Among this week's curious travel destinations: mummies, a giant telescope, and a bizarre Irish New Deal project
In honor of Saint Patrick's Day, The Atlantic and Atlas Obscura are pleased to highlight an assortment of Irish esoterica that goes beyond the usual visions of cozy inns and green fields (and green beer?). Featured today:
- A behemoth, cannon-like telescope operated by generations of Irish earls
- A perfectly preserved ancient monastery on a rocky island in the Atlantic Ocean
- An Irish church where you can shake hands with 800-year-old mummies
- A mysterious, corkscrew-shaped barn
- Obelisks and stone pineapples in the Irish countryside
- An ancient druidic passage tomb that keeps perfect time
- An eccentric garden of Indian sculptures
Main image: Wikimedia Commons
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Daniel Fromson, a former associate editor at The Atlantic, is a writer based in Washington, D.C. He writes regularly for The Washington Post. His work has also appeared in Harper's Magazine, New York, and Slate.