Child’s play whether you’re five or even 70
Ireland’s Ancient East was a hit with Michael O’Farrell and his family
It crept up on me for sure. But somehow in the past few years I’ve become certifiably middle-aged. I’m comfortably pudgy, potbellied and nowhere near capable of fitting into all the trousers I’d like to. And it’s been a while since I’ve climbed a tree. That changed this summer in Castlecomer Discovery Park in Co. Kilkenny as I swayed 50 feet up in the air in the canopy of a towering sycamore. Beside me, my 70-year-old father, still fit as a fiddle and the biggest child I know.
All around us real children – some of them my four between the ages of five and fifteen – scurried about on suspended rope bridges and terrifying mid-air walkways as if they were born of the jungle.
But there was better to come. At 305 metres long, the park’s stunning zip line is the longest in the country. Spreadeagled like an out-of-shape Superman, I soared blissfully through the air.
There was plenty more fun to be had on this trip around the area dubbed Ireland’s Ancient East by Fáilte Ireland. Leaping off the giant sand dunes of Curracloe beach like manic snowboarders filled endless hours of whinge-free bliss.
But this holiday though was not all about the outdoor pursuits – it was also about rediscovering some of the heritage and history on our very own doorstep. Even for a cumbersome and varied lot like our crew – eight in all including kids and grandparents – Ireland’s Ancient East fit the bill admirably.
There were little gems like the annual Little Festival At The Big House – at Wells House & Gardens between Gorey and Wexford town.
Think tiny, polite Electric Picnic for children and grannies with magicians, sedate sideshows, charming forest adaptions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and lemonade on manicured lawns.
Glendalough – which we also visited – has a similar appeal. The excellent OPW-run heritage centre will fill you in on the importance of the monastery and the manuscripts. Meanwhile, those intent on skimming stones across the lake, tearing through the forests and hunting down ice-cream vans are equally well catered for.
But the true revelation of this holiday was the history – or more accurately the manner in which the kids responded to it. They had whinged when they first saw the itinerary, but were soon engrossed.
One outing was to the Irish National Heritage Park in Ferrycarrig, Co. Wexford – a place you can book an overnight stay in its ring fort and sleep like our ancestors – poorly no doubt. There’s no electricity (aside from a hidden fridge), no TV, no running water - just a circular hut in a replica of a 1500 year-old settlement, period clothes to wear and a fire to cook on.
For the older lads – aged 12 and 15 – another piece of history hit home – the Dunbrody Famine Ship in New Ross, Co. Wexford. This wooden sailing vessel took six weeks to traverse the Atlantic when Ireland was in the grip of famine. I know my older kids will never hear another news report about migrants without thinking of their ancestors. A stroll up Vinegar Hill followed by a visit to the National 1798 Rebellion Centre reminded us that not that ancestors fought and died for our freedom.
And Wicklow’s Historic Goal was another hit. There’s nothing like an old prison for the kind of gory details children love to hear and this museum delivers.