Touring Tuesdays: Dublin’s Georgian Squares

The Georgian period ran from 1714 to 1830, under Kings George I to IV, and was very influential on Irish history and on Dublin’s development. Much of Dublin’s most important architecture was built during this time, not least its famous Georgian Squares. These squares were not just pretty parks, they were the entertainment multiplexes of […]

Touring Tuesdays: Nice Walks Near Dublin

This week Emma J King takes to some interesting places to walk around Dublin… There are some remarkably pleasant walks, both urban and rural, within easy reach of Dublin City Centre and accessible by public transport. I recently had some unexpected free time in Dublin and did each of these walks as a day trip […]

Touring Tuesdays – To Wexford by Steam!

Ireland was once cris-crossed with railway lines connecting many isolated communities around the country. At it’s height, there were over 3000 miles (5000km) of railway tracks. Sadly. railways proved expensive to run and as better roads developed, many railway lines proved unviable and were closed. This was not helped by the partition of the island, […]

Touring Tuesdays – Limerick City by Jack Fennell

Birthplace of Dumbledore (well, Richard Harris) and the childhood stomping-ground of Preacher’s Tulip O’Hare (Ruth Negga), Limerick is an ancient and storied place. The name is likely derived from one of several words or phrases meaning ‘a bare place where horses graze,’ Vikingised and Anglicised into a name shared with a well-known genre of rude […]

Touring Tuesdays: HMS Caroline by Edmond Barrett

Despite visiting Belfast every year of my childhood to see my Barrett Grandparents, until recent times, I was blissfully unaware of the existence of the Royal Navy warship, HMS Caroline. What makes this vessel worthy of interest? Her vintage. For unlike the floating computers that make up the modern navies of the world, with their […]