Hidden Ireland
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Every visitor to the Emerald Isle seems to know that his or her Irish itinerary must include kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, looking down from the top of the Cliffs of Moher and driving the Ring of Kerry. But delightful and amazing sights seem to lie in every corner of Ireland, not just those well-trafficked on the tourist routes. So as we celebrate Ireland's patron saint (Patrick, of course), here are some secret places on his island:
Up Next: Loughcrew Cairns -
Loughcrew Cairns
Loughcrew Cairns is the largest complex of passage graves in Ireland and may be the world's oldest existing dwellings. The 30 passage tombs make up three hilltops with spectacular views of County Meath. Visitors with serious interest in the tombs can enter two of the cairns by picking up a key (after leaving a passport or deposit) from a nearby house. These cairns contain fascinating Neolithic carvings. A guided tour of one of the cairns is available in the summer months. For a long time, Loughcrew was Ireland's best-kept archaeological secret, but word is getting out.
Up Next: County Meath -
County Meath
County Meath is also known as The Royal County. It is also where Ireland's best-known prehistoric site is. Newgrange is a 36-foot tall, 250-foot wide, 5,000 year old burial mound, which includes passages. At dawn on Winter Solstice, a narrow beam of sunlight illuminates the floor of the chamber at the end of the passageway. The site is so popular that guidebooks advise visitors to get there early in order to receive a guided tour.
Up Next: Inveragh Peninsula -
Inveragh Peninsula
The Ring of Kerry is a popular route that circles the coastline, beginning and ending at Killarney. However, few visitors know that it is worth taking a detour from the Ring of Kerry to visit the edge of the Iveragh Peninsula, which is the largest peninsula in southwestern Ireland. The Macgillycuddy's Reeks mountain range is in the center of the peninsula and boasts the highest peak in Ireland with Carrauntoohil.
Up Next: Skelling Michael -
Skelling Michael
This desolate and historic island juts into the sky about 8 miles off the coast. Skellig Michael, named by Irish monks in honor of the Archangel Michael, is a monastery founded in the 7th century yet. It is an austere one, even as monasteries go, lying in difficult seas and remote and barren enough that the monks were said to have imported soil from which to grow their food.
Up Next: Bunratty Castle -
Bunratty Castle
Ireland has entered the wine business, becoming a "wine producing nation" as certified by the European Commission. Given the wild weather (that unpredictable wind and rain), wine production was thought to be nearly impossible. But a number of small vineyards have popped up in Ireland, mainly in County Cork. One of Ireland's first wineries is at Bunratty Castle Hotel. The estate's old coach house is where Bunratty Mead (made with honey) is produced.
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