Travel Tales with Fergal

The Travel Tales with Fergal Podcast finishes Season 1 with a fascinating interview with Richard Fitzpatrick, a Barcelona-based Irish journalist. We talk about "Expat life" in Barcelona. Richard shares stories about his 2nd book "El Clásico: Barcelona v Real Madrid, Football’s Greatest Rivalry" including trips to Messi's home town in Argentina and Ronaldo's home town in Madeira, Portugal. Richard's partner, Michelle is from Venezuela and he gives great insights into that troubled but beautiful country.

Richard is a print and radio journalist with a focus on sport, in particular La Liga. Richard works for news organisations around the world, including BBC, Bleacher Report, Irish Times and talkSPORT, as well as making radio documentaries for RTÉ, Ireland’s national broadcaster.

As this is my last episode of season 1, I would like to thank all my listeners for their continued support which helped make this become the No.1 Travel Podcast in Ireland this year. Please follow me on Instagram @traveltaleswithfergal for updates on bonus episodes and to be the first to know when Season 2 drops in 2021.

I would ask you to please subscribe on Apple Podcast so a new episode will appear in your library every week. I would also really appreciate if you could leave a rating and review as it helps others to discover this podcast.

Merry Christmas & A Prosperous New Year Full of Travel!

Fergal

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The Wild Atlantic Way, which stretches from Donegal to Cork, over 2,500 winding kms of glorious scenery, beaches, villages and hotels, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and we will be interviewing famous hoteliers along this world famous route over the coming months.

The first two Connemara Destination episodes focus on Connemara with interviews with two hoteliers Brian McEvilly from the Cashel House Hotel and Henry Hodgson from Currarevagh House who are both founding members of Ireland’s Blue Book collection, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

I love the Blue Book because they are mostly family owned and run Irish Country House Hotels, Manor Houses, castles and restaurants. You really get to see Irish hospitality at its best and the properties are generally old country houses, so you get a real sense of the history of the area you are staying in. A Blue Book voucher would always be my top travel gift recommendation and their website is https://www.irelands-blue-book.ie.

Situated in the heart of Connemara, the Cashel House Hotel overlooks the majestic Cashel Bay on the west coast of Ireland. This classic country house retreat was built in the 19th century and converted to a family-run four-star hotel in 1968 by the McEvilly family. I had a great chat with Brian all about Connemara, the Wild Atlantic Way, tip and recommendations and the history of his family’s hotel. Check them here https://www.cashelhouse.ie

If you haven’t already I'd ask you to give me a follow on whichever platform you listen to your podcasts and you will be the first to get a new episode. Fergal O’Keeffe is the host of Ireland’s No.1 Travel Podcast Travel Tales with Fergal which is now listened to in 100 countries worldwide. The podcast aims to share soul-lifting travel memoirs about daydream worthy destinations.

Please follow me on

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Facebook @traveltaleswithfergal

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This episode is all about Irish romantic getaways and I picked three very special venues from Ireland’s Blue Book that are all the epitome of romance with two castles with four poster beds and a Georgian town house. They are Barberstown Castle in Kildare, Tubbrid Castle in Kilkenny and 1 Pery Square in Limerick.

My first guest is Ted Robinson from Barberstown Castle in Straffan, Co Kildare. This 13th century castle is famous as being the home of Eric Clapton from 1979 to 1985 when music royalty like Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan stayed.

For romance there is nothing quite like an Irish country house break. Unless you go to a castle that is, and you have that castle all to yourself. The stunning and faithfully restored 15th century castle in Kilkenny called Tubbrid Castle only takes one booking at a time. You can have the three bedroomed medieval tower house all to yourself to sleep like a king and queen in a huge four poster bed.

Tubbrid Castle has been lovingly restored by the late John Campion and his son Dr John Campion and the castle has been receiving rave reviews since it opened for guests a few years ago. The castle is the newest addition to the Blue Book collection and media like Forbes and the New York Times have been raving about it.

Whenever I am looking for a hotel for a city break, I always pick the location first, ideally central and then look for a family run hotel with some history attached to it. That is exactly what No.1 Pery Square is in the heart of the Georgian Quarter in Limerick. The proprietor Patricia Roberts tells me all about the history of this magnificent Georgian town house in Limerick.

For great romantic getaway deals check reland's Blue Book website https://www.irelands-blue-book.ie. I love the Blue Book because they are mostly family owned and run Irish Country House Hotels, Manor Houses, castles and restaurants. You really get to see Irish hospitality at its best and the properties are generally old country houses or castles, so you get a real sense of the history of the area you are staying in.

Check out No.1 Pery Square in Limerick here https://oneperysquare.com

Check out Tubbrid Castle in Kilkenny here https://www.tubbridcastle.com

check out Barberstown Castle here https://www.barberstowncastle.ie

If you haven’t already I'd ask you to give me a follow on whichever platform you listen to your podcasts and you will be the first to get a new episode. Fergal O’Keeffe is the host of Ireland’s No.1 Travel Podcast Travel Tales with Fergal which is now listened to in 100 countries worldwide. The podcast aims to share soul-lifting travel memoirs about daydream worthy destinations.

Please follow me on

Website www.https://www.traveltaleswithfergal.ie

Instagram @traveltaleswithfergal

Facebook @traveltaleswithfergal

Twitter @FergalTravel

YouTube @traveltaleswithfergal

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My guest is the acclaimed bestselling author John Connell, who has written a trilogy of autobiographical books which have been described as love letters to his home county of Longford.

John has just released The Stream of Everything which is about a canoe trip down the Camlin river in Longford with a friend. This stunning book is a meditation on the simple beauty of nature and a celebration of the slow pace of rural living especially in counties like Longford.

John published the bestseller The Cow Book in 2018 which is a memoir of his return to his family's farm in Longford after many years in Australia. Then he wrote The Running Book about his love of running but also the rich colonial history of Longford.

Longford recently made national attention in the tourism industry when Center Parcs set up Ireland’s largest tourist attraction with over 100 activities on offer for up to 2,500 guests in luxurious guest lodges on-site at Newcastle woods.

But there are many more attractions and activities in the county for tourists including the Royal Canal Greenway from Clondra to Dublin, which is the longest linear greenway in Ireland. The National Famine Way from Strokestown is also a great trail in Longford for walkers.

For history buffs there is the Corlea Trackway Visitors Centre in Kenagh, which is home to an ancient Iron Age bog road which dates back to 148BC. Then there is also the Knights and Conquests Heritage Centre in Granard which is a Norman Ireland interactive visitors centre adjacent to Ireland’s tallest motte. Another great place to visit is the Maria Edgeworth Centre in Edgeworthstown which located in the old schoolhouse in the town. The centre tells the story of one of Ireland’s leading female writers and is home to many original artifacts from the 18th century

Longford is part of the Hidden Heartland brand and for more information on what makes Longford so special please click on https://www.longford.ie/en/see-do.

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Whether it is a Gluhwein or hot chocolate to warm the hands and heart after coming down off the mountain, there is nothing like that contented feeling when sharing stories of that day's exploits and the giddy expectation for the night ahead.

The fun from Après Ski after a long day on the slopes is one of the great joys of a ski holiday. This episode is an appreciation of all things Après from the great craic to the fun bars and fantastic restaurants to the great resorts for Après.

This is a short bonus episode with an extended interview with my ski sidekick Sean. I hope this episode conveys that giggly Après feeling. This is the perfect antidote for you if you want a good laugh. So if you find you laugh at someone else laughing, then this is the episode for you!

The podcast next week will feature world renowned Irish economist David McWilliams talking about his time living in Russia just after fall of the Berlin Wall and working and traveling for the International Development bank all over the around the world.

Fergal O’Keeffe is the host of Ireland’s No.1 Travel Podcast Travel Tales with Fergal which is a weekly interview series where a special guest shares stories from their travels, adventures and experiences living abroad. The guests all have inspirational stories that enable people to armchair travel in their imagination.

I would ask you to please subscribe so a new episode will appear in your library every week. I would also really appreciate if you could leave a rating and review as it helps others to discover this podcast. To find out who is on every Tuesday please follow me on

Instagram @traveltaleswithfergal

Facebook @traveltaleswithfergal

Twitter @FergalTravel

YouTube @traveltaleswithfergal

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.