Tango to ÉireStories. Music. The wild Atlantic.
The sheltered turquoise water and rugged green headlands of Keem Bay on Achill Island

Your Personal Invitation

Céad Míle Fáiltea hundred thousand welcomes

There’s so much we could see.
Let’s start with what appeals to you.

Explore the six places
Keem Bay · Achill Island, MayoA few days away, shaped together.

Your personal invitation

Ah sure you will, won’t ya
Let’s see a little of Ireland.

It would be lovely to show you a little of Ireland, with its rugged beauty, music and folklore, and spend a good weekend together having the craic.

I’ve put together a few ideas for each county, from places to explore to things we could do together. Take a look through Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare and Kerry, see what catches your imagination, and choose what you’d most enjoy.

If we feel like dancing, there’s always a session of live music, Set Dancing, Jiving and of course tango if we choose.

Nothing is booked yet. Choose the places and activities you’d most like to see, and we’ll shape the weekend together.

Ah sure you will, won’t ya

Clew Bay dotted with green islands, viewed from Croagh Patrick.
Clew Bay from Croagh Patrick. A little of the Ireland waiting to be explored.Credit: Dieglop
Donegal · Sligo · Mayo · Galway · Clare · KerryThe stories of the placeChoose what appeals to you

Six ways into the west

Which place
calls to you?

Each county has its own collection of places, activities and stories. Have a look around, see what appeals to you, and add your favourites to your notebook.

The great cliffs of Sliabh Liag rise above a deep blue Atlantic Ocean.Sliabh Liag, County Donegal
The pale rocky summit of Errigal rises above lakes and green fields near Dunlewey.Errigal and the lakes near Dunlewey, County Donegal

Where the Atlantic takes your breath away

Donegal, wild at heart.

Cliffs rising from the Atlantic, the folds of Glengesh and a town with a castle at its heart. We could stay in Donegal Town, head west for big coastal views, or take a gentler day among beaches, craft and local stories. Come back to a good meal and see where the music leads.

A road through the mountains. Salt on the breeze. A tune worth staying for.

What might you enjoy in Donegal? A story from here: A story you can see, hear and hold.

Donegal Town · dates to agree

Benbulben above green fields north of Drumcliffe.Benbulben, County Sligo
Strandhill Beach on the County Sligo coastStrandhill Beach, County Sligo

Where the landscape finds its poetry

Sligo, with room to wander.

We could base ourselves in Sligo, follow the coast around Strandhill or Rosses Point, and make time for Lough Gill. There are mountain views, stories to follow and music to find in town. Choose a walk, a little exploring or an easy afternoon by the water.

A sweep of Atlantic shore. A lakeside story. A tune drifting into the evening.

What might you enjoy in Sligo? A story from here: A landscape carried into words and colour.

Sligo · dates to agree

Golden sunlight falls across Doo Lough and the surrounding Mayo mountains, with a winding road in the foreground.Doo Lough Valley, County Mayo
Dún Briste sea stack beside the green cliffs of Downpatrick Head and turquoise Atlantic surf.Downpatrick Head and Dún Briste, County Mayo

Where the mountain meets the sea

Mayo, with the wind in its hair.

Clew Bay’s islands, a mountain on the horizon and Westport’s colourful streets: a few days here can take their own shape. Follow the shore, pedal the Greenway or head north to ancient fields and Atlantic cliffs, then come back to dinner and music in town.

A salt-air walk. A story of Gráinne Mhaol. An evening you needn’t hurry.

What might you enjoy in Mayo? A story from here: Gráinne’s shore

Westport · dates to agree

Mayo’s football story
Lough Kylemore surrounded by the mountains of Connemara.Lough Kylemore, Connemara, County Galway
Dún Aonghasa stone fort beside the cliffs of Inis MórDún Aonghasa, Inis Mór, County Galway

Where the west finds its voice

Galway, in its own good time.

Or we could base ourselves in Galway, enjoy the city and its music, and head out into Connemara or towards the islands. There’s no way to see everything in a weekend; I’d rather we made time for the things you’d really enjoy.

An island road. A Connemara tale. One more song before the walk home.

Galway knows how to bring a city to life. Home to the famous Race Week at Ballybrit since 1869, it carries that love of a gathering into its music, lively streets and long evenings around the table.

What might you enjoy in Galway? A story from here: A stone across the valley

Galway · dates to agree

O’Brien’s Tower above the Cliffs of Moher and Atlantic Ocean.The Cliffs of Moher, County Clare
Poulnabrone dolmen in the limestone landscape of the BurrenPoulnabrone in the Burren, County Clare

Where the stone holds a story

Clare, with music around the corner.

We could make Ennis our base and find our way into Clare through its music, limestone landscapes and Atlantic coast. A wander through the Burren, a view from the cliffs, time to linger in town: tell me what you’d enjoy, and we’ll leave room to savour it.

A limestone path. A breath of Atlantic air. A tune to carry home.

What might you enjoy in Clare? A story from here: Stone remembers. Music travels.

Ennis · dates to agree

The mountain road and lake through the Gap of Dunloe.The Gap of Dunloe, County Kerry
Ross Castle above lawns beside Lough Leane in Killarney National Park.Ross Castle, Killarney National Park, County Kerry

Where the lakes keep their secrets

Kerry, a little beyond words.

Perhaps you’d prefer Kerry: the lakes, the Gap of Dunloe, Ross Castle and all those mountain views. We could stay in Killarney and choose a few places that interest you, then meet again over dinner.

A lake shore. An old legend. The easy company of the dinner table.

The Kingdom’s footballing heritage is part of its character: a record 39 men’s senior All-Ireland titles, most recently in 2025, and generations of players and supporters with stories to tell.

What might you enjoy in Kerry? A story from here: The rider beneath the lake

Killarney · dates to agree

The art of listening

seanchaí

A keeper of stories.
Éamon Kelly seated in a rustic interior, gesturing as he tells a story.
Éamon Kelly, actor and seanchaí, telling “The King of the Tradesmen” in 1976.Credit: RTÉ Archives

Pull up
a chair.

There is another way to get to know a place. Let someone tell you about it. A remembered life. A sea captain. A rider beneath a lake. Something half believed, passed from one voice to the next.

The seanchaí belongs to a storytelling tradition that is still alive. I’d love us to hear local voices and the stories that bring a place to life.

Follow the stories

If you’d enjoy an evening with a local storyteller, let me know. I’ll introduce any hosts here once we’ve agreed their involvement.

Musicians playing bodhrán, fiddle and guitar around a pub table.
A traditional session at Murphys’ Bar, Killarney · 2006.

Follow the sound

One tune
becomes another.

A fiddle finds a phrase. Someone answers. A song draws the room a little closer. Irish music is part of the life of these places, and we come as guests: ready to listen, to share the evening and to see where it goes.

There may be a local jive or Céilí night to join. There may be a little tango, if the hosts welcome it and the space is right. There is no need to turn every good moment into a scheduled event.

Music, dance and the people behind them

Tradition, rhythm & a shared floor

Dancing in Ireland.
A world of rhythm.

Irish dancers performing on a lit stage with musicians behind them
Irish dance on stage, photographed in Ireland in 2020.Credit: Jonathan Baker (Jonjobaker)

The swing of a set, a country jive, the lightness of soft shoes and the pulse of hard-shoe steps. There is a whole world of Irish dance to discover, from local evenings and the Fleadh to the All-Ireland championships.

Follow its journey through tradition, the theatrical imagination of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, and the Gardiner Brothers’ viral performances that bring Irish steps to a new audience.

Explore Dancing in Ireland

A few ideas for our time together

What could our
weekend look like?

This is only a starting point. What we do will depend on what you’d like to see, who’s coming and how much time we have.

Pastel-coloured houses along the Long Walk waterfront in Galway.
Galway’s Long Walk. Somewhere to find your bearings.Credit: Nadia Prigoda-Lee
Friday

Arrive. Exhale.

Find your bearings. Take a wander if there’s time. I’d like us to meet for dinner, get to know one another and see where the evening takes us.

White sand and turquoise Atlantic water curve around Keem Bay beneath a green headland on Achill Island.
Keem Bay, Achill Island. Mayo’s invitation to get outside.Credit: Eoghan888
Saturday

Let the day open up.

A mountain path, a boat across the bay, a road into Connemara. Choose what draws you out. Or take the day at your own pace. We can meet again later and hear how everyone got on.

Colourful shopfronts along Parnell Street in Ennis.
A gentle wander through Ennis, County Clare.Credit: Suzanne Mischyshyn
Sunday

Leave a little slowly.

One more walk. A coffee with someone who was a stranger on Friday. An unhurried goodbye, or another night if you can give yourself the time.

The thread that brought us here

And somewhere
in it all, tango.

A couple in a close tango embrace in La Boca, Buenos Aires
A tango embrace in La Boca, Buenos Aires, photographed in 2016.Credit: Juan Antonio Segal

Tango is what brings many of us together, and I’d enjoy a dance while we’re there. Bring your shoes if you like. We could ask about a little informal dancing, with the hosts’ agreement, or arrange a dedicated evening if enough of us want one.

No classes. No partner requirement. The music and company are there to enjoy in your own way.

There’s an Irish–Argentine story to explore too: Admiral William Brown in Foxford, Anthony Dominic Fahy in Loughrea, and the lives that connect our two shores.

Ireland, Argentina and the stories between us

Shape your days and evenings

A word about money

Choose what you’d enjoy.
We’ll work out the details.

Colourful shops and flowers along Bridge Street in Westport.
Bridge Street in Westport. A walkable base for time together.Credit: Andreas F. Borchert

The amounts here are guide prices to help us think about the weekend. What we each spend will depend on the activities we choose, where we stay, when we travel and how many of us come. Choose a few ideas in your notebook and the guide price will change with them.

I’m aiming to spread the shared costs fairly. Once we know what we’d like to do, I can ask for quotes and we can agree the arrangements together.

Choose your ideas & see guide prices Flights, stays & getting aroundWhat the guide prices allow for

Dates for all six places remain to be agreed. Late April, May, September or early October are possibilities. These are ideas and guide prices, with no reservations or confirmed arrangements yet.

Before you come

A few things
worth knowing.

Strandhill Beach on the County Sligo coast
Strandhill Beach, County Sligo. Leave room for a little Atlantic air.Credit: Caoimheen3
Can I come on my own?

Of course. Come on your own or with friends; I’d love you to join us. You don’t need a dance partner, and you don’t have to dance.

Do I have to do all the activities?

No. These are ideas to help you tell me what you’d enjoy. Choose something for each day or leave it open. I’d rather we made time for what interests you than tried to fit everything in.

Are there classes or compulsory dancing?

No classes in this format. Choose culture only, request informal tandas within the music evening, or budget for a dedicated social tango evening. Local jive and Céilí nights are possibilities only when a suitable event coincides with the trip.

Are the dates and hotels confirmed?

No dates are agreed. Late April, May, September or early October are possibilities, around other festivals. Hotels are independent references, with no rooms held or supplier agreements. Wait for confirmation before making non-refundable arrangements.

Are these fixed prices?

No. They’re guide prices to help us decide what we’d like to do. The total includes your selected stay with breakfast, two dinners, chosen activities and individual return airport-bus travel when selected. We’re thinking of a group of 5, 10 or 15; the public-bus fare is per person. Any private transport or arranged tango evening needs its own quote and agreement. Flights, lunches, drinks, airport fees and hotel-to-stop travel are extra. I’ll get quotes once our plans take shape.

Can I skip the mountain and still enjoy Mayo?

Absolutely. Choose Foxford heritage, a coastal option or time in Westport. Croagh Patrick is an optional guided hike and photo opportunity. There is no summit milonga; any arranged tango takes place in a suitable town venue.

How does the community approach work?

I’m aiming to spread the costs fairly. Any musicians, DJs, guides or hosts we engage should be paid for their work. We’ll agree the arrangements and shared costs together before committing.

An aerial view of Achill Island’s green cliffs, winding coast road and deep-blue Atlantic Ocean.
Achill’s Atlantic coast: green headlands, open water and a winding shore road.Credit: Kiran Madhusudhanan

Tango to Éire

What would you
love to see?

Choose a few ideas