Fota Island
Encyclopedia
Fota Island is a small island in Cork Harbour
, Ireland
, just north of the larger island of Great Island
. The name "Fota" is derived from the Irish
"Fód te" meaning warm soil. Fota Island is host to Ireland's only wildlife park — as well as the historical Fota House with ornamental gardens and an 18-hole golf course owned by the "Fota Island Golf Club and Resort".
since 1627), descendants of Philip de Barri
, who came to Ireland from Wales with the Norman invasion. He was granted Fota and other lands in 1185. The family first resided at Barryscourt Castle
, Carrigtwohill
, then at Castlelyons
where they held extensive lands. Fota House was originally a hunting lodge and became the family's main residence in the 1820s when the architect, Sir Richard Morrison
(1767–1849) and his son Vetruvius Morrison (1794–1738), created the present regency
mansion with over 70 rooms.
The last member of the Smith-Barry family to live in Fota House was the Hon.
Dorothy Elizabeth Bell (1894–1975), daughter of Arthur Smith-Barry
(1843–1925). She continued to develop and record the plant collections in the gardens and in the arboretum
, which her family had started in the 1840s. On Mrs Bell's death in 1975 the estate was sold to University College Cork.
During the latter part of the last century, the house fell into some disrepair — culminating in the collapse of a ceiling. This closed the house to the public for some time. It was restored using EU
, Irish government
and private funding, prior to reopening in early 2002. In December 2007, the new Irish Heritage Trust took over responsibility for Fota House.
, walled garden and terrace
s.no Many rare and exotic shrubs and trees exist, along with an extensive rose garden
.
Fota's arboretum and gardens are what they are today thanks to the Smith-Barry family who recognised the significance of Fota's sheltered location and warm soil — "Fota" is derived from the Irish "Fód te" meaning warm soil — perfect for the growing and cultivation of rare trees and exotic plants.
The development of the arboretum and gardens coincided with the great plant hunting expeditions around the world bringing back wonderful specimens from places such as the Orient, South America and the Pacific coast of northwest America. Many of these rare plants found their way to Fota whitin a few years of their discovery.
In the 1840s, John Smith-Barry showed considerable foresight in generously spacing the trees, enabling them to thrive as they do today with stunning seasonal displays of colour. The family also recorded the plant collections throughout the 19th and most of the 20th century and this important work of cataloguing, conservation and development continues today.
Many of these plant collections are arranged in association with the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
, Dublin, and other botanic institutions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Scotland
.
In 1996 the State
were given control of the arboreum and gardens. They are now administered by the Office of Public Works
in conjunction with the Irish Heritage Trust.
See also: Historic Cork Gardens
.
estate (originally the Fota House grounds) integrated with woodlands and landscape. Its Golf Course
consists of three challenging par
71 championship courses in the traditional mode comprising the Deerpark, Belvelly and Barryscourt courses and is one of Ireland's many scenic and challenging golf settings. The Golf Club boasts three championship standard golf course configurations. The original Deerpark (Par 71) along with Belvelly (Par 72) and Barryscourt (Par 73).
Golf was first played in Fota Island in 1886. Since then it was continually developed and became one of the premier locations in golfing. In 1993, Fota Island Golf Club was further developed by Christy O'Connor Junior
(Irish Ryder Cup), and Peter McEvoy
(two-time British Amateur Champion
).
Fota Island is considered as essentially a resort course and hosts a number of tournaments which includes the Irish Club Professional Championship and the Murphy's Irish Open golf tournament in 2001 and 2002. Fota Island was then purchased by the Killeen Group (owners of Mount Juliet Golf & Spa Hotel in Kilkenny
). Since then, developments have started to take place and the course has been upgraded to European Tour standards.
In November 2004, Fota Island Golf Club was purchased by the Fleming Group. The Fleming Group also improved the course by renovating some of the holes and also maintained the greens and reseeded the trees surrounding the golf course. In 2006, the Fleming Group completed construction of the 5-star Fota Island Hotel & Spa as well a large self-catering lodge development in Fota Island to complement the golf course. In 2011, Fota Island Golf Club hosted the PGA Europro Audi Cork Irish Masters which was won by Paul Reed of Bristol and Clifton Golf Club.
, Fota Wildlife Park
has the
primary aim of conservation of global wildlife. It is a joint project of the Zoological Society of Ireland and University College Cork.
Fota Wildlife Park has more than 70 species of exotic wildlife in open natural surroundings. The animals who live there include ostrich
es, giraffe
s, kangaroo
s, zebra
s and antelope
. Just about all of the animals who inhabit the island are allowed to roam throughout more than 202000 square metres (49.9 acre) of mature grassland, with the exception of the cheetah
s and other predators, which have strongly fenced enclosures.
Many of the animals at Fota are under serious threat of extinction
. The cheetah
is an example of this. There are only 12,000 cheetah
s in their natural habitat. Fota Wildlife Park is one of the breeders worldwide for this endangered species, as well as being a source of many other zoo
animals around the world.
Ring-Tailed Lemur
s, Capybaras (the largest rodent in the world) and other animals are free to roam around the park.
Cork Harbour
Cork Harbour is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" . Other contenders include Halifax Harbour in Canada, and Poole Harbour...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, just north of the larger island of Great Island
Great Island
Great Island is the name of an island in Cork Harbour, just outside Cork city, at the mouth of the River Lee. The town of Cóbh is situated on the island, which is connected by bridge to Fota Island to the north, which in turn is connected by a causeway to the mainland...
. The name "Fota" is derived from the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
"Fód te" meaning warm soil. Fota Island is host to Ireland's only wildlife park — as well as the historical Fota House with ornamental gardens and an 18-hole golf course owned by the "Fota Island Golf Club and Resort".
Fota House
Fota House was the former home of the Smith-Barry family (Earls of BarrymoreEarl of Barrymore
Earl of Barrymore is a title in the Peerage of Ireland created for David Barry in 1627/28. Lord Barrymore held the subsidiary titles of Baron Barry , and Viscount Buttevant in the County of Cork in Ireland...
since 1627), descendants of Philip de Barri
De Barry Family
The de Barry family is an ancient family of Cambro-Norman origins which once had extensive land holdings in Wales and County Cork, Ireland. The founder of the family was a knight who assited in the Norman Conquest of England and Wales during the 11th century...
, who came to Ireland from Wales with the Norman invasion. He was granted Fota and other lands in 1185. The family first resided at Barryscourt Castle
Barryscourt Castle
Barryscourt Castle is a castle located in eastern County Cork in southern Ireland, close to the town of Carrigtwohill.-History:...
, Carrigtwohill
Carrigtwohill
Carrigtwohill, officially Carrigtohill , is a village in County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland with a population of 4,869 . It is located east of Cork city, bypassed by the N25 road and is part of Metropolitan Cork. Carrigtwohill is one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland. It is a major...
, then at Castlelyons
Castlelyons
Castlelyons is a small village in East County Cork in the Province of Munster in Ireland. It is situated south of Fermoy. In the 2002 census it recorded a population of 211....
where they held extensive lands. Fota House was originally a hunting lodge and became the family's main residence in the 1820s when the architect, Sir Richard Morrison
Sir Richard Morrison
-Life:He was born at Midleton, County Cork, the son of John Morrison, also an architect. Originally intended for the church, he was eventually placed as pupil with James Gandon, the architect, in Dublin...
(1767–1849) and his son Vetruvius Morrison (1794–1738), created the present regency
Regency architecture
The Regency style of architecture refers primarily to buildings built in Britain during the period in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to later buildings following the same style...
mansion with over 70 rooms.
The last member of the Smith-Barry family to live in Fota House was the Hon.
The Honourable
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
Dorothy Elizabeth Bell (1894–1975), daughter of Arthur Smith-Barry
Arthur Smith-Barry, 1st Baron Barrymore
Arthur Hugh Smith-Barry, 1st Baron Barrymore PC was an Anglo-Irish Conservative politician.-Background and education:...
(1843–1925). She continued to develop and record the plant collections in the gardens and in the arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
, which her family had started in the 1840s. On Mrs Bell's death in 1975 the estate was sold to University College Cork.
During the latter part of the last century, the house fell into some disrepair — culminating in the collapse of a ceiling. This closed the house to the public for some time. It was restored using EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, Irish government
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
and private funding, prior to reopening in early 2002. In December 2007, the new Irish Heritage Trust took over responsibility for Fota House.
Fota Gardens
Fota Gardens are in the grounds of Fota House. They are highly acclaimed, consisting of a structured arboretumArboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
, walled garden and terrace
Terrace (gardening)
In gardening, a terrace is an element where a raised flat paved or gravelled section overlooks a prospect. A raised terrace keeps a house dry and provides a transition between the hard materials of the architecture and softer ones of the garden.-History:...
s.no Many rare and exotic shrubs and trees exist, along with an extensive rose garden
Rose garden
A Rose garden or Rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses. Designs vary tremendously and roses may be displayed alongside other plants or grouped by individual variety, colour or class in rose beds.-Origins of the rose...
.
Fota's arboretum and gardens are what they are today thanks to the Smith-Barry family who recognised the significance of Fota's sheltered location and warm soil — "Fota" is derived from the Irish "Fód te" meaning warm soil — perfect for the growing and cultivation of rare trees and exotic plants.
The development of the arboretum and gardens coincided with the great plant hunting expeditions around the world bringing back wonderful specimens from places such as the Orient, South America and the Pacific coast of northwest America. Many of these rare plants found their way to Fota whitin a few years of their discovery.
In the 1840s, John Smith-Barry showed considerable foresight in generously spacing the trees, enabling them to thrive as they do today with stunning seasonal displays of colour. The family also recorded the plant collections throughout the 19th and most of the 20th century and this important work of cataloguing, conservation and development continues today.
Many of these plant collections are arranged in association with the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
Glasnevin
Glasnevin is a largely residential neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland.-Geography:A mainly residential neighbourhood, it is located on the Northside of the city of Dublin . It was originally established on the northern bank of the River Tolka...
, Dublin, and other botanic institutions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
In 1996 the State
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
were given control of the arboreum and gardens. They are now administered by the Office of Public Works
Office of Public Works
The Office of Public Works is a State Agency of the Department of Finance in the Republic of Ireland...
in conjunction with the Irish Heritage Trust.
See also: Historic Cork Gardens
Historic Cork Gardens
-Annes Grove Gardens:Started by Richard Grove Annesley, in the grounds of a house near Fermoy dating from the early eighteenth century. Home to many Himalayan rhododendrons, some from seeds collected by Captain Frank Kingdon-Ward in Burma and Tibet in 1924...
.
Fota Island Golf Club and Resort
Fota Island Golf Club lies in the heart of a 780-acreAcre (Irish)
An Irish acre is a unit of area historically used in Ireland, Yorkshire, and regions bordering the Solway Firth.One Irish acre is equal to about 1.62 acre, 7,840 square yards, or 70,560 square feet....
estate (originally the Fota House grounds) integrated with woodlands and landscape. Its Golf Course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
consists of three challenging par
Par (golf scoring format)
This article is about the scoring system "Par", that is commonly used in Australian club golf as an alternative to Stableford and normal stroke play. The Par page provides a general definition of par on a golf hole....
71 championship courses in the traditional mode comprising the Deerpark, Belvelly and Barryscourt courses and is one of Ireland's many scenic and challenging golf settings. The Golf Club boasts three championship standard golf course configurations. The original Deerpark (Par 71) along with Belvelly (Par 72) and Barryscourt (Par 73).
Golf was first played in Fota Island in 1886. Since then it was continually developed and became one of the premier locations in golfing. In 1993, Fota Island Golf Club was further developed by Christy O'Connor Junior
Christy O'Connor Jnr
Christy O'Connor Jnr is an Irish golfer. He is known as "Junior" because he is the nephew of another leading Irish golfer Christy O'Connor.O'Connor was born in Galway. He turned professional in 1967...
(Irish Ryder Cup), and Peter McEvoy
Peter McEvoy
Peter McEvoy OBE was a leading British amateur golfer for many years, and is now a golf course designer, golf administrator, and golf writer....
(two-time British Amateur Champion
The Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
).
Fota Island is considered as essentially a resort course and hosts a number of tournaments which includes the Irish Club Professional Championship and the Murphy's Irish Open golf tournament in 2001 and 2002. Fota Island was then purchased by the Killeen Group (owners of Mount Juliet Golf & Spa Hotel in Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
). Since then, developments have started to take place and the course has been upgraded to European Tour standards.
In November 2004, Fota Island Golf Club was purchased by the Fleming Group. The Fleming Group also improved the course by renovating some of the holes and also maintained the greens and reseeded the trees surrounding the golf course. In 2006, the Fleming Group completed construction of the 5-star Fota Island Hotel & Spa as well a large self-catering lodge development in Fota Island to complement the golf course. In 2011, Fota Island Golf Club hosted the PGA Europro Audi Cork Irish Masters which was won by Paul Reed of Bristol and Clifton Golf Club.
Fota Wildlife Park
Opened in 1983 by the President of Ireland, Dr Patrick HilleryPatrick Hillery
Patrick John "Paddy" Hillery was an Irish politician and the sixth President of Ireland from 1976 until 1990. First elected at the 1951 general election as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Clare, he remained in Dáil Éireann until 1973...
, Fota Wildlife Park
Fota Wildlife Park
Fota Wildlife Park was opened in 1983. Located in the south of Ireland, in County Cork, the park is set on , and is home to nearly 30 mammal and 50 bird species. Many of the animals roam freely with the visitors, such as the ring-tailed lemurs and squirrel monkeys. The larger animals, including the...
has the
primary aim of conservation of global wildlife. It is a joint project of the Zoological Society of Ireland and University College Cork.
Fota Wildlife Park has more than 70 species of exotic wildlife in open natural surroundings. The animals who live there include ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
es, giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
s, kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
s, zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
s and antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
. Just about all of the animals who inhabit the island are allowed to roam throughout more than 202000 square metres (49.9 acre) of mature grassland, with the exception of the cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
s and other predators, which have strongly fenced enclosures.
Many of the animals at Fota are under serious threat of extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
. The cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
is an example of this. There are only 12,000 cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
s in their natural habitat. Fota Wildlife Park is one of the breeders worldwide for this endangered species, as well as being a source of many other zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
animals around the world.
Ring-Tailed Lemur
Ring-tailed Lemur
The ring-tailed lemur is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families. It is the only member of the Lemur genus. Like all lemurs it is endemic to the island of Madagascar...
s, Capybaras (the largest rodent in the world) and other animals are free to roam around the park.
By road
- Fota lies just off the N25 roadN25 roadThe N25 road is a national primary road in Ireland, forming the route from Cork to Rosslare Europort via Waterford City. The road is part of the E30 European route and a short section is also part of the E01 European route...
from CorkCork (city)Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
to RosslareRosslareThe name Rosslare may refer to:*Rosslare Strand, a village in County Wexford, Ireland* Rosslare Harbour, a village in County Wexford, Ireland*The Rosslare Europort at Rosslare Harbour...
. It is directly accessible to CobhCobhCobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island...
and CarrigtwohillCarrigtwohillCarrigtwohill, officially Carrigtohill , is a village in County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland with a population of 4,869 . It is located east of Cork city, bypassed by the N25 road and is part of Metropolitan Cork. Carrigtwohill is one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland. It is a major...
by the R624 regional road which runs from Tullagreen (N25 Southside Carrigtwohill-Cobh interchange) to CobhCobhCobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island...
town Center.