Spike Island in Cork Harbour

12 July 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Guliolopez/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Guliolopez/cc-by-sa-3.0

Spike Island (Irish: Inis Píc) is an island of 103 acres (42 ha) in Cork Harbour, Ireland. Originally the site of a monastic settlement, the island is dominated by an 18th-century bastion fort now named Fort Mitchel.   read more…

Theme Week Leinster – Dundalk

27 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Town Hall © DSexton/cc-by-sa-4.0

Town Hall © DSexton/cc-by-sa-4.0

Dundalk (Irish: Dún Dealgan), meaning “the fort of Dealgan”, is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to the border with Northern Ireland. It is the eighth largest urban area in Ireland, with a population of 39,004 as of the 2016 census.   read more…

Theme Week Leinster – Bray

26 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Esplanade Hotel © Photogoddle/cc-by-sa-4.0

Esplanade Hotel © Photogoddle/cc-by-sa-4.0

Bray (Irish: Bré) is a coastal town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated about twenty km (12 mi) south of Dublin city centre on the east coast. It has a population of 32,600 making it the ninth largest urban area within Ireland (at the 2016 census). Bray is home to Ardmore Studios, and some light industry is located in the town, with some business and retail parks on its southern periphery. Commuter links between Bray and Dublin are provided by rail, Dublin Bus and the M11 and M50 motorways. Small parts of the town’s northern outskirts are in County Dublin.   read more…

Theme Week Leinster – Carlow

25 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

The Liberty Tree © NicolaODonoghue/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Liberty Tree © NicolaODonoghue/cc-by-sa-4.0

Carlow (Irish: Ceatharlach) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km (52 mi) from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272.   read more…

Theme Week Leinster – Navan

24 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Trimgate Street © geograph.org.uk - James Allan/cc-by-sa-2.0

Trimgate Street © geograph.org.uk – James Allan/cc-by-sa-2.0

Navan (Irish: An Uaimh, meaning “the Cave”) is the county town of County Meath, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the tenth largest settlement in Ireland. It is at the confluence of the River Boyne and Blackwater, around 50 km northwest of Dublin.   read more…

Theme Week Leinster – Drogheda

23 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

© flickr.com - William Murphy/cc-by-sa-2.0

© flickr.com – William Murphy/cc-by-sa-2.0

Drogheda (Irish: Droichead Átha, meaning “bridge at the ford”) is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km (35 mi) north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth but with the south fringes of the town in County Meath, 49 km (30 mi) north of Dublin. Drogheda has a population of approximately 41,000 inhabitants (2016), making it the eleventh largest settlement by population in all of Ireland, and the largest town in the Republic of Ireland by both population and area. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Newgrange is located 8 km (5.0 mi) west of the town.   read more…

Theme Week Leinster

22 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  8 minutes

Johnstown Castle in Wexford © DeFacto/cc-by-sa-4.0

Johnstown Castle in Wexford © DeFacto/cc-by-sa-4.0

Leinster (Irish: Laighin or Cúige Laighean) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic “fifths” of Leinster and Meath gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled both, thereby forming the present-day province of Leinster. The ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes. In later centuries, local government legislation has prompted further sub-division of the historic counties.   read more…

Theme Week County Mayo – Ballina

31 December 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Pearse Street © Milesoneill/cc-by-sa-3.0

Pearse Street © Milesoneill/cc-by-sa-3.0

Ballina (Irish: Béal an Átha, meaning ‘mouth of the ford’) is a town in north County Mayo, Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley and Parish of Kilmoremoy, with the Ox Mountains to the east and the Nephin Beg mountains to the west. The town occupies two baronies; Tirawley on the west bank of the Moy River, and Tireragh, a barony within the County of Sligo, on its east banks. As of 2016, the population of Ballina was 10,171.   read more…

Theme Week County Mayo – Killala

30 December 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Street scene © geograph.org.uk - Liz McCabe/cc-by-sa-2.0

Street scene © geograph.org.uk – Liz McCabe/cc-by-sa-2.0

Killala (Irish: Cill Ala, meaning ‘the mottled church’) is a village in County Mayo in Ireland, north of Ballina. The railway line from Dublin to Ballina once extended to Killala. To the west of Killala is a Townsplots West (known locally as Enagh Beg), which contains a number of ancient forts. By the end of the 18th century, Killala had established a small sea port, where fishing was the primary activity. The town also produced coarse linens and woolen products.   read more…

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