Stephen Phelan

1 month ago | thetimes.com | Stephen Phelan

My first family holiday out of Ireland was a fortnight on Menorca when I was seven. I remember being impressed by Spanish lollipops with bubblegum inside, which cost five pesetas. I liked the beach just fine but I was more intrigued by the dusty hills, the dark mouths of caves, the strong, mysterious breezes that would rake the pines overhead. The peculiar allure of that island I have since come to recognise as a signature murmur heard across the Balearics.

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Stephen Phelan

I have always longed to be a lighthouse keeper and now, at last, I am one. If only for the weekend. Look at my chunky-knit jumper! Feel the waterproof weave of my Donegal tweed cap! Truth be told, I am way too toasty in this quasi-nautical ensemble, having hoped and dressed for ominous fog, murderous gales and oceanic rainstorms.

Mar 29, 2025 | yahoo.com | Stephen Phelan |Francesco Lastrucci

The fall of the ancient Maya civilisation came gradually — as did the disappearance of its centres of power, each one slowly reclaimed by the creeping jungle. Mighty cities were lost for centuries, biding their time beneath thick drapes of vines and moss like dust sheets. In Guatemala, after the curtain was drawn back, hoards of artefacts eventually made their way to the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Guatemala City, one of the largest troves of Maya antiques.

Mar 29, 2025 | nationalgeographic.com | Stephen Phelan

The fall of the ancient Maya civilisation came gradually — as did the disappearance of its centres of power, each one slowly reclaimed by the creeping jungle. Mighty cities were lost for centuries, biding their time beneath thick drapes of vines and moss like dust sheets. In Guatemala, after the curtain was drawn back, hoards of artefacts eventually made their way to the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Guatemala City, one of the largest troves of Maya antiques.

Mar 13, 2025 | yahoo.com | Stephen Phelan |Francesco Lastrucci

Livingston is not an island, but it exists so separately from the rest of Guatemala that locals use the word ‘mainland’ to mean everywhere beyond its boundaries. Triple-isolated on the east coast by rainforest, river and saltwater, this small fishing town is cut off from the national road network and only accessible by boat.