fota house

Fota House

Fota Island
Carrigtwohill
Cork
Phone: 21 812728
Fax:

The demesne of Fota, or Foaty Island, contributes enormously to the beauty of the Lee Estuary whose sublimity moved Lady Chatterton to write in 1838; 'the sun always seems to shine brighter here than else where'. Fota's magnificent parkland, its gardens and splendid mansion - one of Ireland's finest regency houses - combine to create an aura of charm and serenity apparent to all who visit.

Description
Location

Description

Fota's former owners, the Smith-Barrys, were direct descendants of Philip de Barry, a Norman settler who was granted lands in cork in 1179.
Their great estates were later ruined by the reckless gambling of 'Hellgate', the seventh Earl of Barrymore, but Fota was unaffected by this debacle for it had earlier been given to Arthur, third son of the fourth Earl.
His eldest son John, who inherited the property in 1801 had a rather different attitude to his Irish home. John had a passion for sailing and from an early age preferred to live at Fota where he could race with the Royal Cork Yacht Club.
In 1983 the house was exquisitely redecorated by John O'Connell with Irish furniture and fittings to complement the Woods collection and was opened to the public.
It is now managed by the Fota Trust who closed the building to the public at the end of 1990, due to the deterioration of its structure.