The people of Cork have traditionally been hard to control. Multiple Irish governments will confirm that. However, while this tradition may show itself today only in the non-payment of property taxes or water charges, the effects in earlier times were often quite drastic. The people of Cork flat out denied the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, which paved the way for the Irish Free State, because the independence granted to Ireland didn't go far enough for them. One of the fathers of Irish Independence, Michael Collins was killed by these anti-treaty forces here in Cork, which is bitterly ironic, considering that he was a Cork man himself.
Back in the 16th century, though, the people here in the southwest of Ireland didn't just limit themselves to stoking conflict here in Ireland, they were actively engaged in agitating against the British crown, and supported numerous rebellions and coup attempts, especially after the British had renounced Roman Catholicism. It is from these turbulent times that Cork gained its reputation as a "rebel county", even though these rebellions were always suppressed in a more or less (mostly more, though) bloody manor.
The subject of this article was built as a direct consequence of the failure of the last of these rebellions. The defeat of a combined Spanish and Irish Army at the Battle of Kinsale in 1601 brought an end to the Nine Years War, and ushered in an age of British dominance in Ireland, which would only end with the independence of Ireland in 1921.
Just what the hell am I writing about? Elizabeth Fort, a 17th century star fort at the southern end of the inner city of Cork. Why in the name of God am I writing about this? Just keep reading, I don't want to spoil the surprise.
The construction of what would become Elizabeth Fort was ordered immediately after the end of the Battle of Kinsale in 1601 by George Carew, Lord President of Munster, in order to keep the notoriously rebellious population of Cork in check. The original fort, built on a limestone bluff just south of what were then the city limits of Cork, was a simple earth and timber construction. And, apparently, it didn't really impress the locals all that much, as they overran and razed the fort in 1603. They were later forced to rebuild the facility at their expense.
Today, nothing is left of that original fort. The star fort we see today was built in 1624, and later improved in 1649, purportedly by Oliver Cromwell, as well as keeping control, it was also a vital element in the defence of the city of Cork.
In 1689, Ireland became caught up in the conflict between the Catholic Jacobites and the British Crown. Cork, living up to its reputation as the "rebel county", threw its weight behind the Jacobite cause. In 1690, John Churchill, the 1st Earl of Marlborough, and yes, an ancestor of Sir Winston Churchill, landed in Cork, and assaulted the city in a combined land and naval operation. While Elizabeth Fort remained relatively intact during the assault, the city walls were breached, and the Jacobite Garrison was forced to surrender. This, together with the fact that the city had begun to expand beyond its medieval boundaries, meant that Elizabeth Fort was no longer needed, or suitable, as an artillery fort.
It remained in military use though, and was converted to barracks in 1719. It remained that way until 1806, when a new facility was built on the north side of the city. These new barracks, nowadays known as Collins Barracks, and at the time of writing, the HQ of the 1st Brigade of the Irish Defence Forces, meant that Elizabeth Fort had become "surplus to requirements". It was turned into a holding facility for convicts sentenced for deportation to the penal colonies of modern-day Australia.
The military moved back in at the end of the 19th century, when an artillery unit was based at the fort. During the Irish War of Independence, Elizabeth Fort housed a unit of the infamous Black & Tans, a militia that was primarily known for its brutal conduct towards its enemies and the civilian population. Following independence, when the War of Independence morphed seamlessly into the Irish Civil War, republican anti-treaty forces moved into the fort. When ordered to hand the facility over to the armed forces of the Irish Free State, the republican troops in the fort chose to burn it, rather than hand it over. The rather barren look of the facility today can be traced back to that event.
Following the civil war, the Garda Siochána, the Irish police moved into the fort. The Garda station remained active until 2013, when it was closed down. The Fort was then transferred to the Office of Public Works, a state agency that takes care of state assets not managed by other agencies. It was this agency that took care of the restoration of the fort prior to its handing over to Cork City Council in 2014. By now, Elizabeth Fort regularly opens its doors to visitors, and that is of course not a chance that I would let slip by.
When approaching the fort from the city, it becomes immediately apparent, just how far the city has expanded since that fort was originally built. Still, the bastions of the fort loom menacingly over the houses built around them.
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| The ramparts and bastions of the fort dominate even buildings that are 200 years younger. I guess there's no better demonstration of the purpose of that building. |
I decided to approach the fort from the Coca Cola Zero Bikes station at St. Finn Barre's Place, walking up the stairs to Fort Street (no bonus points for guessing where that name came from). Using this approach, it quickly becomes apparent just how surrounded the fort is. Still, it is a rather inhospitable building, which should not be surprising, given its origins as a military facility.
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| I can't imagine how imposing these walls must have seemed for a potential attacker in the 17th century. |
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| The entrance to the fort is rather inconspicuous, which kinda makes sense. |
The entrance to the fort is on Barrack Street, which also lent its name to the Garda station inside the fort until 2013. The entire area has recently been refurbished, and has the potential to become a vibrant little neighbourhood, with the fort at its center. However, it is also obvious that this development is still at a very early stage, as evidenced by the numerous empty shops, as well as the rather makeshift operation of the fort itself. When I arrived, I was greeted by a lone employee, passing out information flyers about the fort. Even these flyers seemed to have been hastily printed on an office printer.
The fort itself was everything but makeshift, however. The Office of Public Works really did a great job in restoring the facility. That's the reason why I'll let the images do the talking for a while from here.
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| One of then internal courtyards of the fort. The stairs in the background lead up to the ramparts and bastions. |
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| Overview of the northeast bastion. In keeping with the unwritten laws of Irish construction, no two bastions are the same size. |
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| This building wasn't built until after the burning of the fort by anti-treaty forces during the civil war. It housed the Garda station until 2013. |
The Fort sports the typical structure of an early star fort. Four triangular bastions project outwards from the four corners of the fort, while the north wall additionally sports an additional triangular gun platform, known as a redan. Only the exterior walls remain of this today. It was designed to increase the number of guns that could be brought to bear on the "rebellious" city of Cork, if needed. Three of the four bastions are open to the public, only the southeast bastion remains inaccessible.
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| Panoramic view from the northeast bastion. On the left you can see the triangular gun platform, the redan. |
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| I was unable to ascertain whether these flying rats used to be on the menu of the fort's garrison. |
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| View along the west side of the redan towards the medieval city of Cork. |
At the moment, there is only one guided tour through the fort every week, starting at 1 PM on Saturday. To compensate for this, the Office of Public Works has mounted information plaques on key locations throughout the fort, outlining the development of the fort, as well as the everyday life (and death) inside the facility. As far as I'm concerned, the view from the bastions and ramparts are still the most fascinating aspect of the fort.
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| Modern day guns may literally provide more bang for the buck, but I wouldn't mind having one of these oldies around at work from time to time. |
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| The first harbingers of spring have arrived in the yard of St. Finn Barre's Cathedral. It's about time, goddamnit! |
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| The meandering South Channel of the River Lee for centuries marked the southern city boundary of Cork. |
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| Contrasts in the Valley of the River Lee. |
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| Another panorama, this one from the northwest bastion of Elizabeth Fort. |
Elizabeth Fort was originally constructed to keep the city of Cork in check. It's location was pretty ideal for that, sitting on a limestone bluff that overlooks the city and what used to be the marshes surrounding it. By a strange coincidence, it also stands between the medieval city, grown from a Viking trading post, and the originally monastic settlement established by St. Finn Barre, which stood near the location of the modern day St. Finn Barr's Cathedral. In a way, the fort cuts Cork off from its Irish roots, which has a bitter, inescapable irony, considering the original purpose of the building.
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| Everyone has his chores, even inside an old fort. |
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| Off with their heads, I say... |
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| Once again, no bonus points for guessing how Fort Street got its name.... |
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| The southwest bastion seems to be the largest one in the fort. |
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| Checking out the neighbours through one of the few remaining gun ports of the fort. |
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| Looking towards the northwest bastion. |
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| You can clearly see that the redan is nothing more than an empty shell. |
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| Even this far upstream, the River Lee is still a tidal river. |
All things considered, a visit to Elizabeth Fort should be very high on the agenda of anyone visiting Cork, or even for locals. It is the only fortification still in existence within the city of Cork proper. The other two, Queens Old Castle, and Shandon, exist in name only, the Irish name of the district of Shandon, An Seandún, literally meaning "Old Fort". A lot has been reached in making the fort more attractive, and the regular opening of the fort is a major step in the right decision. Much still needs to be done, though, especially with regards to the old Garda station and the main courtyard. That still lies dormant.
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| Any volunteers? |
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| It's kinda sad to see the fort empty and lifeless like this... |
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| One more view of the hollowed out redan. |
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| If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that these metal arcs in the ground were used to aim cannons |
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| View from the courtyard of the castle looking out through the main gate, or is it the other way around? |
At the time of writing, the Elizabeth Fort has no official website yet. I have therefore taken the liberty of gathering some information about the fort, to make things easier for potential visitors. While I have taken care to find the correct information, please note that all information below is provided "as is", and that I cannot accept any liabilities for the accuracy of this information.
- Admission - Free
- Opening Hours
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: 10 AM - 5 PM
- Wednesday: 10 AM - 5 PM
- Thursday: 10 AM - 5 PM
- Friday: 10 AM - 5 PM
- Saturday: 10 AM - 5 PM
- Free Guided Tour starts every Saturday at 1 PM
- Sunday: 12 AM - 5 PM
- The fort is only partially accessible for mobility restricted persons. The stairways leading up to the ramparts partially date from the original construction of the stone forte in 1624.
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| The two pictures above should make it abundantly clear why using your car to get the castle is a really bad idea. |
I would strongly advise against getting to the fort by car. The parking situation in the Barrack Street Area is disastrous, to put it mildly. I would advise to simply walk there. From Grand Parade, you can reach it by using the footbridge across the South Channel of the River Lee, and turning right. Follow Sullivan's Quay until you reach the intersection with South Main Street and Barrack Street, and turn left, up the hill into Barrack Street. After about 100 meters, you should see the entrance to the fort on the right.
St. Finn Barre's Cathedral is right next door to the fort. If you want to check out the fort after visiting the cathedral, you simply walk east along Bishop Street until you reach St. Finn Barre's Place. It's easily recognisable due to the Coca Cola Zero Bikes station. Walk up the stairs, and turn left onto Fort Street. After about 75 meters, turn left onto Barrack Street, and within another 20 meters, you should see the entrance to the fort on your left.
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| Coca Cola Zero Bikes station Bishop Street (pictured here) is a good starting point for a tour of the castle. |
If you're using Coca Cola Zero Bikes Cork, no matter whether you're an annual subscriber, or just a 3-day-subscriber, there are two docking stations comfortably close to Elizabeth Fort. One is Bishop Street, which is the station that I used, and the other one would be South Gate Bridge, outside the Flying Enterprise restaurant/pub.
Like many of the true gems of Cork, Elizabeth Fort isn't easy to find, which is unfortunate, as the fort offers sweeping views over the city, and literally offers a new perspective, quite apart from just being a fascinating historic site. Cork City Council has some interesting plans for the fort, and I hope they are seen through. The South Side of the city simply doesn't get enough attention from a tourist point of view.
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