Cork’s Alternative Tourist Trail

Off the Beaten Track in Cork

 

While Cork has plenty of well-trodden tourist attractions, there’s lots to explore off the beaten track too. From ancient stone calendars to Ireland’s version of Alcatraz, we take a tour of the county’s most unusual attractions.

Kindred Spirits Sculpture

This is a rather poignant monument to the remarkable generosity the Choctaw Nation showed the Irish people during the famine. In 1847 the Native Americans raised $170 – equivalents to tens of thousands of dollars today – to buy food for Irish people affected by the famine. The sculpture features 9 stainless steel feathers, shaped into an empty bowl; a fitting tribute to a selfless act generations ago.

Where: Bailick Park, Midleton
 

Knocknakilla Stone Circle

This fascinating site comprises a stone circle, a radial cairn and two portal stones, which were erected to serve as a sort of calendar for local farmers. The complex is estimated to be more than 3,500 years old, and is a beautiful reminder of how we lived thousands of years ago.

Where: Between Macroom and Millstreet