Ardmore is a national winner of Ireland's Tidy Towns award. The key feature of the town is the vast and sweeping arc of its huge beach. Overlooking this magnificent beach are the cliffs on which perch the town and its famous Round Tower.

Waterford County regards St. Patrick as a Johnny-Come-Lately. Decades before Patrick began his mission in the north of Ireland, a thriving Christian community had been founded in Ardmore by Declan, patron saint of Waterford.

The Saint's mission began with a miracle. Declan forgot to bring his hand held bell which was used to call the early monastic communities to prayer. But, the prayers of the saint were answered when the bell followed him across the Irish Sea from Britain atop a large stone. When the stone washed up onto the beach of Ardmore, Declan knew just where to set up his monastery.

The wonderful early church with its intact 10th century carvings of scenes from the bible along with its round tower and the ruins of the ancient monastery still overlook Ardmore. A very popular trail leads walkers around Ardmore Head starting from Declan's holy well. And the sea-traveling stone still lies at water's edge on the beach.

Ring Gaeltacht

Ring, or An Rinn, is Ireland's most isolated Gaeltacht, or Gaelic speaking area. Several hundred families conduct their daily business in the Irish of their ancestors.

Ring College is probably the most famous Irish school in the nation. They have a year round boarding school, but the place really jumps in the summer when hundreds of students from all round Ireland come to learn and practice Ireland's second official language.

Pubs like Mooney's and the Marine Bar, are gathering spots for local musicians. Several restaurants specialise in seafood which the local fishing boats supply in abundance.

Sea Cliffs, Beaches and Tramore

The Waterford Coast is a maze of spectacular sea cliffs, publicly accessible little beaches, coves, streams feeding into the ocean, sea stacks and tide pools.

The fun seaside resort of Tramore is a 30 mile drive away. There are rides for the kids, good restaurants and junk food bonanzas, a vast beach and a Swim World with pools, slides and artificial waves.

Hook

Hook is the oldest continually occupied lighthouse in the world. Or, at least it was until automation caught up with this continually refurbished early medieval structure in the 1990's.

It's still a fine spot to visit as it juts out on the long, long Hook peninsula.

A scramble round the rocks of Hook turns up blowholes, tide pools and marine creatures of all types. The Peninsula features ancient castles and, on a clear day, huge views.