Cork Day Tour Preview

The Jameson Experience

Jameson Whiskey was originally distilled in Dublin, but eventually, in 1975, they moved their entire whiskey-making operation from their Bow Street facility to Midleton, Co. Cork. The original buildings at the impressive 15 acres Midleton Distillery site date back as far as 1794 and have been used to distil and mature their whiskeys since 1825. The visitor centre opened in 1992 and there are a range of guided experiences to enjoy, taking in both the exterior and interior features of the distillery grounds.

Kindred Spirits is a large stainless steel outdoor sculpture in Bailick Park in Midleton, County Cork, Ireland. The Statue commemorates the 1847 donation by the Native American Choctaw People to Irish famine relief during the Great Hunger, despite the Choctaw themselves living in hardship and poverty and having recently endured the Trail of Tears. While records of the exact amount of the donation vary, the figure usually given is US$170
The sculpture consists of nine 20-foot stainless steel eagle feathers arranged in a circle, no two feathers being identical, forming a bowl shape to represent a gift of a bowl of food. It was created by Alex Pentek at the Sculpture Factory in Cork, Ireland, with assistance from students of the Crawford College of Art and Design, and installed in Bailick Park in 2015. The memorial was commissioned by Midleton Town Council and was officially unveiled and dedicated in June 2017 by Chief Gary Batton, Chief of the Choctaw Nation, Assistant Chief Jack Austin Jr., and Councillor Seamus McGrath, County Mayor of Cork, accompanied by a 20-strong delegation from the Choctaw Nation.

The Cathedral Church of St Colman, usually known as Cobh Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Cobh, Ireland. It was designed by the famous architect Edward Welby Pugin in the Gothic design and overlooks Cork harbour from a prominent position. Construction began in 1868 and was not completed until 1919 due to increases in costs and revisions of the original plans. This is a must see photo-stop for anyone visiting the Cobh Area.

The Queenstown Story examines the story of Irish Emigration in general, and the devastating effect that the Great Famine had on the people of Ireland in the mid-nineteenth century. You can also follow the story form the 1600’s when transportation to the British overseas colonies was commonplace, from Virginia and New England to Barbados, Jamaica and Monserrat.

This beautiful, informative and sometimes emotive Exhibition is situated within the Cobh Heritage Centre – a beautifully restored Victorian railway station.

Blarney Castle, containing the famous Blarney Stone, is a medieval stronghold located near the River Martin in the village of Blarney, County Cork. Standing approximately 90 feet high, the current building is thought to be the third castle to be erected at this site, built by the MacCarthys of Muskerry. The first castle on this site was most likely a wooden structure built around the 10th century. Later on, this was replaced by a second structure around 1210 AD. Because of its weak foundations, the second building was demolished, and later, in 1446, MacCarthy built the third structure that still stands today.

Cork City Gaol was designed to replace the old Gaol at the North Gate Bridge in the heart of the city. The old Gaol was nearly 100 years old, on a confined site, overcrowded & unhygienic.

When Cork City Gaol first opened it was reported as being “the finest in 3 kingdoms”. It housed both male and female prisoners who committed crimes within the city boundary. Anyone committing a crime outside the city boundary was sent to the County Gaol, which was located on the grounds of what is now UCC.

In the 1870s a number of changes occurred in the Gaol. The West Wing was remodeled into a brighter, more spacious double-sided cell wing. The Gaol also became “a place of confinement for females only”.

In 1923 all prisoners were removed and the doors of Cork City Gaol never again closed on the freedom of any man, woman or child.

The Gaol was only left idle for a few years – in 1927, Radio Eireann began to broadcast Corks’ first radio station, 6CK, from the centre of the main building. The Gaol was used as a broadcasting station up until the end of the 1950s, when the complex was allowed to become totally derelict until its innovative restoration and reopening to the public as a visitor attraction in 1993.

St. Fin Barre's Cathedral stands on the site where the city of Cork was founded in the 7th century. The cathedral features splendid stained glass windows, marble mosaics, and rich sculptures.

Situated near the heart of Cork, St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral is the most recent ecclesiastical site located where the saint is believed to have founded his monastic school in the 7th century.

The present Neo-Gothic cathedral, designed by English architect William Burges, is made from Cork limestone and marble, as well as Bath stone. This Church of Ireland cathedral was consecrated in 1870.

Noteworthy features of its magnificent interior include stained glass windows depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments, marble mosaics from the Pyrenees while the sanctuary ceiling portrays Christ, surrounded by angels. The building contains more than 1,260 sculptures, a particularly ornate pulpit, and even a 24 lb cannonball, a legacy of the Siege of Cork in 1690.

Charles Fort is located in Summercove, overlooking Kinsale County Cork, a star-shaped fort of the late seventeenth century. William Robinson, architect of the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham, Dublin, is credited with designing it. The Fort is extremely large with some of the outer defences standing 16 metres high.

The view from the ramparts looking out over Kinsale Harbour is spectacular.

As one of the country’s largest military installations, Charles Fort has been part of some of the most momentous events of Irish history. During the Williamite Wars, for example, it withstood a 13-day siege before it fell. Later, in the Civil War of the early 1920s, anti-Treaty forces on the retreat burned it out.

Kinsale is a beautiful seaside town perched overlooking the picturesque Kinsale Harbor. It is commonly known as the "Gourmet Capital" of Ireland owing to its internationally renowned restaurants. Your map pin is located at the central car park behind the Tourist Office. After parking your vehicle you could enjoy a stroll along the promenade overlooking the marina and explore the quaint backstreets where you can sample some of the many famous cafes, restaurants, and bars.

The Kinsale Garden of Remembrance was established by a Kinsale lady, Kathleen Cait Murphy who worked as a nurse for over 30 years in New York City. During that time she came to admire the work of the fireman and was shocked at the deaths of 343 of their number who died in 9/11. As a result, she decided to provide a memorial in Ireland, on her land at Ringfinnan, Kinsale, with a tree for each of the firemen who died as well as one for their chaplain Father Michael Judge who was a personal friend of hers. Since the garden was planted many relatives and friends of the dead have come to visit and leave prayers, photographs, and flowers there.

The 10th anniversary of the Twin Towers disaster was recalled on Saturday, 10th September, 2011, by civil and religious ceremonies with representatives from the Irish Government as well as the town and county authorities attending a mass in memory of 9/11. Unfortunately Kathleen was not there, as she died in March, but family and friends honoured her work with a tree planting ceremony to recall the life of the lady who has helped preserve the story of these New York firemen who died so tragically.

The Old Head Signal Tower is just over 200 years old. It was built during the Napoleonic wars in response to the threat of a French invasion. There were 81 such towers with line-of-sight visibility from one to the next. The Tower serves as a 360° panoramic viewing point with access to the roof platform, this gives breathtaking land and sea vistas. It is an ideal point from which to view the protected bird colonies on the western cliffs.

The tower also hosts the Lusitania Museum. The Lusitania Museum tells the story of the RMS Lusitania, which was torpedoed during WW1 by a German U-boat on May 7th, 1915 resulting in immense loss of life.