You don't have to go far, or spend a lot of money, to get away from it all. MAL ROGERShas 10 ideas for days out that will cost you little more than the price of a picnic and some petrol
1 Have a picnic in InistiogeThe Co Kilkenny village – one of Ireland's prettiest – lies in a wooded part of the Nore Valley. It probably doesn't look a lot different from how it did back in the 17th or 18th century. In fact it's so pretty it has been the setting for four films in recent years, including Circle of Friendsand Widows' Peak. It probably worries about becoming typecast. For the picnic, walk through the tree-lined square, pick up some provisions from one of the delis or cafes and head along the river. On a rock above the river a Norman fort commands views across the valley – the ideal place for a picnic. You'll see the Nore flowing sedately under an 18th-century bridge and past a church that occupies an Augustinian monastery founded by Thomas FitzAnthony, a man who gloried in the title of seneschal of Leinster. That's something to ponder as you munch your sandwiches.
2 Visit some long-lost relatives in KerryOne of the finest views in palaeontology is on Valentia Island: some of the earliest footprints known to science are on a trackway that threads along a coastal rock platform in the shadow of Geokaun Mountain, not far from Valentia lifeboat station. Indented on the rocks are footprints of a 385m-year-old tetrapod, or four- legged animal, an early ancestor of all of us. You can see 150 distinct prints from at least one animal – made by something probably the size of a collie. The best time to view is early morning or late afternoon, when the sun casts the prints into relief. The footprints are a crucial link in the story of the evolution of life on Earth. Until somebody pulled themselves on to land, all vertebrate life was in the sea. You can almost hear this Co Kerry creature say: "Er, I wonder if this is such a good idea."
3 Go rock climbingThe Rock of Dunamase, about seven kilometres east of Portlaoise, in Co Laois, was first coveted by Bronze Age settlers. They were the first to set about fortifying the sentinel, followed by the usual suspects – Celts, Vikings, Normans, Cromwellians, Elizabethans and so on. The rock is a stony encapsulation of Irish history. The first definite evidence of occupation goes back to the Vikings in the ninth century, although the cartographer Ptolemy knew about it in the second century; Co Laois was almost certainly not all Greek to him. The rock is just under 50m high – so not exactly the Matterhorn, but it still gives an impressive view across the midlands towards the Slieve Bloom Mountains. Today the limestone outcrop is a wonderfully evocative collection of ruins – with its own mythology. Local legend insists that treasure is hidden hereabouts. Regrettably, it's guarded by the hellhound Bandog, a doggy with enormous jaws and flaming mouth and eyes. Mind how you go, now.
4 Visit the graves of Ireland's good and greatGlasnevin, in north Dublin, is the last resting place of Eamon de Valera, Michael Collins, Brendan Behan and Luke Kelly. They lie interred alongside cardinals, archbishops, poets and street entertainers. Zozimus is here, ditto Gerald Manley Hopkins. One plot is dedicated simply to "Cholera Victims", another remembers the Famine, and one small grave bears the bleak inscription "Air India child" – a reference to the Boeing 747 that crashed off Ahakista, in Co Cork, in 1985. The centrepiece of the cemetery is the O'Connell round tower, where most of Daniel O'Connell is interred (his heart is in Rome). Nearby lie the earthly remains of Kevin Barry, Maud Gonne MacBride and O'Donovan Rossa. Before you leave, pay your respects to 11-year-old Michael Casey of Francis Street, who died of consumption on February 22nd, 1832. He became the first of 1.2 million people to be buried in the cemetery.
5 Give your life some porpoiseYou can spot whales, dolphins and porpoises right around the coast, although the southwest and west are usually the most promising areas. Whales annually migrate between the frozen poles and the tropics. Those seen off Ireland are generally heading north, to feed in the rich Arctic waters, or heading south in the autumn, to winter in the tropical breeding grounds. Ireland is Europe's closest land to this whale superhighway. Our most famous aquatic mammal is Dingle Bay's Fungi, a middle-aged gentleman first seen in 1984 escorting Dingle's fishing boats to and from the harbour. In effect he's a self-appointed marine busybody, like those people you occasionally see directing the traffic for their own amusement. You can watch Fungi fishing at the harbour mouth or directing the boats. To see wilder members of the cetacean family, equip yourself with a pair of binoculars and sit on one of Ireland's headlands. Then wait and watch.
6 Visit the ecclesiastical centre of IrelandIn having two cathedrals with the same name, Armagh is probably unique in the world of religion. The Catholic cathedral is a few minutes' walk northwest of the centre, on a hill overlooking the city. Impressive in its proportions, the place is richly decorated – a far cry from when work had to be stopped in the mid 19th century because of the Famine. Most of Ireland's deceased Catholic primates are buried in the grounds. The Church of Ireland cathedral has the prime position on a hill dominating the city. A string of buildings have occupied the site; a few remnants date back to the 11th century. In a church stuffed with ecclesiastical bling and historical knick-knacks, a Sheela-na-gig with ass's ears clearly stands out. This is said to be King Midas, but locally it's believed to be Queen Mhacha (or Macha), after whom Ard Mhacha is named.
7 See if hanging's too good for 'emEven if, like Edith Sitwell, your interest in art is largely confined to portraits of yourself, you're still likely to find something of interest in Ireland's foremost gallery for contemporary art, the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Dublin, 01-6129900, imma.ie): Irish artists such as Louis le Brocquy – the brand leader currently – plus international faves such as Picasso and Miró. The gallery is housed in one of the finest buildings in Dublin. Showing the locals what could be done, James Butler, duke of Ormonde, came up with a plan to build a hospital based on Les Invalides, in Paris. The 17th-century result was Dublin's first, and many would say grandest, classical building. Imma is Ireland's leading institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art. The museum presents a wide variety of exhibitions throughout the year.
8 Find out about the BotherKnowledge is free at Linen Hall Library, in Belfast (17 Donegall Square North, 048-90321707, linenhall.com): just bring your own container. If you have even a passing interest in the history of Ireland, a visit here is close to an act of obligation. Established in 1788 "to improve the mind and excite a spirit of general inquiry", it had as one of its early librarians the United Irishman Thomas Russell. The Irish and local-studies collection includes a copy of everything written about Northern Ireland politics since 1966 – 250,000 items in all, the definitive archive of the recent Troubles. Some of the more offbeat exhibits include the IRA's A-Z handbook, Hang David Trimble hangers, a macabre child's alphabet ("A is for Armalite, which sets them all running") and sectarian babies' bibs ("I'm a baby Prod"), not forgetting a lolly shaped like a foot, with the advice to "kick the Pope".
9 See Ireland's biggest avian tourist influxThey often say that Wexford is the ideal place for the opera-loving ornithologist with a penchant for seafood. Certainly, Wexford Festival Opera is world famous, and the town's seafood restaurants are among the finest you'll come across anywhere. But it is the presence of thousands of wildfowl that really marks out the southeast as an essential destination. A particular avian A-lister – the Greenland race of the white-fronted goose, one of Europe's rarest – chooses to winter on the Wexford Slobs and harbour. Many of the 10,000 that choose Wexford as their winter home will have just arrived. And you won't even need your binoculars. Just stand by the side of the road and open your eyes.
10 Visit the geographical centre of IrelandThe exact geographical centre of Ireland is in Co Westmeath. If you've already visited the other topographical bullseyes of the country – including Birr, in Co Offaly, plus a few optimistic claimants in Co Longford – then you should check out the Hill of Uisneach, a place with excellent credentials in this department. Historically, as well as geographically, the place is of great interest. Traditionally known as Ail na Míreann, the Stone of Divisions, this point on the map once marked the convergence of Ireland's ancient provinces: Ulster, Leinster, Connacht, Munster and Meath. The Hill of Uisneach is easy enough to find, although not signposted in any extravagant fashion. All 183m of it lies about 15km to the west of Mullingar, just beyond the village of Loughanavally. There are historians who argue that here is the very source of Halloween, the place where the first festival began, and the source of all other Halloween bonfires round Ireland.