions in the region. The new exhibition area tells the story of King John (brother of Richard the Lionheart) from those very first settlers to the Norman conquerors and the infamous siege of Limerick which led to the signing of the Treaty a year later in1642, through the medium of print and film with no less than three theaters. As well as interactive maps and ‘talking’ figures as well as lots of fun ideas for kids of all ages. A group of Italian students where busy with their smartphones taking photos of themselves dressing up while younger children were busy building stone arches, firing mock canons and opening discovery drawers to inspect medieval artifacts and treasures....

You could easily spend several couple of hours working your way through the new exhibition (a great rainy day alternative for visitors to the West of Ireland) but be sure to leave plenty of time to explore the actual castle itself which is pretty much as it would have looked in the 13th century, only cleaner and a lot safer then when it was built for King John, who never actually visited but that’s another story. Friendly, costumed guides continue the historical conversation with working displays of weaponry, carpentry, masonry and coinage. You can even walk through the ruins of the medieval banqueting hall, say a prayer in the newly constructed replica church or try on a helmet and brandish a sword in the campaign tent. But the best views are high up on the actual battlements themselves with a 360 panorama of the city and the River Shannon from where view a thousand years and more of history from St Mary’s Cathedral, to the Treaty Stone, to the new Thomond Park stadium which defends it’s (rugby) turf with as much blood and passion as it’s medieval ancestors defended the city at King John’s Castle all those years ago.

Open daily from 10am-5pm, Adults €9 Children €5.25 Families €20.60 concessions available for seniors and students.

For more information or to book tickets online visit King Johns Castle

For more Things To Do and See around Limerick please click here.

By Susan Byron author of www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

Step into a storybook garden with a fairytale castle at Lismore Castle and Gardens Arts Centre in County Waterford

Lismore Castle Gardens, Lismore, County Waterford

Lismore Castle Gardens are exactly how I imagined my storybook garden to be, complete with a fairytale castle and Prince Charming throwin for good measure. A place where I could wile away endless sunny afternoons in a floaty dress, playing Titania in "A Midsummer’s Night Dream". Or take afternoon tea in the shade of a gnarled old apple tree having painted yet another perfect botanical watercolor.

Neatly trimmed box hedges barely contain the flower filled borders with not a dead plant, bald spot or a weed to be seen anywhere. Thinking an invisible team of gardeners must work through the night to maintain such perfection, I smiled in lazy contentment at the line of wheelbarrows neatly parked outside the greenhouses and potting sheds.

Having long since given up the struggle to keep up with the famed gardens of Sissinghurst in Britain, I am perfectly happy to indulge my green fingered fantasies in wonderful gardens like this. Seeing a delicate plant I had struggled with for years, Clematis Tangutica, a climber with waxy lantern shaped yellow bells, running riot up the sunny, sheltered castle walls was confirmation if ever it was needed to leave it to the experts.

Speaking of which, it was Helen Dillon, one of Ireland’s leading garden designers who had recommended these gardens to me, saying it was her absolute favorite.

Unusually the entrance to the upper gardens laid out in the 17th century are via a fortified entrance tower and bridge which lead to a series of tiered gardens each more beautiful than the last with artfully placed sculptures and beautifully framed views of the castle and the church steeples beyond.

The lower gardens are more relaxed with mixed woodland, spring flowering bulbs and a riot of flowering azaleas and rhododendrons in late spring.

Lismore Castle, which is closed to the public belongs to the Duke of Devonshire, who also owns Chatsworth House in England, although the family spend a lot of time here. Most recently the Duke gave a talk on the art collections in both properties which was held in the medieval great hall at the castle. Tickets sold out in minutes with people coming from all over Ireland to attend and contrary to my expectations the Duke was surprisingly relaxed and witty advising would be collectors 'to buy what takes their fancy'. Even if like himself, his desk made from recycled materials came at a price ‘that would make Chippendale blush!’ A generous patron of Irish artists you can see samples of his collection as well as various temporary exhibitions at the Arts Centre, admission is included in the entrance fee to the gardens.

For more information about Lismore Castle Gardens and Arts Centre please click here.

For more Irish Gardens to visit please click here

By Susan Byron author of http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

Colorado native has a eureka moment - sets up "Full Irish Whisky Tour of Ireland"

Brian Wess - Full Irish Whisky Heritage Tour

Here’s the answer to most guys prayers? A Full Irish Whisky Tour of Ireland, led by Brian Wess of Colorado, USA.

Now, what would an American know about Irish whisky you might ask? Well, Brian has spent the last 5 years training with whiskey experts & master distillers while also independently touring the whisky bars and distilleries of Ireland (nice work if you can get it) in an attempt to put together the best whisky tour of Ireland and I think he has succeeded. He has even managed to cajole private whiskey tours and tastings out of all the major Irish distilleries including Jamesons, Bushmills, Killbeggan and Tullamore Dew, which is no mean feat.

What this means for his customer/clients (limited to just 15 per tour) is that they do not have to queue for a ticket or follow the crowd and do the regular tour, which do not get me wrong are excellent in all of the above, but even I would like to have an audience and tasting with Jameson’s master distiller Barry Crocket, in the Master Distillers Cottage at the Old Midleton Distillery in Cork where he was actually born!

It sounds like a match made in heaven a small group of like minded folk doing what they love most, touring Ireland, drinking whisky and having the craic!.

Sounds like a good plan to me, especially seeing as Brian has managed to incorporate some of the best visitor attractions into his tour route around and about Ireland. Including the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin (of course) whisky drinkers are going to want to learn how to pull their own pint of Guinness and Waterford Crystal (it adds a little something extra drinking good Irish whisky out of a cut crystal glass) don’t you think? And there are plenty of cultural and archeological sites thrown in for good measure! the Rock of Cashel, in County Tipperary and Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, in County Clare where no doubt they will have a little taste of Poitín, which was distilled illegally all over Ireland (some say it still is, but that is definitely classified information) Poitín is made from potatoes and proofs out at a strength that will ‘either kill or cure you’. The Cliffs of Moher and the Giants Causeway are also included as well as the Ulster Folk Park and the stunning new Titanic Museum in Belfast as well as plenty of time out to enjoy the sights in Dublin.

What is especially nice about this all inclusive tour is that Brian has chosen Bed & Breakfast accommodation for one night which is a really good idea and makes for a much more intimate and authentic experience of Ireland. Irish B&B’s are known the world over for their ‘full Irish’ breakfasts that set guests up for the day with rarely any need to eat before dinner (also included) except for the last night when Brian has planned a right ole shindig in Brian Boru’s Bar in Dublin, in the Power’s award winning snug of the year, that I imagine will go on into the wee small hours of the morning, before they are all poured back onto the plane home in the morning.

A word of warning (not about the perils of drink, sorry) Brian only does these tours, twice a year and they are limited to just 15 people in addition to himself who conducts the tour. He seems like a very nice fellow, with endless patience (God Bless him) who has given serious attention to the details so that you don’t have to....

For more information about Brian Wess Full Irish Whisky Heritage Tours of Ireland or to book a place on his next tour please click here

By Susan Byron author of http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

Escape to the countryside with a fall break in Ireland

Isn't Autumn just the perfect time for a short break away in the country?

Summer is long gone and our thoughts are turning inwards to cosying up in front of a crackling log fire with a nice hot whiskey having perhaps tramped through a thick carpet of leaves in an ancient beech wood.

Ireland has many beautiful forests, national parks and leafy lanes bordering ancient riverside walks that wind their way through quaint little Irish villages that thankfully have retained their rural charm. Old fashioned, meaty butchers sport big roasts, proper sausages and locally caught game if you are lucky. The smell of freshly baked bread and cakes (you can forget your diet on a weekend away in Ireland) wafts out of small bakeries turned coffee shops where you can sit and people-watch a different kind of lifestyle altogether.

Country markets have made a very welcome return and injected a new shot of life into otherwise quiet communities. With an eclectic mix of produce, ranging from pickles to pumpkins you can pick up some nice goodies for a picnic or indulge yourself in a lazy pub lunch. Gastro pubs are on the increase in Ireland, offering hearty gourmet food at reasonable prices. Traditional favorites like bacon and cabbage might be served up with mustard flavored mash potatoes, however the accompanying pint of Guinness which is of course non- negotiable…

Why mess with perfection !

So if you fancy ‘shortening the winter’ (code for a treat before the bad weather sets in? why not check out some of the self-catering breaks available from Ireland's Hidden Places, check website link below for details of special offers and Halloween events.

Or if you would prefer to waited on? Downton Abbey style why not stay a night or two in one of Hidden Ireland's great Irish Country Houses who have also have great seasonal offers available right now.


By Susan Byron author of www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

The Old Jamesons Distillery - home to Irelands favourite whiskey

I have to say I prefer the Old Jameson's Distillery as a visitor attraction to the Guinness Storehouse for the simple reason that the tour here is guided whereas in Guinness’s you are left to your own devices. Which can be very pleasant, especially above in the Gravity Bar with a view of the city and a pint in your hand, but for me I want something more?

I like to leave a place a little bit wiser and in Jameson's case (a little bit tipsy) having learned something. Properly guided tours will do that for you and at Jameson's it’s very well done, just the right length of time and information to hold your attention, finishing up with a genuinely, convivial tasting session in the Jameson's Bar.

Perhaps, when you understand how something is made you appreciate it more? It’s quite amazing how three simple ingredients, barley, water and yeast can be turned into ‘uisce beatha’ or the water of life? And interesting too, how each of the processes, whether it was the malting of the barley, the marrying of the whiskey in casks or the vatting into bottles, shaped the lives and social history of such a small part of Dublin. Surely they could never have imagined Jameson's whiskey becoming the global phenomenon it is today.

Situated in an historical part of Dublin, Smithfield market is surrounded by cobbled streets. The original building is lovely with a theatre, bar, shop and restaurant, which seems to be very popular with ‘legal people’ (which must make for some great people watching) from the nearby Four Courts.


Old Jameson Distillery, Bow St, Smithfield, Dublin 7.


Phone 01-8072355 /Open 7 days a week


Admission Adult €13 Senior & Student €9.60 Family €29 (online discounts)


Website: www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/jamesons.html


By Susan Byron author of http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/index.html

Taras Palace one of the largest dolls houses in the world

Taras Palace at Powerscourt House in Wicklow, is one of the greatest dolls houses in the world, on par with the Fairy Castle in Chicago, and Queen Marys own dolls house at Windsor Castle in London.

Taras Palace is modeled on the famous Titania’s Palace which was sadly lost to Ireland in the 1970s and is now on display at Egeskov Castle in Denmark. The original having been built in Dublin in the early 1900s for Sir Neville Wilkinson’s daughter Gwendolen, who like all other little girls believed in fairies.

A wealthy man, he commissioned artists and craftsmen from all over the world to recreate this view of their privileged world in precise and meticulous miniature. With 18 rooms and over 3000 individual pieces it took some 18 years to complete and such a triumph that it went on public display for childrens’ charities, a role Tara’s Palace continues today.

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The 9' wide façade is a combination of famous Irish Houses notably Leinster, Carton and Castletown, with many of those unique interiors such as the Print Room in Castletown having been recreated to a scale of one twelfth of their original size. Yet, like all dolls houses Taras Palace is primarily a toy, designed to ignite the imagination of children of all ages.

“Enter the hall, with its marble stairs, Look around and sit in the chairs,

Take off your coat and hat, Go upstairs and stroke the cat...”

From 'The Story of the Present' by Miss Amanda Stafford.

Such is the level of craftsmanship that is extremely easy to imagine this fabulous dolls house coming to life. It’s all in the detail, the keys actually fit and turn in each of the tiny locks, and every visitor is sure to have their own favourite?

Whether it’s the grand reception rooms, kitchen with its tray set for afternoon tea, toys in the nursery or the music room with its exquisite tiny golden violin. From the library with it collection of readable first editions to the ornate plaster ceilings and inlaid parquay floors with persian rugs it’s fascinating and one of those rare exhibits that you could visit over and over again and still find something new to marvel at....especially as generous benefactors are constantly adding to the collection.

For more information please visit www.taraspalace.ie/

By Susan Byron author of www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

Red lips and hot tips for the Galway Races

God be with the days of the Celtic Tiger when the Galway Race Festival was the richest and most glamorous event in Ireland’s summer sporting calendar. Where the golden circle used to press the flesh and toast their success in an endless flow of free champagne in the hospitality tents, at someone else’s expense! While the ordinary mortals, having spent hours in traffic queues as long as the M50 had to then join the scrum for an overpriced warm drink in a plastic glass, just to be part of the great occasion that is the Galway Races. Not to mention risking the fake tan (rain equals paint stripper) or your silly hat (gale force winds) are all par for the course in an Irish summer and I have never known ‘the going’ to be good enough for any Louboutin heel yet..

But, don’t get me wrong, 500,000 plus visitors every year would surely agree it’s the place to be, but listen up for some ‘hot ‘ tips. How to double your money? Apart from folding it in half and putting it straight back in your pocket? Well for starters? What everybody in Galway knows there is a lot more Sex (or whatever it is you are after) to be had in the City than on the Racetrack, leave that to the aficionados.

The fashionistas will party till dawn, then sleep till noon, spend the afternoon in hair and make up before shimmying on up to any of the top hotels cocktails lounges, fresh as the proverbial daisy, just as the lucky winners trickle in from the helipad….now that’s what I call studying the form girls.

Susan Byron author of www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

Galway City App available for free download this weekend.

Tall Ships Festival in Waterford promises to be the largest event in Ireland this summer

“I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and sky and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by” wrote the poet John Masefield over a 100 years ago.

The same evocative line of thought will lure some 500,000 to Waterford this weekend to visit the Tall Ships Festival which will be largest event in Ireland this year. Some 50 ships from all over Europe are taking part in the Tall Ships Race organised by the Sail Training Association of England with predominately youth crews of every nationality with youngsters still being asked to sign up for this leg of the race to Scotland. Oh to be under 25 again, never mind...

I was lucky enough to crew on the Stavros Niarchos once upon a time and it was magical, if hard work ! The first thing you are asked (gently encouraged) to do is go ‘up and over’ the rigging which is nerve wrecking the first time but you are doing it in your sleep (quite literally) by the end of the week. Because, while the ship is crewed by trainees on rotating watches you do have to be available to man the ‘bracing stations’, which can mean a sail change, so up you go.

But it’s wicked exciting…….especially at night, when you are catching the tradewinds, under a sky full of stars with dolphins off the bow. There isn’t a sound (if you are doing if right) and all 1000 sq mtrs of sail are set right as you take your trick at the helm, master of the ship and as close as you will probably get to being master of the universe in your lifetime. Don’t ever hesitate if you get chance of going to sea.

http://www.waterfordtallshipsrace.ie/

By Susan Byron author of www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

Return the Ballyvaughan road sign now - controversy over removal errupts in Ireland

Do you know it defies belief, when every man woman and child in this country is putting their best foot forward to recover from our economic woes that the government pulls the rug from under us, yet again.

This time its one of those ‘jobs worth’ moments when the NRA (National Roads Authority) have simply removed an iconic sign that has been standing at the crossroads in Ballyvaughan for over 30 years.

Possibly the most photographed road sign in Ireland, as one protester rightly put it, more ‘folk art’ then actual road signage. It is located along what Conde Nast has described as one of the Top 10 road trips in the world, out to Doolin via Blackhead.

But the NRA obviously don't want you to go there. Let me introduce you to the latest great waste of money in Ireland - the new system of 'navigating by numbers'. Apparently the powers that be are spending 60 million euros on new road signage in Ireland. So, we now have complete dead-end boreens grandly renamed as the L150001 or whatever. Why? Who cares? The answer: nobody.

Locals know where they live. For crying out loud in this day and age of smartphones, using inbuilt satellite technology and tracking, only in Ireland would we be spending a fortune on misleading the tourists. If it wasn’t such a serious waste of money it might even be funny. but this is money that would be better funding tourism initiatives like my own and countless other small businesses who are trying to encourage not discourage visitors to Ireland.

And, okay we dont want you to get lost but its a very small green island, how lost can you get?

You can Like the Return the Ballyvaughan Sign Facebook page here.

Or rent a car and try out the Motoring by Numbers for yourself here

Susan Byron author of http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/

10 Places President Obama will most likelyvisit in Ireland this May.

News of President Obama's forthcoming visit in May has been greeted with great joy and anticipation by the people of Ireland. We have always had a reputation for hospitality and a particular fondness for some American presidents ie JFK and Bill Clinton, but this is going to be a party to end all parties. It's already put a pep in the step of our newly formed government and Enda is right it's a great opportunity for us to showcase Ireland to the world and reclaim our national pride.

No doubt it will be a whirlwind tour but like I am always advising tourists, less is more! You really dont need to cover the whole of Ireland in a week, honestly I have lived here all my life and have only scratched the surface! You can see and more importantly experience the real Ireland much more if you limit yourself a little bit. With this in mind I have put together the following Top 10 for himself which you can easily follow yourself, without any pressure....

1 Dublin will probably be his first port of call and like most other tourists he will be advised to do the open- topped City Bus Tour? Only in his case there will be 1000’s of people lining the streets to welcome him. Enda wasn’t kidding when he said that the people of Ireland would give him a rapturous welcome. People are still talking about JFK’s visit in 1963 and the Clintons in 2005 so we’ll expect him to follow suit and address the nation from College Green.

2 Dublin Castle will be rolling out the red carpet here with a state dinner in his honour. It’s fabulous of course with all the pomp and pageantry you would expect for visiting dignitaries even though we don’t do royalty ourselves. Michael Collins reclaimed if for us after 800 years of British rule with a rude verse about the statue of justice in the courtyard. Perhaps someone will whisper it in his ear on the night?

3 Monegal there will be dancing at the crossroads here for sure with long lost cousins (54 times removed) crawling out of the woodwork to shake hands with the President. He has one actual cousin so far, Henry Healy and the original homestead has also been traced. So we‘ll have to let them have their day, but maybe after catching up with his relations and having a few pints he’ll head on up the road to Clonmacnoise.

4 Clonmacnoise is an important Irish heritage site, he did say he wanted them, which is picture postcard pretty with round towers and stone high crosses. It was once a strategic Pagan site with became a centre of Christianity during Ireland's golden age as a land of saints and scholars.

5 Bunratty Castle and Folk Park then again, like I tell everybody? If he has only time to do one visitor attraction in Ireland this is it. The real deal not some mocked-up theme park. They even relocated a cottage stone by stone from where it was standing in the middle of what was to become Runway 1 in nearby Shannon airport.

6 Cliffs of Moher worth a peak over of course and pretty damn spectacular this view from the western tip of Europe. From here he could follow the road up the coast to Doolin and out around Black Head with perhaps a stop off in Ballyvaughan for some chowder and mussels or Kinvara for a sail on a Galway Hooker.

7 The Burren this route whether by car or helicopter skirts the vast karst limestone plateau which was once a tropical seabed millions of years ago. In May it will be spectacular with the wild orchids, blue gentians and even Edelweiss blooming everywhere. Its the richest botantical landscape in Ireland with 600 different species per square metre.

8 Galway which was one of the busiest ports in Europe when Christopher Columbus stocked up here on route to the New World at the time (we know this because a Galway man and his dog left with him). Perhaps President Obama might like to do the same on the the ‘return leg’ so to speak.

9 Kylemore Abbey this is an oasis in one of most picturesque landscapes of Ireland, Connemara. This is where the Quiet Man was filmed and although rural life in Ireland has moved on thankfully since then, the mountains, lakes and even the little stone bridge are still there and every bit as beautiful today.

10 Museum of Country Life which probably wont be on the president's itinerary as its Enda Kennys hometown of Castlebar. But you should take a look at this state of the Art Cultural Centre. Its an excellent resource if you are interested in Irish traditions and customs or the rural farmsteads long or island fishing communities of long ago.

And finally, perhaps a little presidential downtime in Inisfree? Yes there really is such a place on Lough Gill just outside Sligo and really there is no better place to relax and enjoy a slower pace of life in Ireland, then on the Islands. Even the President of the United States of America needs a break from the dayjob now and again, to enjoy a round of golf or a little bit of fishing....





By Susan Byron author of http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/