The Best of Ireland with Mike and Carina Archives

St. Patrick’s Burial Place, County Down

We head to the county town of Downpatrick – in County Down – to explore what is believed to be the final resting place of Saint Patrick himself.

If you head to the town of Downpatrick in County Down – a must-see is the grave of Saint Patrick himself. Was he actually buried here – or was it a story conjured up by the local Norman lords to drum up some pilgrimage business? Hard to tell for sure. Let’s go over to Carina now for more:

The site and cathedral itself is well worth a visit. And we leave it up to you to decide if this is, indeed, the final resting place of Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland.

You can see more on Down Cathedral here.
You can see more on County Down in our County Down Homelands feature here.

As always, feel free to leave your questions and comments below.

Slán for now, Mike & Carina.

Go Here to Comment, Ask Questions and Share your own Favourite Irish Places.

Need Directions?

Have a look at the exact location we visited in Google Maps below:

Deserted Famine Village, Achill, County Mayo

When touring around Achill Island, County Mayo – we come across a fascinating deserted Irish famine village.

Achill Island – located off the west coast of County Mayo and connected by a narrow bridge to the mainland – has to be one of the most isolated and beautiful parts of the world. Life must have been hard in this part of the world in the past. While touring around the island, we came across this deserted famine village and it gave us some insight into the harsh life of the time. Over to Carina for more:

This sort of site offers a real insight into the life and times of our Irish ancestors.

You can see a little more on the deserted village of Slievemore, Achill Island here.
You can see more on County Mayo in our two County Mayo Homelands features here: First – the area of north Mayo around Ballina and next, the area of west Mayo around Westport.

As always, feel free to leave your questions and comments below.

Slán for now, Mike & Carina.

Go Here to Comment, Ask Questions and Share your own Favourite Irish Places.

Need Directions?

Have a look at the exact location we visited in Google Maps below:

Extinct Medieval Village, County Kilkenny

We travel to the lost village of Newtown Jerpoint in County Kilkenny.

Jerpoint Park is located south of Kilkenny City just outside the village of Thomastown. We joined the owner of the park – Joe O’Connell – for a tour and talk on Newtown Jerpoint, a rediscovered medieval village located on his land. Have a listen to Carina and Joe chatting in this interview – and be prepared for the revelation of a very important individual buried on the site:

A real hidden gem – and well worth a detour if you are anywhere around Kilkenny City.

You can see more on Jerpoint Park here.
You can see more on County Kilkenny in our County Kilkenny Homelands feature here.

As always, feel free to leave your questions and comments below.

Slán for now, Mike & Carina.

Go Here to Comment, Ask Questions and Share your own Favourite Irish Places.

Need Directions?

Have a look at the exact location we visited in Google Maps below:

Lough Boora Bog, County Offaly

We travel to Lough Boora Discovery Park in the bogs of County Offaly.

I must admit, we were very surprised just HOW much we enjoyed Lough Boora Discovery park – in the heart of County Offaly and in the heart of Ireland. It is a reclaimed bogland that was used for many years for the harvesting of peat and peat products. Nowadays, there is a visitor centre and cafe as well as an extensive array of walking and cycling trails. As you make your way around the park, there are many sculptural stops that remind us of the heritage of the bogs and what an important part they played in Irish life.

The following exhibition really caught our attention as we felt it is very relevant for our readers and members from the four corners of the world:

A real hidden gem – and well worth a detour if you are anywhere around the midlands of Ireland.

You can see more on Lough Boora Discovery Park here.
You can see more on County Offaly in our County Offaly Homelands feature here.

As always, feel free to leave your questions and comments below.

Slán for now, Mike & Carina.

Go Here to Comment, Ask Questions and Share your own Favourite Irish Places.

Need Directions?

Have a look at the exact location we visited in Google Maps below:

The Book of Kells, Trinity College, County Dublin

We go to Trinity College in the heart of Dublin City to visit the Book of Kells and the Long Room Library.

Have you visited The Book of Kells exhibition at Trinty College in Dublin? It has to one of the most visited cultural sites in Ireland. When we visited the exhibition a while back, Anne Marie Diffney cordened off the area to show it to us – I’m sure that the assorted tourists looking on were wondering just who we were! After viewing, we headed to the beautiful Long Room library where Anne Marie told us a little more about the book and the exhibition:

What a beautiful location – and a privilege to see so many people from around the world appreciate these wonders of Irish culture and heritage.

You can see more on the Book of Kells exhibition here.
You can see more on Dublin City as part of our County Dublin Homelands feature here.