| Quick Jump to Links |
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| Fota Wildlife Park - Shandon Steeple - Cork Vision Centre - Model Railway - Cork City Gaol |
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| Cork Public Museum - The Queenstown Story - Old Midleton Distillery - Crawford Art Gallery |
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 Blarney Castle & Gardens
Built by Dermot McCarthy in 1446, little is left of Blarney castle today yet thousands of visitors from all over the world flock to it to kiss the legendary Blarney Stone.
Kissing the Stone, situated on the inside of the highest parapet, is said to give those that kiss it the gift of the gab.
To reach the Stone means climbing several stories of narrow circular stairway to the roof, then walking along the weather smoothed parapet to where the Stone is set in one of the parapet walls.
One of the castle assistants will assist you in laying down on the walk, then to bend over backwards into the parapet holes, then to kiss the Stone while balancing yourself upside down! |
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 Fota Wildlife Park
Situated just off the N25, about six miles east of Cork City, Fota Wild Life Park is set in 70 acres of open countryside.
The attractive setting is home to over 90 exotic species from 5 continents, and many of the animal are free to wander throughout the park. Giraffes, cheetahs and zebras are among the animals on show.
But a strong emphasis is put on conservation and breeding of endangered species. Facilities include free playgrounds, a wildlife train, picnic areas, arboretum and gardens, restaurants, gift shop and a video show.
Animal feeding times are early morning and late afternoon. [ back to Top ] |
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 Shandon Steeple
Shandon Steeple Cork City. Seen on TV as the background to a Murphy's Stout advert, up to recently it was known as " the four faced liar" as each of its four clocks used to show a different time.
Built in 1722 the steeple has red sandstone (south) and limestone (west) walls, from which the colours of the Cork hurling and football teams are taken. Its famous chime of 8 bells, can be rung by visitors for a small fee.
The Shandon Craft and Firkin Crane centres are located nearby in the old Butter Exchange, from where casks of salted butter were exported world-wide since 1770. Nowdays it is an arts, dance and theatre centre.
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Cork Vision Centre
Located in the heart of Cork's historic centre, and within walking distance of the city's artistic, commercial and tourist attractions, the Cork Vision Centre offers visitors an opportunity to appreciate a fine example of observation in action, and to explore Cork's evolution from past, through present, and onwards to future development.
Opening Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-5pm. Admission Free
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 Clonakilty Model Railway
Follow the route of a miniaturised version of the now defunct West Cork Railway and "step back in time" to experience the way of life in West Cork during the 1940's.
Here you can see exhibitions of the railways and industries which once linked six West Cork towns: Bandon, Clonakilty, Kinsale, Dunmanway, Bantry and Skibbereen.
View buildings of architectural and historical interest which are featured within their natural terrain, settings which range from grassy hillsides to inland waterways and coastal inlets.
Opening Hours
Monday -Friday
11:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday - Sunday
1:00pm - 5:00pm
Bank Holidays
1:00pm - 5:00pm
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| Cork City Gaol
The gaol no longer recieves any prisoners but visitors are greeted with an audio visual exhibition which depicts what life was like for 19th century prisoners and gaelors.
The old prison governor's residence houses an additional attraction, the radio museum experiance which explains the history of Irish Radio broadcasting and the impact that the invention of radio has had on our lives.
Sunday's Well, Cork City.
Tel: 021- 4305022 Open 7 days a week
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Cork Public Museum
The museum is housed in an attractive Georgian house which is surrounded by 18 acres of parkland.
The museum focuses mainly on social and political history with additional exhibits featuring the city's trades and crafts: silver, glassware, and lacework.
A recent 2 million pound extension has doubled the amount of exhibition space and is created in of a state of the art temporay exhibition gallery and a purpose-built research room where visitors can examine, handle and study artefacts and documents from the museum's collections.
Fitzgerald Park, Cork City. Tel: 021-4270679
Admission is Free except on Sundays
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| Cobh The Queenstown Story
The story of Cobh's unique origins, its history and legacy are dramatically recalled at The Queenstown Story - a multimedia exhibition at Cobh's restored Victorian Railway Station.
Retrace the steps of the 2.5 million Irish people who emigrated from the port of Cobh and learn about the dramatic events surrounding the Lusitania and the Titanic.
Cobh was it's last port of call.
Cobh, County Cork
Open 7 days a week, 10am-6pm
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The Old Midleton Distillery
Situated in Co. Cork Midleton distillery is responsible for the majority of all Irish Whisky produced in Ireland today. It is the Irish Distillers Group main distillery. The distillery started life as a woolen manufacturing business in 1796.
By the 1820s the buildings were lying empty until three brothers James, Daniel and Jeremiah Murphy decided that the perfect purpose for these fine buildings should be the manufacture of whiskey.
Initially run as a family concern calling themselves James Murphy & Co they ultimately merged with several other distillers in the area to be come known as the Cork Distillers Company.
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| Crawford Municipal Art Gallery
The gallery, which is named after its founding benefactor William Horatio Crawford, started life in 1724 as the Custom House at the time when the street outside was the King's Doc.
The building later became the Royal Cork Institution and then a school of design. W H Crawford funded an extension of the building in 1884 and further refurbishment is ongoing at the time of writing.
The Crawford houses a collection of 19th and 20th century works by Irish artists such as Jack Yeats, Paul Henry and William Conor.
Other exhibits include a collection of classical casts presented the future King George IV by Pope Pius in 1818. The gallery also runs a program of temporary exhibitions, featuring the work of Irish and international artists.
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