Kieran Foley The coastal towns of Andalucía are familiar to many Irish tourists but on a recent visit to southern Spain, I ventured off the beaten track to explore other areas of Andalucía. One of the undisputed cultural highlights of this region is Granada’s Alhambra. On arrival into the scenically located city of...
Travel
Malta’s many marvels
Malta’s many marvels
Kieran Foley For a European getaway, Malta ticks all the boxes and proved to be the perfect escape from a particularly dreary Irish October this year. This enchanting island, the smallest country in the European Union, is easily accessible from Ireland and offers a multitude of activities and attractions to suit all...
Vila Nova de Milifontes and Alentejo coastline
Vila Nova de Milifontes and Alentejo coastline
Kieran Walsh A short trip to Portugal in late March saw us take in the region of Alentejo, a less developed region for tourism compared to the Algarve or Lisbon region. In a previous article we wrote about the inland region near Evora south east of Lisbon, but further south Alentejo has a very unspoilt coastline that...
Cartuxa Winery
Cartuxa Winery
Kieran Walsh We were recently in Portugal in the Alentejo region as recommended by Portugal Tourism, who would like Irish to visit other regions outside of Lisbon or the Algarve. Our first project was to visit a farm house accommodation and winery on day one. This was the Cartuxa winery outside of the regional...
Exploring rural Portugal
Exploring rural Portugal
Kieran Walsh Portugal is loved by the Irish. It is an alternative to Spain, lower in costs generally, but a fresher climate, perhaps more suitable to Irish. We did get rain, but found a new area to discover. Most visitors from Ireland pick the Algarve, been there twice, and for those on city breaks, Lisbon. However,...
Home sweet home
Home sweet home
Polina Gribanova from Belarus has been visiting Waterford since she was aged nine, thanks to Chernobyl Aid Ireland and the Dunphy family in Dunhill. Now, she has made the Déise her permanent home Kieran Foley In January 2017, I reported on the story of Polina Gribanova from Belarus who has been visiting Waterford...
Belfast’s Crumlin Road Gaol
Belfast’s Crumlin Road Gaol
Kieran Walsh Back in December we were asked to review the self-guided (due to Covid) tour of the now closed Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast. In my teenage years we can recall the name Crumlin Road jail regularly on the news for this remand prison. We had been busy around the city earlier, so decided to take a taxi there...
New group aims to maximise Waterford’s tourism offering
New group aims to maximise Waterford’s tourism offering
Kieran Foley A group of proactive locals have ambitious plans to maximise Waterford City’s retail and tourism offering. Members of the recently formed Waterford Inner City Retail Development Group aim to generate positivity and engender a reinvigorated pride of place amongst locals. The group has been in existence...
A Stopover in Santiago and the road to the End Of The World
A Stopover in Santiago and the road to the End Of The World
Sarah Glascott It’s 7.30 am on a chilly morning. The sun has yet to rise and the usually busy square in front of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is dead quiet. It would be an eerie feeling if not for the sense of calm and joy that comes from standing in front of such a magnificent cultural monument. Recently...
Skiing in Cervinia
Skiing in Cervinia
Kieran Walsh We were a group of ten plus from Ireland and UK that did a week in top quality Italian resort of Cervinia just before the last lockdown in early Feb 2020. We got back safely via Turin airport, before the major pandemic of Covid really broke out. Two weeks after we returned, most resorts had closed. We...
Déise set for terrific tourism year
Déise set for terrific tourism year
Kieran Foley A major positive from our recent pandemic experiences has been the popularity of County Waterford as a staycation destination. Huge crowds of tourists made the Déise their destination of choice in both 2020 and 2021. Proving that Waterford’s status as a major tourism player is on the rise, the Waterford...
Rab island – Jewel on the Adriatic
Rab island – Jewel on the Adriatic
Kieran Walsh The Croatian islands are a nice place to chill out, away from the crowds, guaranteed good weather in September and off-peak months, not too hot. When you say Croatia, many say Dubrovnik or Split. Young people go to the party island of Pag that is nearby or Hvar. After a trip to Zagreb, a few years back...