Ireland Off the Beaten Path

If you are traveling to the Ireland and want to experience something off the beaten path, here are a few unique landmarks to explore along the way.

1. Located in Skibbereen, West Cork, the Irish Sky Garden is an instillation created by artist James Turrell. It is a unique, conceptual garden that has been built around a huge natural crater. It contains a plinth in the center of the structure, in which visitors can lie down and look upward, to see the sky, perfectly framed by the rim of the crater. It is both a natural and man-made artistic masterpiece.
2. Victoria’s Way, located in Round wood County, Wicklow, Ireland, and is a privately owned meditation garden that is known in the region for its giant black granite sculptures. The property includes a number of small lakes and forest areas and is open to the public during the summer months. The statues and sculptures in the garden are individually unique and include a large python-shaped seat, a solitary index finger pointing at the sky and modern interpretations of Buddha, Shiva, Ganesha and others.
3. What is one to do with a huge whale who beaches itself outside of one’s community and all efforts fail to save the whale? Well, if you are the village of Courmascherry Bay in Kelbrittain, Ireland, you make it a skeletal landmark. On January 5, 2009 a fin whale stranded itself on the coast of Burren. Upon discovery, the locals gathered and attempted to save the creature by towing it back into the water, but all efforts to do so failed. With no other means of saving the whale, it died on the shore. The town brought in a specialist from the United States to perform an autopsy to determine why the whale may have beached itself. After it was completed they struggled with what to do with the body. A group of volunteers worked quickly between tides to remove the blubber from the skeleton and once it had been stripped they collected the bones and reassembled them for public display, where it remains today.

These samples barely scratch the surface of unique landmarks and experiences that await you in Ireland. Book a ticket today and experience the wonders of the Emerald Isle.