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Having Somewhere in Mind for a Visit?
If there is something about which I keep chiding myself, it's that I haven't seen enough of the home country and the listing at the bottom of this piece cannot but remind me of the fact. Now that I think of it, I could name quite a number of counties where I have been but the visits were so fleeting as not to do any justice to the delights that might be found. Much of the time, this is because I passed through them en route to somewhere else so it looks as if some sort of stopover is in order.
After that, I suppose that I'd better make some sort of wish list known. Well, there's the Burren, Connemara, Sligo and Donegal. All of these look enticing, especially for walking and cycling types like myself. Wicklow is another such locale and there needs to be more than the solitary visit that I have paid to the place so far. The hills in south Tipperary and north Waterford also look interesting though they may not turn up on anyone's radar straight away. Last but not least are those counties of which I have seen the most: Limerick, Cork and Kerry. Let's start with the Ballyhoura Mountains since they seem have got a mention in The Times because of mountain biking opportunities. There's walking to had too so let's not do any more injustices than happen involuntarily. The south coast of West Cork is another omission as is the Sheep's Head peninsula. A longer immersion on the Beara peninsula is in order, not easy when on a day out with family. That thought takes me to Killarney and the Iveragh peninsula where Ireland's highest mountains are to be found. After that, the Dingle peninsula is another deserving location to savour.
That list should be long enough to put to rest any impression that there is nothing to see in Éire so I suppose that I'd need to crack on with it. In the meantime, here's a selection of places on the web where you can discover more about some of the places that I have mentioned. It is by definition incomplete but that leaves other useful nuggets to find, always a very good thing. There may have been no mention of Ireland's islands but there's another space on here for them.
It sounds hard to believe now but it took me a good while before I began to go looking for information on a specific part of Ireland. When I tried West Cork, I wasn't to be disappointed and that's useful given how much of the area that I have yet to sample.
I ran across this website while out looking for information on The Vee, a scenic spot amid the Knockmealdown Mountains and ironically lying just on the Tipperary side of Waterford's county boundary. Within the county itself, the Comeragh Mountains take their place as a hillwalking destination and there's a trail for long distance walkers too called St. Declan's Way. Non-walkers have things to see too with the beaches of Tramore along with the antiquity of Lismore Castle and Waterford city itself collected among the county's attractions.
Don't let the name deceive you because this is a Shannon Development website covering Limerick, Clare, Tipperary and Offaly. That aside, it is a good place to look if you fancy exploring a lesser frequented part of the island and there's plenty to savour in parts that don't spring to mind immediately while pondering a visit to the Emerald Isle.
The Dingle peninsula is so worth visiting that it's gratifying to see a brace of websites helping you to do the same. From the names on some of these information resources, you'd think that the western end is where you need to be but there's something to be savoured on the northern and eastern ends too.
Connemara's hill country always has taken my fancy but a visit has yet to happen. I have an introductory excursion in mind so it's a matter of putting it into action. Speaking of introductions, these websites should allow you to get feel for the rocky charms of this part of the world.
