26 Sep 2025
A very enjoyable tour with M. as our guide.
I'm from Carrigtwohill, and have visited the gardens now and then, but didn't quite realise what a gem we had locally, with the house itself and its history.
The tour lasted an hour and a half, and we could easily have lingered for another hour or more in the various rooms, looking at the paintings and furnishings.
Afterwards, we purchased 'Through the Green Baize Doors' - a book of recollections of Fota House from someone who worked there in the mid 20th century. The stories of the people who lived and worked here (some of which had been imparted by our tour guide, and on whose recommendation we bought the book) added pathos to beauty of the physical house.
The nearby presence of the gardens and arboretum further enrich the offering. It'd be great if the place were more easily accessible by foot and bicycle from Carrigtwohill (I know this is outside the remit of Irish Heritage Trust, but perhaps it's something the local council could work on, in conjunction with those on the island).