The Best of Ireland with Mike and Carina Archives - Page 3 of 5

The O’Reilly Inauguration Site, County Cavan

We visit the ancient inauguration site of the O’Reilly chieftains of County Cavan. It is located on Seantóman Hill just outside the town of Cavan. A lovely walk and easy climb to the summit of the hill.

Join Mike as he chats about the significance of this place and how those standing stones would already have been an ancient landscape feature by the time the O’Reillys held their chieftain inaugurations in the area:

This was just one of many scenic County Cavan sites that we included in our County Cavan Homelands feature here.

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

Slán for now, Mike & Carina.

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Need Directions?

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

Clough Oughter Castle, County Cavan

This castle ruin has to be located in one of the most scenic parts of the world. You need to choose your approach road carefully for the best view – and I think we managed in the video further below.

Clough Oughter Castle is located in the middle of Lough Oughter – not too far from Cavan town. It was occupied by many different powerful families down through the centuries – including the local O’Reilly chieftains. Over now to Carina for more:

This was just one of many scenic County Cavan sites that we included in our County Cavan 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:

A Ruined Homestead, Ballydehob, County Cork

As part of our regular investigations, we often do the research, head into the countryside and stop a local farmer in a field to get some local pointers and information.

In this case we were near the village of Ballydehob in West Cork. We were doing some research on the building/townland of origin for one of our members. What happened next is typical when you stop to chat to a local in Ireland.

We came across a young farmer driving a tractor in a nearby field, I waved him down and started a conversation. It turned out that our members ancestors (Kellys) were owners of the forum before he and his family took it over in the 1960s.

He then took us on a tour of what remained of the original Kelly family homestead – and lived in until the 1940s or 50s. Over to Paddy Hickey, Carina and a supporting cast or inquisitive cows:

Many thanks to Paddy Hickey and his family (who showed up later) for taking the time to share their cow-byre and local information!

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.

The Maguire Castle, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh

We take a look inside the Maguire Castle in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.

We headed up to the Enniskillen Castle Museums in County Fermanagh. It’s a fascinating location – bang in the centre of Enniskillen and housed in what was the original Maguire Castle of the area. We caught up with Frank Roofe and asked him to tell us more about what was left of the original Maguire Castle. Over to Frank and Carina:

Our trip to the museum was part of a wider homelands feature on County Fermanagh (which you can see here) and we were delighted with the quality of the exhibitions – and more importantly the enthusiasm and knowledge of the friendly guides such as Frank Roofe.

Well worth a visit – especially if your Irish ancestors came from the area or if they served in the military anytime from the 1700s onwards.

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:

Chatting with a Resident, Aran Islands, County Galway

We asked a young resident of Inish Mór – the largest of the Aran Islands in County Galway – to sit down and tell us what life was like for a young person on the island today.

Aishling Ní Ghoill was kind enough to sit down with Carina and chat about life as a young person on one of Ireland’s most westerly islands.

We think this is an important perspective as Aishling brings up many of the issues and challenges that our shared ancestors would have had if they lived on such a remote island. Over to Carina and Aishling:

Many thanks to Aishling for sharing those really useful insights. We hope that you take the time to visit this outpost off Ireland’s western shore – and experience the beautiful Irish language, customs and scenery for yourself.