Top County Cork hotels
Blarney Castle Cork
30 Reviews We weren't actually going to visit this castle, as we are 'over' queueing and really didn't think we wanted to do the tourist thing. Sooooo glad we did. We were there at 9am when it opened and were...
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Charles' Fort Kinsale
9 Reviews Even though it was raining I enjoyed my visit to the fort and the walk to it from the centre of Kinsale. It is run by the OPW and it is 3 Euro 70 to enter. The best thing about our visit was the free...
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11 Reviews It would be impossible to go to Cobh and not notice St. Colman's Cathedral. The huge church overshadows the small town sitting high on a hilltop overlooking the harbor. We left the Heritage Center and...
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18 Reviews Summer Opening Times Monday-Saturday 9:30-17:30 Sunday 12:30 - 17:00 Winter Opening Times Monday-Saturday 10:00 - 12:45 14:00 - 17:00 (Closed Bank Holidays) Admission Adult €3.00 Under 18...
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Old Head of Kinsale Kinsale
2 Reviews This is one of my favourite places in County Cork, this windswept rocky promontory reaching out into the ocean. There is a lighthouse at the end of it but you can't get to it - the road ends with a...
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The Queenstown Story Cobh
6 Reviews Cobh's Heritage Centre is next door to the railway station at the water's edge. There is a large open cafe/restaurant and a well done Museum about Cobh's emigrants. For 6 Euros you can see and hear...
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St Ann's Church Cork
12 Reviews The name Shandon comes from the Irish, Sean Dun, and means Old Fort. Shandon was one of 28 settlements in and around ancient Cork. Dont forget to take the earthings at the beginning when you climb the...
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Kinsale Harbour Kinsale
6 Reviews We went sailing with the guys in Sovereign Sailing down at the Trident Hotel Marina. I had never sailed before but they took 4 of us out on a new 34ft sailing yacht. It was Fantastic. They gave us all...
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The Titanic Memorial Cobh
2 Reviews Well, I arrived in Cobh wanting to see things about the Titanic. On April 11th 1912 the luxury liner weighed anchor for the last time at Cobh to pick up Irish emigrants heading for New York. Many of...
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Shopping / Streets / Areas Cork
14 Reviews I forgot all about the English Market until we came upon it wandering around and regrettably we had already had lunch. But I did stop and get a few chocolates from the Chocolate Shop which purchases...
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The Scilly Walk Kinsale
2 Reviews This fairytale yellow cottage is about halfway between Summercove and Kinsale and everybody always stops to take photographs. In summer the hollyhocks grow almost to the roof. I often wonder about the...
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4 Reviews Maritime disasters play an important role in the history of Cobh. Two of the greatest disasters in history have a Cobh connection. Cobh was the last port for the Titantic before its disasterous maiden...
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Cork City Gaol Cork
6 Reviews I've never been there myself (I know I know - one of these days!!) but I've been told that this is worth checking out - especially if it's a 'soft day' (rainy in case you were wondering) in...
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James' Fort Kinsale
4 Reviews James Fort was constructed between 1601 and 1603. It is a pentagonal shaped fort with a covered walkway leading to the fort. This fort was the harbours main defence until the construction of Charles...
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Heritage Centre Cobh
4 Reviews If your an American of Irish descent visiting Cobh, you are probably here to see where your family departed from Ireland. I am of Irish descent, but my family immigrated from the port in Dublin. My...
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Kinsale Cork
7 Reviews A lovely day trip to the colorful harbour city of Kinsale is a must do. It is only a 40 minutes bus trip from Cork city (25km). Kinsale is a pleasure for gourmet but not only... a walk around the...
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St Multose Church Kinsale
2 Reviews Dating back to 1190, St Multose Church is the oldest building in Kinsale and has been in continuous use all this time. Its appearance has been considerably changed since then, some of the original...
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Fota Island Cobh
1 Review Fota Island is a 780 acre island that is just outside of the island that Cobh is on in Cork Harbour. There is a golf course and golf club where you can get a light lunch. They also have a great...
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Fitzgeralds Park Cork
4 Reviews About 20 minutes walk west of City centre is Fitzgeralds Park on the banks of the River Lee.This is a pleasent park to relax in and enjoy the beauty.There is also a good play section here for childern...
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Summercove Kinsale
1 Review Leaving Charles Fort via the drawbridge, pause to look at the three plaques in Irish, English and Spanish unveiled in 2001, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Battle of Kinsale. This spot...
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Hugenot Quarter Cork
6 Reviews The Huguenot Quarter of Cork is the area around French Church Street and Carey's Lane. The Huguenots were French Protestants who fled from religious prosecution in the 17th and the second half of the...
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Harbour Tour by Boat Kinsale
3 Reviews A great way to see the harbour, also the town and Charles Fort from a different angle. Nice traditional music, interesting commentry, coffee and bar service available. The trip lasts for 55 minutes...
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Cobh.... Cork
6 Reviews Cobh (formerly know as Queenstown) was the last port of call for the Titanic and is home to the 'Queenstown Story' featuring information both on the Titanic & the thousands of Irish people who...
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Town centre Kinsale
2 Reviews The centre of Kinsale is lovely - its winding narrow lanes are pure bliss for the eyes - I have never seen so many colourful houses anywhere, and all of them matching their neighbours. I wonder if...
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Blackrock Castle Cork
3 Reviews No mediaeval town could do without a fortified castle and Cork was no different. Cork's Blackrock Castle is located where the River Lee flows into Lough Mahon. Built for defensive purposes, to protect...
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Every second Sunday a group of people joint to walk around the West Cork country side. Newcomers are very welcome. I have found it a great way to see more of the beautiful landscape and make friends at the same time. It is a lovely way to get to know West Corks highways and byways, of which there are many. The walks usually take about 2 to 3 hours, not too difficult and always interesting. Hill walks are also organised by this group.
This was our last stop before heading back for Cork. The place looked really pretty with its colourful houses lining the streets but we only had enough time to take a few pictures and have a snack at a local restaurant. If you wanted to learn about its past, which strongly reflects Ireland's history from pre-Christian period to the present, you could join one of Skibbereen Historical Walks starting from the Skibbereen Heritage Centre twice weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 6.30 pm. One of the things you would learn from the guide is that this charming town, sometimes called the capital of West Cork, suffered greatly during the Great Famine of the 1840's, when thousands of its inhabitants starved to death. Visit the Great Famine Commemoration Exhibition at the Skibbereen Heritage Centre to hear the tragic stories and follow the Skibbereen Famine Trail to see the buildings dating from...
The beauty of Cape Clear Island cannot be described in words, except by a poet. There is something so romantic in the rugged coastline, the hills covered with heather, gorse and wild flowers and the blue of the omnipresent ocean appearing at every turn you take. It's a heaven for hikers, birdwatchers, scuba divers, anglers, windsurfers, canoeists and anybody who loves closeness to nature, peace and breathtaking scenery.We only stayed there for about two hours, so did not have time to explore the island fully. Our boat was moored in the northern harbour and we crossed the island to see its southern coast and admired the scenery from the cliff there. I wish we had had time to go to the lake, to see the Megalithic standing stones, the 5000 year-old passage grave, the 12th century church ruin and the 14th century O'Driscoll castle. There was a notice advertising a bus tour leaving the...
The boat trip to Cape Clear Island was for me the nicest part of our day trip. Roaringwater Bay is not named this for no reason. The boat was rolling and it was hard to keep your balance without holding on to something. At one moment I got up to get a better view of one of the islands we were passing and instantly almost sat down on the lap of an elderly lady sitting next to me. But it was great fun riding the waves of the Atlantic, and listening to the commentary and even a live 'sing song' by a tour guide. The weather was gorgeous so we all sat on deck, took masses of pictures, admired the islands we were passing, waved to the people on the passing boats and watched out for dolphins which are said to sometimes accompany the ferry. We didn't see any but Katherine did notice a sea creature while we were still in the harbour - probably a seal.The trip on the Karycraft lasted about 45...
Schull (pronounced like 'skull') is situated on the Roaringwater Bay of the Atlantic and commands a great view of the sea and the marina. It's a very pretty place with colourful houses and hotels gathered along the coast and with many palms and exotic plants reminiscent of the Mediterranean. If you didn't want to go on the boat trip you could stay there and walk around but all of us wanted to ride the waves of the Atlantic, especially that the weather was very inviting. Driving the coach down to the harbour would have been a little tricky so we walked to the boat. I wish we could have done more sightseeing in Schull itself but the boat was already waiting. You can't have everything.There are many attractions in Schull in addition to boat trips - you can climb Mount Gabriel for a great view of the area, attend a Star Show at the Planetarium, go fishing, windsurfing, golfing, diving or...
The tiny island on which St Finbarr set up his monastery in the 6th century is situated on a lake in the midst of the National Park. It can be reached by a causeway and, as you approach the island, you can see the ruined walls which were once part not of St Finbarr's monastery - nothing had been left of that - but of a later settlement built on the same site around 1700 by Rev. Denis O'Mahony. This beautiful isolated spot in the midst of the mountains used to be the object of pilgrimage for people from far and wide who came here to attend Mass. Even now, on the Sunday after the Feast of St Finbarr (25th September) a pilgrimage is held to the Holy Island. The present Oratory was built there in modern times and has interesting stained glass windows representing County Cork's saints. The remains of the former construction include a square court with cells, the Holy Well and Father...
Bantry is a colourful lively port on Bantry Bay. Beautifully situated, it commands great views of the bay and the mountains. The only thing that we saw there though was the very centre with its market square. It was Saturday, not a market day, but there were still some street vendors trying to sell various knicknacks to the passers-by. But on the whole the place wasn't crowded and we were able to sit by the monument to Theobald Wolfe Tone and eat our lunch. It was only later that I discovered who he was. A Dubliner by birth, Wolfe Tone led the United Irishmen in the uprising of 1796, the aim of which was to put an end to the British rule in Ireland. The uprising might have ended in their victory, as the French Armada of 50 warships carrying 15,000 soldiers was coming to their aid. Unfortunately, a violent storm in which many of the ships sank, thwarted their plans.Unlike most towns,...
Gougane Barra Lake fills a rock basin created by the iceberg and it is here from this lake that the River Lee takes its beginnings. As our coach went around the forest park we could see glimpses of the river meandering among the trees. There were some meadows with sheep and goats grazing but generally the forest looked pretty wild and unspoilt. You would never guess that the area of the park used to be practically treeless until 1938 when the park was set up and afforestation began. It's a rather unusual National Park which you can tour in your car taking the ring road. But there are also some signposted trails from really short - under 1 km to longer ones with great views of the valley and the surrounding mountains.
The most interesting building in Macroom is the Castle Arch - the gateway to the once powerful Castle. Burnt out five times, the Castle itself, formerly the property of Sir William Peun, whose son founded Pennsylvania, is no longer there and some parts of the fortifications are in ruins as well. Last time the Castle was burnt out was during the Irish War of Independence on 18 August 1922 by the anti-treaty forces, who set fire to it before leaving. The gateway still stands proudly though, inviting the public to visit the Castle parklands going down to the river, with some old oak and beech trees. I did go for a short walk there but had to go back to the coach soon. In front of the gateway you can see two cannons presented together with the whole estate to the town of Macroom by their last owner, Lady Olive Ardilaun.
On my trip to the Ring of Kerry our first stop was in Macroom, a small historic town about 48 km from Cork, situated in the valley of the Sullane River, a tributary of the River Lee. An old market town, it still has its market place, with the Town Hall and colourful houses all around it.We stayed there only long enough to see the remains of the castle just opposite the Town Hall. More about it in my next tip. On leaving the town I took a picture of the church from the coach window - I thought it was really lovely.
Fitzgerald's Vienna Woods Hotel Cork
1 Review and 171 Opinions
Blue Haven Hotel Kinsale
1 Review and 161 Opinions Completely refurbished in 2004, each room is individually furnished with exquisite furniture, the...
Ashlee Lodge Blarney
58 Opinions
Reviews and photos of County Cork attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for County Cork sightseeing.
Q: We will be in Ireland for 3.5 days the first of June with our 16 year old twin grandchildren, 1 boy and 1 girl. We will fly into...
A: There’s lots to do in the Cork area whether you decide to hire a car or not. A visit to Fota Island Wildlife Park should be a good day out for all ages ...
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