25 great Irish days out
From riding the Atlantic surf to exploring Kerry's mysterious caves, Pól Ó Conghaile reveals the best things to do this summer
Want something different in Dublin? How about acrobats, mime artists, jugglers, unicyclists, bullfighters and strongmen?
The AIB Street Performance World Championship, held over three days in June, promises to transform Merrion Square into an al fresco circus. Last year's champion was the inimitable Space Cowboy, who imbibes swords and neon tubing visible through his skin, before juggling fire on a 10-foot unicycle. A hard act to swallow, then.
Details: Merrion Square, Dublin; www.spwc.ie.
Hours: 12pm-7pm, June 13-15.
Cost: Free.
Beach bums
Take the Atlantic Ocean, miles of dunes and sandy beaches, and add a surefooted cob. Sound like the ideal way to while away an afternoon?
Two equestrian outfits in Sligo offer beach trekking -- Horse Holiday Farm (071 916 6152; www.horse-holiday-farm.com) and Island View Riding Stables (071 916 6156; www.islandview- ridingstables.com).
Both are based out of Grange and offer horses and rides for pretty much all age and ability levels.
Details: Grange, Co Sligo.
Hours: Year-round, call in advance to book.
Cost: From around €25/€18 for a one-hour trek at Island View.
Waterford and Suir Valley Railway
From a station just outside the village of Kilmeaden, purchase your ticket in a restored railway carriage before boarding a diminutive period carriage. The Waterford and Suir Valley Railway runs along 12km of the abandoned Waterford-Dungarvan line, including views of the river, rolling farmland and mountains, not to mention the recently discovered site of a Viking settlement at Woodstown. Afterwards, the county is yours, from Copper Coast to Comeragh Mountains.
Details: Kilmeaden, Co Waterford; 051 384058; www.wsvrailway.ie.
Hours: 11am to 4pm (Mon-Sat), to September. Sundays 12pm--5pm.
Cost: €7.50/€3.50.
Surf's up!
Only a generation ago, when wetsuits cost hundreds of pounds (and surfboards felt like they weighed hundreds of pounds), surfing was about as far from an Irish staple as zorbing.
Today, however, we have some of the biggest waves in Europe, surfing is one of the fastest-growing sports in Ireland (there's even a club in landlocked Co Laois) and schools have popped up all along the coastline, from Tramore to Strandhill to Portrush.
No excuse, then.
Details: www.isasurf.ie
Hours: Depends on the tidal times, so call in advance.
Cost: Typically €25-€30 for a two-hour lesson, including equipment.
Match day
Croke Park has been serving the GAA for more than 100 years, and recent renovations have made it the envy of Europe.
For once, the hyperbole is justified.
This really is a cathedral for Irish sport -- the feeling as you walk up O'Connell Street and are swept along with 82,000 like-minded souls is quintessential Dublin. If you can't make match day, come anyway -- the GAA Museum is housed under Cusack Stand, and tours of the stadium, lasting an hour, are available daily.
Details: Tel: 01-819 2300; www.crokepark.ie.
Hours: The GAA Museum opens 9.30am-5pm (Mon-Sat) and 12pm-5pm (Sun).
Cost: €5.50/€3.50 (museum).
A day at the races
The date is set to tally with the tides, the sea (hopefully) obliges, and the nags set off down three miles of golden strand.
The Laytown Races are a great, pre-Celtic Tiger spectacle, which one can punctuate with dune-jumping, a funfair and various eats and drinks in the on-site marquees.
On race day, the strand is closed from early morning, allowing workers to get busy as the tide slowly recedes.
When the water pulls back, the punters push in.
Details: Laytown Strand, Co Louth; 041 984 2111.
Hours: Thursday, September 11, 2008. Races start at 3pm sharp.
Cost: €15, though there are free spots on the beach.
Harvest feast
Wildflower walks on a working farm, slow strolls along the shores of Lough Allen and demonstrations by celebrity chef Kevin Dundon -- Leitrim's Harvest Feast has what it takes to tempt foodies to the north west.
Courses ranging from nutritious cooking for kids to the everyday use of seaweed (yes, really) are on the cards, and tours of local artisans and food producers in Drumshanbo are lined up. If that takes your fancy, stay a night. The feasting continues on Sunday at the Organic Centre in Rossinver.
Contact: www.harvestfeast.ie.
Times: 9am-6pm, September 13.
Cost: €25 for a day pass.
Climb Croagh Patrick
St Patrick may have been an Englishman, but the annual tramp up Croagh Patrick on Reek Sunday (the last Sunday in July) is as Irish as it gets. The climb can take around four hours in total, and once you're done you can stop into Teach na Miasa, a visitor centre run by the Walsh family at the base.
They've got hot food and showers to hand. Some 30,000 pilgrims climbed Croagh Patrick on Reek Sunday 2007, so if you're looking for a quieter climb, you might consider a different date. Guides open the mountain-top oratory throughout July and August.
Details: Westport, Co Mayo; 098 64114; www.croagh-patrick.com.
Hours: 10am-6pm. Climbers are advised to start out early.
Cost: Free.
Looking down
Crag Cave in Kerry was discovered in 1983. A 350m section of the 3.8km system has since been made safe for the public, and the result is an underground eye-opener.
Thought to be more than one million years old, Crag is full of stalactites and stalagmites, one of which bears a strange resemblance to the Madonna. Its Crystal Gallery, so-called because of the white calcite and thousands of straw stalactites needling downwards, evokes genuine gasps. What makes this a potential day trip is Crazy Cave, an adventure centre for kids aged 2-12, right next door.
Details: Castleisland, Co Kerry; 066 714 1244; www.cragcave.com.
Hours: Daily, mid-March-December, last tour 5.30pm (6pm July/August).
Cost: €12/€8. Crazy Cave combined rates, €10.
Next stop, America
The Skellig Islands, jagged shards of rock punching through the Atlantic Ocean, lie some 12km off the coast of Co Kerry. Somehow, to the summit of Skellig Michael, clings the remains of a sixth- century monastic settlement -- one of only two World Heritage sites in Ireland.
The Skelligs, reached by local boat tours, are also famed for their thriving gannet and puffin populations. On nearby Valentia Island, a visitor centre explores the lives of monks, lighthouse keepers and seabirds through the ages. A cafe and shop are also at hand.
Details: Portmagee, Co Kerry; 066 947 6306; www.skellig- experience. com.
Hours: 10am-6pm (May, June, Sept) 10am-7pm (July, Aug).
Cost: €27.50/€14.50 (exhibition and round-Skellig cruise).
The Carlow Garden Trail
Some 16 stop-offs are listed on Discover Ireland's Carlow Garden Trail, starting with the extensive Altamont Gardens (059 915 9444) in Tullow.
The product of 200 years of green fingers, Altamont contains both wild and manicured gardens, leading to the awesome Ice Age Glen. From there, proceed to Huntington Castle (053 937 7552), among other stop-offs, before heading home determined to be the next Diarmuid Gavin.
Details: www.discoverireland.ie
Hours: Typically 9am-6pm, but vary per attraction.
Cost: Vary.
Puck Fair
Everything that happens in Killorglin is either "before Puck or after Puck", as a local historian once said. And that's as it should be, given that this is one of Ireland's oldest festivals. But really, there's only one show in town -- the redoubtable King Puck, a mountain goat paraded about the town in bemused finery. The coronation ceremonies generally happen on the first day.
Details: Killorglin, Co Kerry; www.puckfair.ie
Hours: August 10-12. Mundy plays a free concert on August 11.
Cost: Generally free, events vary.
In the city
Designed by Thomas Cooley as the Royal Exchange in 1779, the graceful, Corinthian-style shell of Dublin’s City Hall has encased the aldermen of the City Council since 1851. A breathtaking recent restoration is the real draw, however (showcasing the original design in all its glory), and, on the lower ground floor, the ‘Story of the Capital’ exhibition.
Tracing the history of Dublin from Viking adventures to 21st-century vibrancy, city treasures and multimedia displays conspire to achieve the impossible — making civic government appear interesting.
Details: Dame St, Dublin;
01-222 2204.
Hours: 10am-5.15pm (Mon- Sat); 2pm-5pm (Sun).
Cost: €4/€1.50.
Lismore Castle and Gardens
Recent debates over fishing rights on the River Blackwater have thrown a spotlight on the Duke of Devonshire’s pad in Lismore.
Those already familiar with Lismore Castle, however, know as entrancing a view as you’ll find in Ireland. First built in 1185, the castle itself is closed to visitors, but you can wander seven acres of Jacobean gardens spotted with contemporary sculpture, and browse the art gallery. When you’re done, pop into the village.
Details: Lismore, Co Waterford.
Hours: 11am-4.45pm, March 17-September 30.
Cost: €7/€3.50.
Clara Lara
In a pretty setting of oak trees and water, this 100-acre fun park offers assault courses, water slides, kiddiekarts, a pirate galleon and woodland playgrounds geared towards kids of “all active ages”.
Hours: 10.30am-6pm daily to September.
Cost: €10. A €9 ‘gold bracelet’ covers optional extra rides.
The footsteps of giants
The Giant’s Causeway (main pic) is Northern Ireland’s numberone tourist attraction for good reason.
Formed by volcanic eruptions some 60 million years ago, its thousands of hexagonal basalt columns would today wow Finn McCool himself. Making a day of it, one could walk the 12 miles from Ballintoy to the Causeway, a coastal hike past sandy coves and ancient ruins, or take the coastal drive north from Belfast. After the nerve-wracking Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, you’ll have earned that whiskey at Bushmills.
Details: Giant’s Causeway,
Hours: Daily from 10am, year round except Christmas.
Cost: £1 (optional audio-visual), £5 parking.
The Connemara Way
From Killary Harbour to Kilkieran Bay, the wonderful, sprawling organism that is Connemara will bring out the romantic in you. Hang out in Clifden, hit the Gaeltacht, swim at Roundstone Beach, or take your bike to Lough Nafooey (cover pic). A hikers’ highlight is the three-hour Diamond Hill loop, starting at the Connemara National Park visitor centre. Follow the Sruffaunboy Nature Trail before summiting the narrow quartzite ridge. From here, you can see the Atlantic Ocean, Kylemore Abbey and the Twelve Bens. It’s a killer view.
Details: Connemara Visitor Centre; 095 41054.
Hours: 10am-5.30pm (May, September, October); 9.30am- 6.30pm (June-August).
Cost: Free.
- Pol O Conghaile, The Independent