Why go

Elizabeth Fort is free, central and has one of the best views in Cork. The star-shaped fort stands on Barrack Street on the rise just south of the river, and you can walk its walls and look down over the city centre to Shandon on the far hill. Behind the walls is a long and often violent history: the fort was attacked, besieged, used as a holding depot for convicts bound for Australia and a famine food depot, burned in the Civil War and then used as a Garda station until 2013.

What to see

  • The walls. The main reason to come. Walk the ramparts for wide views of the city, especially good on a clear winter afternoon when the sun is low.
  • The star shape. The first fort, of earth, stone and timber, went up in 1601 on the orders of Sir George Carew, President of Munster, after the events of that year at Kinsale. It was demolished and rebuilt in stone in 1624 to 1626 in the star shape you see today, and much of that fort survives.
  • The sieges. In 1603 the death of Queen Elizabeth sparked a revolt in Cork, and 800 men attacked the fort. In 1690 Jacobite forces held it during the Siege of Cork until the city wall was breached after about a week of bombardment.
  • Convicts and famine. From 1817 to 1837 up to 250 prisoners at a time were held here waiting for transport ships to Australia. During the Great Famine the fort was one of ten food depots in the city, which together fed up to 20,000 people a day.
  • The 20th century. Auxiliary forces were based here during the War of Independence, anti-Treaty forces burned the buildings when they left the city in the Civil War, and a new Garda station was built inside the walls in 1929. An air-raid shelter dates from the Second World War.

Plan your visit

From October to April the fort opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm and on Sunday from 12pm to 5pm; it is closed on Mondays. From May to September it opens Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, and Sunday 12pm to 5pm.

The fort is about ten minutes’ walk from St Patrick Street: head down the Grand Parade, cross the river and climb Barrack Street. Allow 45 minutes for a look around and the walls, or an hour and a half with a tour.

Tickets and saving money

General admission is free. Guided tours cost €5 per person and run Tuesday to Saturday at 11am, 1pm and 3pm, and on Sunday at 1pm and 3pm. You can now book them online. An audio guide costs €3 and is available in English, French, German, Irish, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Groups should book ahead by phone or email.

Accessibility

Access is restricted. The courtyard is wheelchair accessible and there is an accessible toilet on site, but the walls can only be reached by a small, steep stone staircase.

Christmas

The council had not published Christmas opening times for the fort when we checked. Check the Elizabeth Fort pages on the Cork City Council website before visiting in late December.

Nearby

St Fin Barre’s Cathedral is a couple of minutes away; from 9 to 19 December it hosts The Promise of Christmas, a light and sound show. Nano Nagle Place is a short walk east on Douglas Street, and the English Market is about ten minutes north across the river.