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...
Travel Stories
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,...
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...
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...
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...
Windmills, vineyards, castles and so much more in Castilla-La Mancha
Windmills, vineyards, castles and so much more in Castilla-La Mancha
Kieran Foley It’s often said that ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’, and having missed out on visiting the Spanish mainland since before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic I was eager to embark on a trip. Already well acquainted with the coastal regions, islands and many of the cities of Spain, I was keen to...
The beauty of Croatia’s coast
The beauty of Croatia’s coast
Kieran Walsh A beach on the Adriatic Sea. Croatia is not so well known for tourism in Ireland. Dubrovnik is well known and some of the more popular islands, as well as Istria. We learned from Croatians some new places to visit after being to the capital Zagreb in late 2019 for the Christmas market. Flight frequency...
Breda, Holland
Breda, Holland
A city with a military past but modern and progressive today Kieran Walsh This city just over the Belgian border north of Antwerp and Brussels is not on any holiday hit list but we found so many intriguing things to see from local trading zone of shops and workshops doing recycling to learning about the trading days...
Exploring Dordrecht in Holland
Exploring Dordrecht in Holland
Kieran Walsh This is a beautiful and historic city, not far from Rotterdam. They claim it is the oldest city with a charter in Holland. Little war damage despite being an important port in the past, whereas Rotterdam was heavily bombed. If you want a small version of Amsterdam with canals, history and art, then this...