Learning Irish has never been so easy - marrying culture and technology, learning Gaeilge online

Eoin, Sasa & Uisce (the dog)

Learning Irish, with Bitesize Irish Gaelic, has never been so easy even for me,  a born and bred Irish woman, I learned a few new things when I signed up for their  free 14 day trial. For example, did you know that there only 18 letters in the Irish Alphabet or that the Irish word for zero is (a náid), I didn’t!

This is great, because it is very trendy to be able to speak Irish or labhairt (talk) ás Gaelige (in Irish) these days in Ireland, we even have a dedicated Irish speaking television channel, TG4, which has some of best Irish made documentaries (with subtitles) you will see anywhere and yes you can watch it online.

The brain child of Limerick Eoin Ó Conchúir, a native Irish speaker and computer science graduate, Eoin, has successfully and playfully married culture and technology with the launch of this very easy and accessible online learning, Irish language course.

So, whether you would simply like to learn the basics ie the cúpla focal (a few words) before coming on holidays so as you can meet and greet people, order a drink and more properly ‘have the craic’ as they say in Ireland, this is the course for you. Sign up for the free 14 day trial with Bitesize Irish Gaelic and you will get access to 150 easy lessons instantly, which you can work through at your own pace, with good, clear audio recordings for you to listen and repeat as often as you like. It’s really simple and intuitive and great fun, in fact it will have you speaking Irish in a matter of minutes,  Each lesson is about 5 minutes long, leading up to your first full-on conservation in just Lesson 4.

Bitesize Irish Gaelic is really well written and presented and can be accessed from all devices which is very handy when you are travelling. Even the difficult topics like dialects and grammar are handled calmly and sensibly so you won’t get stuck on any unnecessary hurdles. Eoin and the team build your confidence quickly which is a sure fire recipe for success. Indeed many of his long term clients, that started out with a general  interest in the Irish language as result of tracing their Irish Heritage are staying with the program with a view to becoming fluent one day.

Go n’éirí an t-ádh leo - Good luck to them...

If you would like to watch a bitesize snippet please click here

For full details and to sign up for a 14 day free trial of Bitesize Irish Gaelic please click here.

By Susan Byron author of Irelands Hidden Gems.com

The changing face of Bed and Breakfast in Ireland

Beach Cove B&B, Ballinskellig, County Kerry

The idea for this style bed and breakfast holiday sprang up years ago when farmers’ wives or Mammy’s with extra rooms opened up their houses to paying guests during the summer holidays, which I am told put many sons and daughters through university, even if their own had to sleep in the attic! You could roll up of an evening wherever you saw a vacancy sign (you still can) and get a reasonable priced bed for the night and a hearty breakfast often in very wild and lovely places. Basically, you became one of the family, sharing home-cooked meals and sampling what life was like on the farm, that you would not ordinarily get to see if you were staying in an hotel, besides there were not too many hotels in remote locations 50 years ago.

But, gone are the days of shared bathrooms and revolving bedrooms, bed and breakfasts nowadays are Bord Failte approved (and inspected annually) and have the highest standards of hygiene and accommodation while remaining true to their roots of staying with an Irish family. This kind of holiday is not for everyone, many like the anonymity of staying in hotel but if you want an insight into what it is really like to live in a rural community than you should definitely try one or two. Indeed by the end of your stay you will probably feel like one of the family, often lifelong friendships are forged with generations revisiting time and time again.

Apart from a more authentic experience of Ireland, the main difference between bed and breakfasts and hotels is the personal touch and insider knowledge of a particular area. Forget Facebook and Facetime this is back to basics and a ‘real deal’. You will be assured of a genuine Cead Mile Failte an Irish welcome, with complimentary tea or coffee and homemade scones or cake on arrival. Bedrooms, single, double or twin have en-suite bathrooms and breakfast is included in the price which ranges from €29-€39 per person sharing, depending on the quality and location. The breakfasts in Irish bed and breakfasts are legendary (no luke-warm buffets, that have been cooked for hours) but freshly made especially for you with a choice of a ‘full Irish’ which usually includes rashers, sausages, pudding (black and white) tomatoes, mushrooms, toast and brown bread. Or, porridge with cream and honey or continental style cured meats, cheese and fruit. Either way you certainly will not go on your way hungry....

Speaking of which, a sight you will often see after breakfast is the hosts pouring over maps with their guests pointing out best sights to see, walks to go on, picnic stops, deserted beaches, pubs to have lunch in or where the best music is on that night? This kind of information is priceless, no paper guide or website could ever keep track or know what is happening this weekend in Ballydehob but your hosts will, for sure.
With over a 1000 properties nationwide, there is plenty of choice depending on your area of interest. A recent move has seen each bed and breakfast categorized to include specialist activities like walking, angling, golfing, cooking, Irish language, genealogy etc and much, much more which will add an extra dimension to what already is a fantastic and affordable opportunity to see and experience those parts of Ireland most tourists never get to see....

For more information visit BandB Ireland

By Susan Byron author of Irelands Hidden Gems.com

Susan Byron's predictions for the top ten visitor attractions in Ireland for 2012

Bunratty Castle

1. Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, Shannon, County Clare
If you have only time to ‘do’ one visitor attraction in Ireland, this is it! Absolutely excellent, fantastic castle, medieval banquets, Irish cottages, farmyards, streetscape with traditional pubs, shops, school etc, great good value day out for all the family.


2 Butlers Chocolate Experience, Clonshaugh, Dublin
What’s not to like about a Willa Wonka-style experience with suspended walkway tour over the factory floor and all the chocolate you can eat?

3 Crawford Art Gallery, Cork City
A smashing selection of superbly curated Irish Art, just the right amount in a wonderful city centre location and admission is free!


4 Croke Park Museum, Dublin
Probably the best guided tour in Ireland, especially if you know nothing at all about Gaelic Games? The only carbon neutral stadium in the world? And top of their game right now, with a momentous Dublin win in 2011.

5 Glasnevin Cemetery Museum, Dublin
The only recipients of a Thea award in Ireland, excellent modern museum with superb multi-media, as well as the personal touch which is so important when dealing with a subject like this...
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6 Irish National Stud, County Kildare
Her majesty Queen Elizabeth enjoyed her visit here in May 2011, very interesting and informative background to one of our favourite national past times and the adjoining Japanese gardens are an absolute delight in early Spring.

7 Lismore Castle Gardens, County Waterford
What a dreamy garden, immaculate vegatable and flower gardens bursting at their neatly boxed seams while big blousely rambleing roses ran away with themselves over the castle walls. Great coffee and homemade cakes too...

8 Old Jamesons Distillery, Dublin
Another excellent guided tour where you are led through the whole process of whiskey distilling from the grain to the glass and its effect on the social history of this cobbled streeted area of Dublin, very generous whiskey tastings…

9 Museum of Country Life, Castlebar, County Mayo
Another free museum I cannot recommend highly enough and it’s free! You could happily spend the day here finding out how people lived in rural Ireland not so very long ago.


10 Swiss Cottage, Cahir, County Tipperary
Picture postcard lovely this restored Cottage Orné, is one of only two in Europe. Designed as a pastoral idyll, similar to the Trianon of Versailles it was built by Richard Butler of nearby Cahir Castle which you can walk to along the riverbank.

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

Christmas shopping in Galway - the sights and sounds along Shop Street

A window display in Galway

Here in Galway we really have the nicest shops and you won’t beat it for atmosphere, especially at Christmas. Who wants to spend their money in bland, faceless shopping centers, that couldn’t care less about you or your euros when you have got Shop Street...

At the top end, literally and figuratively we have Brown Thomas, a luxury department store, its corner location a hub of stylish yet affordable shopping, and all very elegant in classic black & white with a service to match. They always have the most gorgeous shop windows packed full of highly desirable goodies, so if you hear of a smash and grab raid in Galway it could well be me!

Just opposite is another shop window, I have been known to lick, Hartmanns the jewelers, where you can lust after all kinds of lovely trinkets from Rolex's to Mont Blanc and even Fabergé. Or be-dazzled by the sparkliest diamonds in Lazlo's as you sidestep into Premoli’s gorgeous shoes & boots shop.

The wedgewood blue and white front of the Treasure Chest hints at what’s inside, a timeless emporium of traditional Irish gifts. Further along on the right is McCambridges, a purveyor of fine foods since, well forever and a foodie haunt long before the term came into being.

Down a bit further is Easons, the last of our Irish bookstores, online is taking over but people still like to feel books or pick up an international newspaper or magazine. Then there's Anthony Ryans, a family drapers that’s catered for generations of Galwegians, from first Holy Communions to Weddings and everything else in between....

And from the traditional to the ultra modern, the award winning Born Centre on Galway's inland waterway system. I have a real soft spot for this place, stunning architecture, there is a glass panel in the floor where you can watch the might Corrib river rushing through underneath, and knitted tea cosies on the teapots in the cafe, which also serve smashing scones! a great place to escape the Christmas madness and relax....

For more information on Galway click here or download the free iPhone app.

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

The tipples, trifles and truffles that make an Irish Christmas

An Irish family favorite sherry trifle

Irish people are known the world over for their legendary hospitality but never more so than at Christmas, when the drinks are overflowing and cupboards and fridges are stocked with enough to see out the winter, never mind a couple of weeks. But then you never know who might call so you want to have a little something extra in, just in case.

Here are some top ideas for an Irish Christmas culinary indulgence:

Top of the list would have to be a couple of bottles of Irish whiskey Jameson’s is standard issue in most households for drinking neat. Purists would never ruin it by adding water! Or hot as in hot whiskeys and Irish coffees.

And where would be without Baileys? Short of brushing our teeth with the stuff, it’s liberally splashed into every cup of coffee at Christmas as a kind of instant Irish coffee to go with your mince pies.
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Of course the mince pieces would have to come from the Foods of Athenry, voted the best in Ireland for six years running now. Buttery rich, crumbly short crust pastry with a generous fruit filling with a little alcoholic hint of something, it’s a wonder they only come in sixes. And of course you have to have the Brandy Butter to go with them, and it’s the nuns in Kylemore Abbey, of Irish picture postcard fame, who make the very best after the Mammy!

You used to be able to rely on the Mammy for the Christmas cake and pudding. Hello, not anymore. Too busy on Facebook or going to Pilates at 84 if you don’t mind. But there are some great and very special alternatives, ie the Carton House Pudding from their own kitchen which comes beautifully packaged and presented in traditional greaseproof paper with the nostalgia inducing, string contraption for hoisting it in and out of the steaming pan. I don’t think so you can microwave it just as easily but the thought was in it

Or a Christmas cake, from Ballymaloe made from only the finest exotic and organic ingredients you would otherwise have to go on an expedition to find. Their cake is baked with that wondrous blend of female culinary talent that has spanned umpteen generations of the Allen family from Myrtle to Darina and current celebrity chef-ess Rachel. Of course Rachel makes the whole process look like a whizz, which it clearly isn’t, believe me. Those cakes are presently maturing nicely ready to be freshly marzipan-ed (almond pasted – the best bit and iced) before being devoured by the devoted.

And on that religious note, the monks of Glenstal Abbey have created a true match made in heaven (chocolate and alcohol) in the form of chocolates filled with liqueurs such as Benedictine and Chartreuse from the great abbeys of Europe.

A bit further down off the wild Atlantic coast of Kerry is another holy and sacred place the Skelligs Islands which are overlooked by another very special artisan chocolate company Skelligs Chocolate which make the most delicious chocolate truffles probably on the planet. Their collection includes over 60 different varieties including plum pudding, egg nog and hot toddy this time of year. They were also the first to produce a gin and tonic chocolate bar which tastes as good as it sounds.

And finally every family in Ireland has their own version of sherry trifle. which is a layered mixture of jelly and sponge with a good drop of the above, topped with tinned fruit (this is about tradition not the healthy option) thick custard and whipped cream with a sprinkling of 100’s and 1000’s of course. And if you don’t know what they are then the whole of the last paragraph was probably lost on you...poor thing.

Good health one and all and Nollaig Shona dhuit

For more information visit www.irelands-hidden-gems.com.

The best Irish gifts online this Christmas

Wouldn’t it be nice to give something especially Irish this Christmas? Not only would you be supporting Ireland’s economic recovery if you have a mind to, but also lots of jobs that keep those rural communities we are all so fond of as tourists alive and awake! But most importantly you or your loved ones would be receiving a quality gift that will be appreciated and valued for its uniquely Irish appeal.

Like Waterford Crystal, who wouldn’t be pleased to ring in 2012 with a couple of crystal champagne flutes? The first edition Partridge in a Pear Tree from Waterford Crystals 12 Days of Christmas Range are reduced by 70% at www.giftshopireland.com while stocks last, they are fast becoming modern day collectibles. Just like their cut glass tree ornaments and baubles which make the perfect one size fits all gifts, from new babies, to birthdays and anniversaries and even hostess gifts this time of year. Gift Shop Ireland has the widest selection of Waterford Crystal in the world, as well as an exclusive on Nicholas Mosse pottery. Plus they are offering a 10% discount and free shipping worldwide for all Irish Central readers, simply enter the code Christmas Gifts at point of purchase.

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Another classical Irish gift is Newbridge Silverware which started out making cutlery in 1934, but has since diversified into designer jewellery, with several vintage collections to complement their Style Icons museum and smart contemporary giftware. Is there anything better than sleek cutlery that works, will stand the test of time and look beautiful? The Celtic 24 piece gift pack is a surefire winner. Guaranteed to set a lady’s heart on fire would be a little something from the Grace Kelly Collection which has everything from pearl earrings for her to classic onyx / silver cufflinks for him. All of the above (and lots more besides) come beautifully packaged and presented in pale blue and cream boxes from www.newbridgesilverware.com

Or if you would prefer to let the recipient, especially us ladies, do the choosing you can’t go wrong with a gift card from Brown Thomas, pretty please? Following on from the success of the Marvel room last year, Brown Thomas has pop-up Gift Box shops in all of its branches throughout Ireland to excite and delight shoppers this Christmas. Packed full of even more covetable and collectible designer goodies, believe me a gift card from Brown Thomas is as they say themselves, is the one gift that is sure to please all of the people, all of the time! Available online from www.brownthomas.com in whatever value you wish, simply add your personalised greeting and you wont see us for fairy dust….

Finally, why not send an edible feast to your loved ones here or at home. The Burren Smokehouse pack the finest hampers with the very best Irish food and drink from carefully selected Artisan producers throughout Ireland, alongside their own award winning organic Atlantic smoked salmon, which was fit for a Queen, Elizabeth II no less, when she was here last May. They have a huge range online from the small artisan baskets at €59 to full on banquets for €299, although the best selling baskets are the Whiskey Basket at €99, everything in it from the cheese to the marmalade and chocolates are laced with whiskey to the Clare Basket €89, all of the produce comes from County Clare, you can almost smell the Burren! But you would need to order from www.burrensmokehouse.ie before the 9th of December to guarantee pre-Christmas delivery.

If you do decide to buy Irish this Christmas and I hope that you will, thank you for supporting Irish jobs, Irish businesses and communities throughout Ireland.

www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

Tweet a skeleton this Halloween at the Museum of Natural History in Dublin

The Natural History Museum in Dublin is the oldest museum in Ireland having been opened by Doctor David Livingstone (no less) in 1857. Known locally as the Dead Zoo, it has been a favorite of generations of Dubliners ever since.

Dubliners are on first name terms with many of the exhibits, including Spotticus the Giraffe. Spotticus is is now happily tweeting away to his loyal band of global fans, following his recent makeover in the Netherlands. Seemingly, caught in a time warp, this cabinet-style 'museum of a museum' has just recently been revamped and reopened to the public.

With some 10,000 items currently on display and another 2 million in storage, it houses the treasure trove of countless Victorian collectors. As you can imagine, Nigel Monaghan, curator of the Museum explains that’s an awful lot of dusting ...

Having lain about in relative obscurity for years the Natural History Museum is once again poised to be a trail blazer of scientific research and discovery (as it was at the turn of the last century) having boldly embraced new technology which has seen its visitor numbers double in recent years.

Innovative and free educational events and workshops for all ages are set to increase its profile and popularity even further. Visiting scientists and experts from all over the world have expressed a new appreciation and interest in the museums valuable collection of unique and rare items that are unlikely ever to be found again. Such as the huge skeleton of a fin whale, the second largest in the world which washed up in Bantry Bay in 1862 and the now extinct giant Irish deer whose antlers span an amazing 3.5 meters which was discovered in Monaghan and donated by the 4th Marquis of Bath in 1877.

And while we might live in a digital age that can conjure up reconstructions of extinct worlds at the touch of button, apparently it's no substitute for the real thing when it comes to scientific hard evidence. Who would have thought that a once moth eaten collection of stuffed animals, in a small museum in Dublin would be providing the world at large and generations to come with the raw data for new and exciting scientific research into our increasingly precarious and precious natural world.

For information on the Natural History Museum

Follow Spotticus the Giraffe on Twitter

For more information on the 3 other main Irish Museums

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

Hidden Gems in Irelands rockpools? - a new book of Irish landscapes

Ireland is renowned for it's magnificent landscapes being blessed with a diversity not many countries can equal, but having just picked up Daragh Muldowney’s beautiful new book even I have had to do a double take.

Called "Jewellery Box - Irelands Hidden Gems" (I wish I could have taken credit for it) but am more than happy to endorse his excellent work.

Daragh spotted something (under his feet) no one else did and had the creative genius to expose it, in this wonderful selection of images.

Inspired by Dulra (Irish for the natural elements) he spent the last summer exploring the miniature landscapes of Ireland's coastal rock pools. Getting up close and personal with these tiny universes, that are surprisingly teeming with life, prompted a deeper introspection, apprectiation and respect for nature in Daragh that he now stirs in us...

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The results are spectacular and the digital imagery surreal at times, like the image above (my favorite) entitled ‘Inner Peace’, two pieces of random floating oarweed that could be a resin sculpture yet hint of much, much more... 'Rusty Contours' a fusion of lichen and algae, mirror the hand painted Chinese wall papers of Ireland great houses, while Picasso’s Eyes speak for themselves. Most telling perhaps the 'Origin of the Species' a back lit jellyfish in a froth of air bubbles, smacks of the big bang...

Michael Viney, Ireland’s most eminent naturalist wrote the forward (an accolade in itself) in which he, so eloquently, applauds the young self-taught Daragh's artistic eye in capturing more than just images but also the connection between man and nature that has existed since the time of cave paintings right up to and including the mad digital age we live in, when its often all too. There is no space or distance from which to view or marvel at nature in the way we might have once done as carefree children splashing about in rock pools.

This book is a rare opportunity to do just that, view the world with fresh eyes, Picasso Eyes...

For more information visit http://www.dulraphotography.com/

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

The National Museum of Ireland - a rainy day alternative for visitors

We are getting a rather mixed bag (to put it politely) of summer weather, so here’s a few ideas that will keep you warm, dry and entertained when it’s a soft day ( ie bucketing it down). Top of the list has to be the National Museum of Irelands Fab Four ie the Museum of Archaeology, the Museum of Decorative Arts & History, the Natural History Museum and the Museum of Country Life and the good news is that admission to all four is free!

The Museum of Archaeology on Kildare Street is quite simply fantastic and right in the heart of all the action (government buildings are next door) an iconic architectural gem in its own right with zodiac floor and marble columns, not to mention the gold collection, the bog bodies, plus a horde of Viking treasures. And you can take the weight off your feet for a while and watch a film in the theater upstairs, it also has a very good cafe.

The Natural History Museum just around the corner on Merrion Street, houses what is fondly known in Dublin as the ‘Dead Zoo’ these stuffed animals have been dead for a very long time ie since I was a child, so we are on first name terms Spoticus –the giraffe and me. Rent out ‘A Night in the Museum’ to get kids (or yourself) in the mood and let your imagination run riot!
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The Museum of Decorative Arts & History is over on the northside and is easily accessible on foot or the Luas stops outside the door if you are lazy? The Curators Choice is a selection of 25 of the nations best treasures including the Fonthill Vase. Which is the oldest piece of porcelain in Europe, that belonged once upon a time to (among others) the Dauphin of France no less, but was acquired by the Museum at an auction in 1880 for just £28.

And lastly, my favourite, the Museum of Country Life set in beautiful parkland, just outside Castlebar in County Mayo. A family could easily spend all day here so bring a picnic although there is a cafe as well. Turlogh House is a replica of what ‘big houses’ used to be like in Ireland. The Museum itself is a very modern and well designed building and exhibition space. It is very user friendly with charming, well put together collections that depict the lives of our forefathers who worked on the land or at sea. They were certainly very inventive if the Straw exhibition is anything to go by...

For full details of opening hours please consult the websites below. As above admission is free, ditto drop-in events etc although there may be a small charge for specialist workshops.

www.museum.ie/en/whats-on.aspx

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

St Brigid, a pagan goddess turned christian saint in Ireland

Read more: St. Brigid’s Day, Feb. 1, marks start of Celtic Spring

Read more: How to make a Saint Brigid's Cross - SEE VIDEO

Spring in Ireland officially starts on St Brigids Day which is February the 1st in our calendar? Which may not be accurate as this is a celebration that has its roots along way back in pre-christian times, some 6000 years ago actually when there was no written tradition. Like many other cultures around the world female deities ruled supreme, the similarities between Egyptian mythology and Irish mythology being quite remarkable? For example most people will be familiar with Egyptian ritual from the Book of the Dead, of Isis breathing life into the mummified corpse, well not many know that the same scene is depicted in stone at the foot of a high cross in Ireland.

Similarly our Goddess, had a sacred cow that suckled a king, the same as Queen Hatshepsut in Egypt. Indian and many other cultures that revered the cow as a symbol of nurturing. In fact up until the 12th century children were baptised with milk in Ireland. Fascinating or obvious? these ancient races relied on the land so it is no wonder they revered the female Goddesses that embodied and symbolized mother earth for them. She had to be appeased and celebrated to insure the fertility of the land, animals and people. Celtic mythology holds that the chieftains slept with the goddesses in a mating ritual that crossed the boundaries of physical and metaphysical as these Goddesses could shape shift into birds and other mythical creatures. She could be ‘an old hag’ in human form standing at a crossroads, or the triple goddesses ‘Moriggan’ in the tale of the Tain or the ‘banshee’ in latter years foretelling death in a family.

Having infused tradition in Ireland with a mixture of reverence and fear, for thousands of years prior to Christianity creeping into Ireland, its highly understandable that our ancestors would have been a tad reluctant to banish her completely, which coincidentally is about the time she seems to have morphed into the Christian St Brigid we know about today? Although the signs were there from the start that this was no ordinary mortal woman?

Apparently or so the story goes and we Irish never let the truth get in the way of a good story, when St Brigid was trying to wrestle enough land on which to build her monastery in Kildare from the high king of Leinster, he said that she could have as much land as her cloak would cover. Where upon Brigid laid down her cloak and it magically spread out to cover several hundred acres....!

To read more about Irish Culture and Traditions visit www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/irish-culture.html or visit the excellent Museum of Country Life in Castlebar either in person or online http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/museum-of-country-life.html

Beannachtai na Feile Bride by Susan Byron author of Irelands Hidden Gems.com

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Experience Irish culture and history at Bunratty Castle, Clare

If you have only one day in which to ‘to do’ Ireland I would highly recommend visiting Bunratty Castle and Folk Park as it will give you a very good feel for the culture and history of Ireland. It very close to Shannon airport, about 10 miles, so an ideal place to visit prior to departure as we all invariably leave way to much time for dropping off the hire car, why spend hours hanging about the airport when you could be here instead?

Bunratty Castle itself, is a very fine and impressive furnished 15th century medieval fortress with great views out over the estuary and surrounding lands it once protected. Visitors can enjoy a medieval style banquet each night during the summer or simply wander around the keep and ramparts during the day as part of your admission to the Folk Park complex, which will keep you occupied all day as you visit the various cottages and homesteads that were once occupied by farmers, fishermen and shepherds.

These buildings are the ‘real’ deal not mock-ups, in fact one of the cottages was actually transported stone by stone from its original position nearby, in the middle of Runway 1. No 1! Most though, have been faithfully rebuilt in the style and of the day using vernacular materials such as local Liscannor stone, and river reeds for thatching.

You can see fruit scones being baked, sit in on a school lesson or enjoy the ‘craic’ in the pub. It was said ‘that a yard of a counter was as good as a farm of land’ in the old days. Most grocery shops included a bar, some still do. Most small towns in Ireland had a disproportionate amount of pubs to the population, but again that’s another story.

There is even a ‘big house’ with a walled garden, planted with original Irish species of flowers, fruit and vegatables, depicting the landed gentry and subsequent tenant’s lifestyle. Keep a good eye out for poachers and the illicit ‘poitin’ still down by the lake. And consider yourself blessed altogether if you land up at one of their special themed events like the Harvest Festival at the end of September.

For 10 more Things to Do and See in the area including the Hunt Museum, a guided walk of Angelas Ashes landmarks and Limerick City itself? click here

Talk to you next week Susan Byron author of Irelands Hidden Gems