Island 52 - Fota or Foaty Island, County Cork

Fota or Foaty Island is a small island in Cork Harbour to the north of Great Island.  It is no longer a true island, as the area that used to be water separating it from the mainland on the north eastern side of the island has been closed off, drained and is now dry land.  It can be accessed by road from the main N25 Cork to Midleton road and there is also a railway station.

Philip de Barry arrived in Ireland from Wales as part of the Norman Invasion in the 1160s-1170s.  Fota Island was the private home of the Smith-Barry family for around 800 years until it was sold to University College Cork in 1975 after the death of the last member of the family. 

Fota Island Resort is a hotel with spa facilities and a golf course.  

Fota House Arboretum and Gardens are open to the public from mid-March until the end of September each year.  It is currently managed by the Irish Heritage Trust.  It was originally a hunting lodge but the current regency mansion was built in the 1820s and at this time it became the Smith-Barry family's main residence.

Fota Wildlife Park opened in 1983.  It is part of the Zoological Society of Ireland and is visited by about 440,000 people each year.  Its core values are conservation, education, research and entertainment.  The animals they have include Asiatic lions, giraffes, tapirs, kangaroos, zebras, lemurs, European bison, rhinos, wallabies, gibbons, Humboldt penguins, capybaras, emus, various monkeys, flamingos and cheetahs.

 Entrance to Fota Island Resort

 Entrance to Fota Resort

 

 Fota Island Resort Sign

 

 Entrance to Fota House, Arboretum, Gardens and Wildlife Park

 

Fota Island from Great Island at low tide