When on Ireland tours many people visit the wondeful Armagh Cathedral…..but there is another hidden gem. The ruins of Armagh Friary , founded by the Franciscans in 1263 , lie just of the appropriately named “Friary Road” , near the grounds of the old Archbishop’s Palace. There is also the Palace Stables Heritage Centre which has interesting [...]
A quaint tiny village in County Down with a real hidden gem worth seeing on any Ireland tours. The village is built around an abbey founded in 1193 by Affreca. She was the daughter of Godred , King of Man , and the wife of John De Courcey. It was founded as a thanksgiving for having [...]
Starngford Lough is in County Down and you can travel around the lough and across on a quaint ferry to take in the likes of Castleward House and Saint Patricks grave on Ireland tours. Definitely not so much your hidden gems as jam packed with must see attractions. Ancient annals say that Strangford Lough was formed around [...]
County Tyrone is peppered with archaelogical remains worth seeing on any Ireland tours. There are more than a thousand standing stones in the Sperrins alone and the county as a whole has numerous chambered graves. The Lough Macrory area is particularly rich in dolmens and megaliths , though many of these are hard to find and of [...]
The historic village of Hillsborough , merits a visit on any Ireland tours , maybe more of a must see attraction than a hidden gem. Its main street has a chintzy , middle English ambience re-inforced by a sprinkling of tea rooms and Antique shops. There are also some great pubs and restaurants , such as [...]
Helen’s Bay is in County Down , and a great little hidden gem on Ireland tours. Just down the bay itself , a walking path leads east to Grey Point Fort , positioned to command the mouth of Belfast Lough , along with its sister fort at Kilroot on the other side. The fort has what you’d [...]