John G O Dwyer

8 results

The closure of O’Dwyers shop in Boherlahan, Co Tipperary, after 70 years of familly ownership will render the parish a less attractive place to live or work.
Lack of services not lack of people is what is killing rural Ireland

Last month an era for a Co Tipperary parish ended. Eddie and Helen O’Dwyer retired as proprietors of the local shop, and the family name disappeared f(...)

People out walking in Wicklow with Lough Dan in the background. File photograph: Eric Luke/The Irish Times
Court judgment will restrict our ability to enjoy wild places

Almost three decades ago I visited Kerry’s unforgettable Skellig Michael for the first time. Leaping ashore after an exhilarating ocean crossing, I fo(...)

Go Walk: Great eminences of the Galtees, Tipperary

The Galtees, Tipperary   Start point: From the south Tipperary village of Bansha follow signs fo(...)

The Gathering was a good example of innovative thinking that harnessed, at relatively low cost, a latent pool of energy and goodwill in Irish communities. Photograph: Frank Miller/The Irish Times
Visitors will come if Irish tourism is bundled and marketed imaginatively

In the 1960s Ireland was a recognised ground-breaker in tourism development, creating renowned innovations from duty-free shopping to medieval banquet(...)

Glendalough: “Next Easter there is an opportunity for the people of Ireland to heed the age-old siren call of our ancient paths and reconnect with our common Christian heritage.” Photograph: Fáilte Ireland
Retracing the paths of the pilgrims

Last summer, in this column, I recounted a penitential journey I completed from Slemish Mountain to Skellig Michael when researching my book, Pilgrim (...)

Holy Cross: the abbey on the banks of the Suir, in the village of Holycross. Photograph: IIC/Axiom/Getty
Attracting the modern pilgrim with local colour

It is one of Ireland’s most visited attractions, yet the surrounding area has, so far, gained little from tourist spend. Recent Fáilte Ireland figures(...)

The Irish camino: walking in the footsteps of the saints

Imagine celebrating our national feast day, not in March, but in high summer. Hard to visualise the occasion with bikinis, barbecues and beach badmint(...)

Go Walk: the lake district, UK

A ll the Celtic nations have one: a knife edge arête sufficiently knee-knocking to make its completion a covete(...)