A Personal Heritage Journey from Colorado to County Down Every bespoke tour has its own story, but some journeys stay with you long after the final goodbye. In the summer of 2024, I had the privilege of guiding a guest from Denver, Colorado, on a deeply personal three day exploration of County Down. Her wish…
A Quiet Landscape with Transatlantic History The Ards Peninsula and Strangford Lough may seem like a quiet corner of Ireland today, but in centuries past these shores were full of movement, change, and journeys that stretched across the Atlantic. Coastal towns such as Portaferry and Strangford once served as key emigrant ports for people leaving…
Exploring Ireland’s Ancient East from Portaferry I am fortunate to live in Ireland’s Ancient East, a region filled with archaeological and spiritual heritage. There are numerous sites of historic interest within less than one hour’s travel from the village of Cloughey, located on the Irish Sea coast of the Ards Peninsula. If you came here…
Saint Patrick’s Feast Day: A Global Celebration Saint Patrick is renowned worldwide, and his feast day, 17th March, is celebrated globally with festivals and parades in his honour. Early Life and Origins The exact dates of Saint Patrick’s birth and death are debated among scholars. He is thought to have been born around 373 AD.…
Thomas Andrews: The Heroic Designer of the Titanic from Comber, County Down, Ireland The Titanic is probably the best known ship in the world. It was designed by Thomas Andrews who was born in Comber, a small town on the western shore of Strangford Lough. The Andrews family arrived in Ulster from Scotland and initially…
Since I started welcoming visitors to the Ards Peninsula area I have helped a number of visitors trace their ancestral connections in the area. This has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my work as a guide and storyteller. It is really special to connect people with significant people, places, land or…
Castle Espie Conservation Centre, Strangford Lough – a model of best practice in sustainability Castle Espie featured on national television when it was selected for the filming of both Spring Watch and Autumn Watch on BBC2 in 2021 and it also featured in Winter Watch and Spring Watch in 2022. It is located in an…
St Brigid Patron saint of Ireland In the Celtic year February 1st is the first day of Spring, the date of the great pre-Christian festival of Imbolc and it is also the feast day of St Brigid. This time of year sees the awakening of nature and the birth of new life e.g. spring lambs…
Simon Calder visits the Ards Peninsula, County Down. There are many beautiful, peaceful places along the outer Ards Peninsula coastline which are off the beaten track and have a rich heritage attracting visitors from all corners of the world. Simon Calder, well known travel writer and commentator wanted to visit this ancient eastern coastal area…
Strangford Lough is the largest sea lough in these islands and it is a Marine Nature Reserve. There are over one hundred islands in the lough. They are drumlins or low hills formed during the last Ice Age and when sea levels rose they were drowned and appear today as islands.My husband told me that…
My journey to sustainability I have always had an interest in landscapes and the environment from my school days. This led me to study geography at university and to pursue a career in education which gave me an opportunity to teach young students about environmental issues. I continued this work when appointed as a Secondary…
Sustainable gardening – working with nature Being grounded at home over the last 10 weeks or so has had its’ advantages. The first great bonus was the lovely weather we have enjoyed, the warm sunny conditions were ideal for spending time outdoors. As a keen amateur gardener it was the perfect opportunity to catch up…
Storm Dennis battered the coastlines of Ireland and Britain at the weekend with heavy rainfall and strong winds gusting to 70mph. As I live on the coast of the Outer Ards Peninsula, and I am interested in climate change and its’ local impact, I went out on Saturday afternoon at high tide to record some…
Columbanus was born in the mid 6th Century and raised in County Carlow. It is thought received his spiritual formation on Cleenish island in County Fermanagh and entered monastic life in Bangor County Down. Monasteries were centres of learning and he may have been head of the monastic school in Bangor. In middle age he…
Templecooey is a peaceful, spiritual place on the outer Ards coastline. It is named after St Cooey who is associated with the local area and who was known by various names including St Mochaoi. He established a church at Templecooey. St Cooey’s Wells at Templecooey are located approximately three miles south east of Portaferry and…