Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens

About the museum

Fota House was the ancestral home of the Smith-Barry family on Fota Island in Cork Harbour. It is a Regency mansion whose rooms, from the grand reception spaces to the servants’ wing, show how life was lived by the family and by the staff who served them. James Hugh Smith-Barry laid out the surrounding gardens in the first half of the nineteenth century, and the estate still contains a Victorian working garden with restored glasshouses, an orangery and an arboretum with rare trees and shrubs.

The Smith-Barry family also allowed the Cork to Queenstown railway to cross their land in 1862, and in return a private stop at Fota was built for their own use. The station is still in use and is a ten-minute walk from the house.

The Irish Heritage Trust, a non-profit charity, took over the care of the house and estate in 2007, when original features such as the glasshouses and the working garden were at risk. Extensive restoration followed, with state and local support, and the house now holds a nationally significant collection of paintings. It has museum status from the Heritage Council under the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland, renewed in 2020. House visits are by guided tour, and the grounds and gardens can be explored separately.

Highlights

• Guided tours of a restored Regency mansion, including the servants’ wing
• Nationally significant collection of paintings and an art tour
• Victorian working garden with restored glasshouses
• Arboretum and formal gardens, with free entry to the gardens
• Accredited museum under the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland

Permanent exhibition

• Fota House guided tour and art collection – A guided tour of the restored Regency rooms and servants’ wing, with the house’s collection of historic paintings; a separate art tour is available for groups.

Operated by

Irish Heritage Trust

Admission & discounts

House tickets are sold for each guided tour through the online booking system; prices are not listed on the information pages. Entry to the arboretum and gardens is free, and there is a day parking fee of €3 for the grounds, shared with Fota Wildlife Park. The OPW Heritage Card does not cover entry to Fota House.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The gift shop in the Long Gallery, the lower ground floor and the principal rooms are accessible. Access to four rooms on the first floor is restricted for wheelchair users, but a lift serves the servants’ wing (Nursery, Butler’s Bedroom and Maid’s Bedroom), and a video tour of the Shamrock Room and Titled Guest Suite is shown on a tablet. A wheelchair can be borrowed if booked in advance. An adapted toilet is on the ground floor. Garden paths are fine gravel, with an accessible, step-free entrance to the arboretum on the road above the house. Dedicated bays for permit holders are in Bay 1 of the house car park, about a five-minute walk on a level road from the entrance. Assistance dogs are welcome.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Garden maps for children are sold in the shop, and the estate runs activities and events through the year. The wildlife park next door shares the car park.

Getting there & parking

From Cork take the N25 east towards Midleton, leave at junction 3 for Cobh and follow the signs to the filter lane for Fota House before Belvelly Bridge.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The café run by The Food Club is open 10:00 to 16:00 from mid-March to September and at weekends in October, and closed from November to mid-March. A gift shop in the Long Gallery sells garden maps for children and adults.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

The Great Hall, glasshouses and gardens can be hired for events, meetings and celebrations.

Plan your visit