About Discover Alone and Explorer Tom

Discover Alone is a free map of over a million recorded places across Ireland and the UK: castles, ruins, holy wells, old churches, standing stones, beaches, waterfalls, caves, woods and walks. Check access before visiting a place.

It was started by Rickie Doherty in Carndonagh, Co Donegal, because people kept asking him where things were. The answer was usually a place a few miles away that nobody had told them about. So he put them all on one map.

Meet Explorer Tom

Give Tom an old cross, a forgotten ruin or a curious name and he gets carried away, cracks a daft joke and points out what is worth a closer look. He offers tips as you use the map and short openings on place pages, such as Donagh Cross in Carndonagh. The recorded account and source links sit below his words, so you can follow the history as well as the fun.

Where the places come from

The places come from public records and open maps. These include the National Monuments Service's Archaeological Survey of Ireland, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, Historic England, Historic Environment Scotland, Coflein in Wales, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, and pictures from Geograph and Wikimedia Commons. Every place page says where its facts and picture came from, with a link to the source.

For Irish historic buildings, Discover Alone saves the public inventory's names, building types, map positions, descriptions and record numbers. Those records become map points and place pages. The map reads the saved records when you browse; a place page links back to the original source.

In Northern Ireland, the Department for Communities' historic environment map service supplies historic-building records. Discover Alone saves their names and positions for the map and links each building page to its official record. The official record says whether a building is listed or recorded only; a map point does not give permission to enter.

Discover Alone is listed in the Irish Open Data Showcase, which describes how public building and monument records become places on the map.

Why the unknown places are here

Some places have detailed histories and photographs. Others have little written about them, or no recent picture. That is a question, not a verdict on the place. There are enough recorded places nearby to follow several clues; some may be ordinary and one may be brilliant. If you happen to pass one, have a look and send us a picture. You can also add a story or a tip on its page.

Choosing a guide for a day out? Compare Discover Alone with Atlas Obscura for three nearby-place searches, or compare it with Monumental Ireland for an Irish monument visit.

What it costs

Nothing. You do not need an account to use the map. An account is only needed to add pictures or stories under your name.

A word of care

A place being on the map does not mean you can walk in. Many old buildings and sites are on private land. Look from the road or ask the owner.

Get in touch if something is wrong or missing.