• I've visited the majestic Poulnabroune Dolmen on several visits to Ireland. Here's another look.

• On a grey day along the coast of County Sligo, two young men with surfboards and a lot of optimism headed into the water for their sport. Otherwise, the broad beach was bare except for one lone family with a blanket spread far from the water.

• This is the Great Arch, one of the unique features of County Donegal's coastline. There is no clear path to this vista; an intrepid visitor must skirt fields of cattle (including suspicious-looking bulls) and scale barbed-wire fences to get a glimpse. While there, a local farmer told me about the English treasure ship that sunk in Lough Swilly during World War II.

• The Seven Arches, of which this is one, lie a little further south along Lough Swilly, outside of Ballydaheen. The walk to see them includes a stroll through an ornamental Japanese garden.

• Dunluce Castle guards Northern Ireland's northern coast, commanding a view of the Skerries.

• The Giant's Causeway is an unusual geological feature, drawing lots of visitors to scale its step-like rocks and ponder its creation. Here is another view of the causeway.

• Who dares to cross the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, which has dangled high above the rocks and water for more than 250 years? Don't worry, it's sturdy. First built and maintained by salmon fishermen to reach the small island nearby, the site has become so popular with tourists that the bridge was rebuilt in 2000 using the original design but with stronger materials.

• Carrickfergus Castle is a colorful sight on the road south through Northern Ireland, en route to Newry. Shortly after taking this picture, a double rainbow appeared in the Carrickfergus skies.