Tourism By Region

Unique and charming, the heritage town of Westport is a captivating blend of traditional and modern. From the cosiest corner of an antique pub to state-of-the-art conference facilities; from the heart-stirring beat of traditional music to the cosmopolitan approach, contrast and paradox are just part of its charm. Take a walk around Westport. Down the elegant tree-lined Mall with its stately Georgian buildings, alongside the Carrowbeg River. Cross the river, go up Bridge Street, a cheerful miscellany of traditional shop and pub fronts. Friendly faces, smiling children, a busker or two. Turn right at the clock, along Shop Street to the Octagon. Have a seat beneath St. Patrick on his lofty perch, whither to next? James Street? To the Quay? A pint of Guinness? Perhaps a little shopping, the choice is yours.

Activities on Achill, Co Mayo, Ireland With its Atlantic location, five Blue Flag beaches and breathtaking mountain landscape, Achill provides an unrivalled arena for outdoor activities and watersports of all types. Achill's romantic setting has also proved to be an inspirational creative retreat for artists and writers including Paul Henry, Heinrich Boll and Graham Greene. Watersports available on Achill Island include surfing, windsurfing, canoeing & kayaking . Equipment hire and tuition in many of these watersports activities is available from a number of local schools and providers. As much of the higher land on Achill is held in commonage, Achill offers free, open access for hillwalking. The Atlantic waters around Achill Island and the Curraun Peninsula are home to a wide range of sealife and varieties of fish, making the area one of the best sea angling destinations in Ireland. Whether sea angling from a charter boat or casting from from the shore, fishing on Achill is a popular and - often - highly rewarding outdoor activity. Achill offers a nine-hole golf course in a spectacular location at Keel that is open to visitors at a reasonable rate. A nine-hole pitch and putt course is also available locally. The artistic heritage of Achill is continued in a number of painting and traditional arts schools, including the highly respected Scoil Acla summer school. The heritage of Achill is also explored by the Achill Archaeological Summer School, which is currently undertaking an extensive survey of the Deserted Village at Slievemore. During the summer, this School regularly holds informative talks and slide shows at its base in Dooagh. Finally, after all that outdoor activitiy, why not not treat yourself to a Beauty Treatment at one of Achill's several providers? Directory Archaeology Fishing Golf Hillwalking Horse Riding Schools Watersports --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Historical Kinsale Kinsale was the site of a battle in 1601 that was a turning point in Irish history. For over 300 years it was a garrison town and port of consequence, leaving a legacy of Georgian and Victorian architecture. The people of Kinsale take the preservation of their environment very seriously, and the town is noted for its successes in competitions such as Tidy Towns and the European Entente Floriale competition. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOME FAQs+LOCAL INFO CALENDAR PHOTO GALLERY HISTORICAL ACTIVITIES FINE FOOD ARTISTIC ACCOMMODATION CRAFTS/GALLERIES BUSINESSES GETTING HERE CONTACTS+LINKS TOWN TWINNING TOWN MAP (221K) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Website contents © 2005 Kinsale Chamber of Tourism pad -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Desmond Castle International Museum of Wine Kinsale's International Museum of Wine tells the romantic story of the Irish emigrants who colonised the wine trade throughout the world after being forced to leave their own shores. The museum is located in Desmond Castle, a 15th century Customs House which belonged to the Fitzgerald family. Kinsale was a designated Wine Port and supplied ships for the Vintage Fleet (forerunner of the British Navy) as far back as 1412. In that year the Vintage Fleet of some 160 vessels plying from Bordeaux included five Irish owned vessels - three of which were from Kinsale and two from Dublin. For more information see the Winegeese website. In the 17th century Desmond Castle was turned into a prison - its inmates were mainly French and captured at sea so the castle was populartly known as the "French prison". Conditions were grim with overcrowding, lack of food, cold and disease. In 1747 there was a disasterous fire in the prison in which fifty four prisoners perished. During the American War of Independence the crews of many American vessels were held prisoner in Kinsale in poor conditions. The Rev. William Hazlett, a Presbyterian minister from nearby Bandon, and Reuben Harvey, a Quaker merchant in Cork, worked to improve conditions and in 1783 George Washington thanked Harvey for "his exertions in relieving the distresses of such of our fellow citizens as were prisoners in Ireland". Desmond Castle now belongs to the Irish State, and is being leased by the Office of Public Works to Kinsale Chamber of Tourism, for the development of The International Museum of Wine. Photograph: John Collins -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Multose Built in 1190, St. Multose still retains many of its original features. The black letter inscriptions in Norman French, the Easter sepulchre, the baptismal font and the reredos from the Galway Chapel are all features of note. Also worth seeing are the town stocks and a wooden coat of arms. Here Charles II was proclaimed as King by Prince Rupert. St. Multose is one of the oldest Church of Ireland churches in the country. Photograph: John Collins -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Courthouse The Courthouse building, located in the Market Square, was built in 1600. Additions in 1706 included the frontage with the loggia on the ground floor. The Kinsale Town Corporation and its Sovereign conducted their affairs upstairs. There is a Museum within the Courthouse with a display of the Kinsale Giant who was believed to have been over 8 feet tall. The Courthouse was used in May 1915 for the inquest into the loss of the liner Lusitania, off the Old Head of Kinsale. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Almshouses At the top of a steep hill is The Mall which contains almshouses built in 1682 by Sir Robert Southwell. These houses were originally built to accommodate eight old people. The long building beyond the Almshouses it the Convent where the Sisters of Mercy established a school of lace and fine needlework in 1849 which survived for 100 years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Charles Fort The vast star shaped Charles Fort, which was built in 1677, is only a short distance from the town. William Robinson, the original architect, also built the Royal Hospital at Kilmainham in Dublin. Charles Fort has undergone many changes in the last few centuries and it continued to be garrisoned until 1922. It is open to the public from mid-April to mid-October and guided tours are available. Photograph: Brian T. Cronin

The county of Pieria is an area rich in attractions of great historical and archaeological interest to the visitor. These attractions range from the wealth of findings at the Neolithic Settlement in Makrigialos through the remains of Pydna to the ruins of the City of Dion and the Castle at Platamonas. Monasteries and Churches are to be found in abundance, bearing witness to the extensive history of our area. The farmer's plough is constantly bringing new discoveries to the surface in this part of the world. The coast of Pieria is unique because of the vast expanses of sandy beaches that you can find there. They extend for over 70 kms. from the resort of Nei Pori, skirting the fringes of the mythical slopes of Mount Olympus, right up to the village of Methoni and the wetlands surrounding the mouth of the River Aliakmonas. Wide beaches of unspoilt natural beauty, with rich golden stretches of sand interspersed with pebbles and cool groves of pine, lead down to the peaceful blue waters of the warm inviting sea. Here all the tourists needs are catered for: a cosmopolitan environment and a vibrant nightlife, a unique and complete summer resort with easy and safe access which offers visitors the opportunity to take in all the historical, ecological, rural and cultural sights of the county.

Európában egyedülálló módon nők is élvezhetik a török fürdő szolgáltatásait!rnrn rnrnA gyógy-és termál fürdőiről híres Budapest, egyedülálló módon hölgyek számára is lehetőséget biztosít egyik török fürdője, a Rudas Gyógyfürdő termál medencéjének használatára. 2006. június elsejétől a Rudas Gyógyfürdő bevezet egy kizárólag női vendégek részére látogatható napot, amely minden kedden 06:00 és 20:00 óra között nyújt lehetőséget az Európában egyedülálló, fürdőruha nélküli fürdőzés élményére egy működő, eredeti török fürdőben. Fontos változás még, hogy a hétvégi napokat is felszabadították, és immár mindkét nem számára látogatható fürdőruhában a Rudas szombaton és vasárnap. Azoknak, akik a fürdőzést a szórakozással kívánják egybekötni, minden péntek és szombat éjjel fergeteges buliban lehet részük!

Peter the Great started the modern Russian History in 18 century by moving the capital from Moscow to St Petersburg. Peter (historic facts)was the leader of the revolution that moved Russia from oriental path onto a road of cosmopolitan intellectualism. He believed in God but he was not a religious man as most Russians today. Lenin, the atheist and intellectual, lead Russian Revolution in October of 1917 to build a new socialist society. Today he is a bad guy and Russia is a capitalist democratic country again going through a period re-evaluation and modernization. St Petersburg is a great place to do business. Income taxes in Russia are low (13% flat), land and properties can be bought and sold, market is growing. Russia has a lot fewer restrictions for business than North America or Europe. It also has well-educated labor force and plenty of natural resources. St Petersburg has good infrastructure, industrial base and a population of about 5 million people. Many people confuse themselves by watching Hollywood produced caricatures of Russia and reading outdated but classic F.Dostoevsky’s books about St Petersburg. It is not only historic city in the past but truly fascinating city in its present. Here are some other recommended books on Russia.