Cork City’s increasingly popular city centre tourism attraction, Elizabeth Fort saw a 11% increase in visitors last year.
It welcomed 61,815 visitors from Ireland, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and further afield.
Elizabeth Fort Manager Peter Looney said: “Elizabeth Fort is increasingly appearing on lists and blogs about top attractions in Cork. Visitors love the view of the wider city that it offers and the many photo opportunities that it provides due to props that we have in place like the much-loved pillory. Visitors also love its varied history over the years from being built as a fortress in 1601 to its use by the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and as a Garda Barracks. What is unique also about it is that is has survived within Cork’s city centre”.
Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Mick Finn congratulated the team at Elizabeth Fort, saying: ‘’There was a long campaign to open up Elizabeth Fort to the public and these kind of figures validate those efforts. We need to continue to invest in it to ensure visitors get an enhanced experience... a visitor/ interpretative centre would be fantastic. Well done to all the team there.’’
Key events on Cork’s cultural calendar, St. Patrick’s Day, Cork Heritage Day and Culture Night are all celebrated at Elizabeth Fort.
Ex Caleo (a web of dance and theatre) by Luke Murphy was also performed there as part of the Cork Midsummer Festival and Bonfire Night Miscellany, a newly commissioned work by the Munster Literature Society was performed in open air as part of Cruinniu na Nóg.
The Fort has drawn TV and fashion magazine interest with RTE’s Ecoeye and a French documentary ‘Invitation Au Voyage’ filmed there, while the Irish Examiner’s Weekend magazine also did a fashion shoot on site last year.
The Maritime, Military and Industrial Atlantic Heritage (MMIAH) Project, of which Cork City Council is one of nine European project partners, aims to recover disused elements of maritime, military and industrial heritage through new social and economic actions. Elizabeth Fort is the focus of the MMIAH project in Cork city.
Elizabeth Fort hosts a number of educational tours and art exhibitions annually, bringing a diverse range of people to the Fort for the first time.
Entry to the fort is free, although there is a nominal charge of €3 for adults (children under 12 go free) for a guided walking tour along the walls.
Staff are happy to welcome family groups, groups of friends or individuals.
To learn more, please visit: http://www.elizabethfort.ie/
