"By Hook or by Crook!" Oliver Cromwell August 1649

23/06/05 The Cahill Family, Cape Coral, Florida USA "Spectacular"

A host of activities awaits you on the dramatic Hook Peninsula - home to a multitude of sunny sandy coves, historical sites such as Tintern Abbey, Dunbrody Abbey, the Kennedy Homestead at Dunganstown, the J.F.Kennedy Park and Arboretum, the J.F.K. Dunbrody (life-size replica famine ship).  From the seal sanctuary and whale watching at the Hook Lighthouse to shark-fishing off the Saltee Islands, coasteering off Slade, and even scuba-diving and kite surfing on Duncannon Beach you can certainly get your thrills but for those looking for less physical activities there's still loads to choose from.

Some stunning coastal walks of varying levels, an abundance of golf courses and of course 14 different beaches and coves all provide a wonderful array of activities.

For shopping you will find the Viking towns of Waterford and Wexford full of crafts, designer knitwear and of course Waterford Crystal. Close by in Kilkenny you can explore the famous Kilkenny Design Centre or from Dunbrody you can take the Wexford or Kilkenny Craft Trails and discover the delights of Kilkenny silver, hand-blocked wallpapers, Nicholas Mosse Pottery, Bevel hand-made furniture, Kiltrea pottery, Ceadogan hand-made rugs and a great selection of antque shops in Waterford and Kilkenny.

Here are some of the Dunbrody recommended trails:

Dunbrody House History Trail:

Start your day at Duncannon Fort and enjoy the company of their expert guides who will show you into the doom and gloom of the dungeons where the Croppy Boys were at the mercy of the soldiers, view the estuary and shipping paths and see with your own eyes where Oliver Cromwell sailed into Ireland.  Next stop is Tintern Abbey and grounds, then on to the Dunbrody Abbey & Maize where the original Dunbrody Castle was intended but halfway through building was abandoned in favour of Dunbrody House.  Next stop is the Dunbrody Famine Ship.  Tour the ship and experience a unique visitor attraction where you will get an insight of the trials and tribulations of Irish famine victims over 150 years ago.   Additionally there are the Irish Emigration Database and the Irish Emigrant Wall of Honour to explore, conceived as modern day celebration of the lives and achievements of Irish emigrants and their descendents. Today 40 million people in the US alone acknowledge their Irish Heritage.  If you have time drop in to the Kennedy Homestead in Dunganstown or Ballyhack Castle on the way to your final stop of the day is the Hook Lighthouse where you can tour the Lonely Planet's number 1 lighthouse. Watch the sun set over the Waterford estuary from the top of the lighthouse or explore the cliff walk before coming back to Dunbrody from a well earned pre-dinner drink and some Dunbrody pampering.

Dunbrody House Walking Trails:

Walk 1.  From Dunbrody you can walk to Arthurstown village and explore this quaint fishing spot before heading north towards Campile and the Dunbrody Abbey & Maize where you can explore the origins of Dunbrody.  Afterwards head back to Upper Ballyhack where the views over the estuary are stunning.  Downhill into lower Ballyhack village and Ballyhack Castle where you can watch the boats come and go in the little harbour or maybe hop on the Passage East ferry to go over the river and explore Passage East and Crook.  If not continue out of Ballyhack back towards Arthurstown on the coast road.

Distance 7 km.

Walk 2.  Drive to the Hook and take the Cliff Walk to Slade (not recommended for children) and back again Distance 5 km.

Walk 3.  Drive to the Kennedy Arboretum and walk as far as you like with numerous walks and trails to explore and some magnificent trees and plants to view too.

Dunbrody House Craft Trail:

A visit to Ireland's South East is not complete without a trip to the world-famous Waterford Crystal.  Only 10 km from Dunbrody via the Passage East Car ferry it is well worth the trip. Enjoy the tour, shop and relax in the coffee shop afterwards.  Next head north to Kilkenny and another international icon the Kilkenny Design Centre across the street from Kilkenny Castle.  From here loop around towards Thomastown and Inistioge stopping off in Jerpoint Glass, Nicholas Mosse pottery and cafe and Keith Mosse wood carving both in Bennettsbridge.  Next stop is a visit to the Ros Tapestry in New Ross located on the quay opposite the Dunbrody Famine Ship.  Head south towards Dunbrody House but stop off in Wellingtonbridge to the Ceadogan Rugs showrooms (samples in the Harvest Room restaurant at Dunbrody).  Finally another Dunbrody favourite is Tommy Kelly's carpentry at Bevel Furniture in Poulfor.  Back finally to Dunbrody House just in time to relax a while before tucking in to another delicious dinner.

The whole of Ireland's South East awaits you here at Dunbrody which is perfectly located to tour in all directions.  Join well-known TV traveller Kathryn Thomas to see what awaits you here in this unspoilt corner of Ireland ~ Ireland's South East.

For details of everything that's on in the South East in the coming months please click here.

	Map of The Ring of Hook, Wexford