Cork To Get New Tourist Attraction

• By: Editor
• On: 31/Jul/2009
• In: Cork Travel Tips

This week the Irish government handed over control of Spike Island in Cork Harbour to Cork County Council and hopes are high that this will pave the way for a major tourist attraction to be developed on the site.

With history spanning back as far the 7th century, the site was originally a monastic settlement. During the Cromwell invasion, prisoners were held on the island before being deported to far away lands.

The prison was named Fort Mitchel after John Mitchel who was involved in the rebellion of 1848. The island actually remained under British control up until 1938 when the last troops left and the site was handed over to the Irish state.

The site itself contains 106 acres and was home to Fort Mitchel prison which housed inmates from 1985 to 2004.

Much of the credit for the handover to Cork County Council must go to a local historian from Cobh called Michael Martin who has campaigned for years to have the site developed into a tourist attraction.

It is estimated that costs could rise to over €1million and as of yet no details have been released as to where the funding for the project will come from.

This is a welcome addition to the tourist product of County Cork and indeed the wider regions of Munster. The fact that Spike Island sits in Cork Harbour will showcase the beauty of County Cork's coastline and will fit perfectly with other nearby attractions such as Cory City Gaol, Midleton Distillery and Queenstown Story at Cobh.

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