Landscapes redolent of struggle against English occupation
  1. Wicklow hillsWicklow Hills – layers of bitter history in a beautiful setting
  2. Famine ship reconstruction at New Ross – disturbing reminder of a terrible past
  3. Hook Head lighthouse – medieval vaulted ceilings and monks cells in a functioning light on treacherous headland
  4. Echoes everywhere of the 1798 rebellion and its aftermath
  5. Avondale, Parnell’s family house and inspired arboretum, crucial to restoring Ireland’s wasted woodlands 
Deceptively gentle landscapes and beaches wrap long troubled histories in mist of unreality.  Read up on the 1798 rebellion before you venture here – it is crucial to so much.  Plenty of wildlife and quietly beautiful beaches (including the ‘Saving Private Ryan’ site) to explore but beware the crowds towards Dublin.  Military road, with its various barracks, tells a big story – sounds dull but it is special. As is Ireland’s love affair with the EU – the benefits are very obvious, apart from the dismal harbours crammed with rusting trawlers.
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