Eric Jones via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Walk into a house where a wake is being held and the first thing you notice is …

Discover ten of Ireland’s most atmospheric castle ruins — from Leap Castle’s pit of bones in Offaly to the medieval walled town of Kells Priory in Kilkenny. Most are free to visit. — plus get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.

Every year, thousands of travellers arrive in Irish towns mid-festival with no idea what’s happening. Here’s which festivals catch visitors off guard, and what to do when you find yourself in the middle of one.

Ireland has more than 1,500 megalithic monuments — passage tombs, dolmens, stone circles, and court cairns. We’ve ranked the ten greatest ancient sites in Ireland. Do you agree?

Italian gelato tastes better than homemade — but why? We break down the key differences and show you how to close the gap using Ireland’s world-class dairy.

Trim Castle is Ireland’s largest Norman fortress — 800 years of history, royal hostages, and the Braveheart location. Get weekly Ireland stories free.

Irish civil registration records are your most useful tool for tracing ancestors who lived after 1864. If your family left Ireland during or after that …

Bishop’s Island sits just off the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare — a sea stack completely cut off from the mainland, with a thousand-year-old monastic ruin on top. Here’s how to spot it, and what you’re looking at.

In 1651, Cromwell’s soldiers refused to cross Galway’s River Corrib. Here’s the real siege history behind the legend, and the rational explanations historians offer.

Find out which Irish port your ancestors left from — Cobh, Derry, Dublin or Belfast — using free ship records and genealogy resources. Plus get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.