Refurbished Camden Fort Meagher to re-open with café and new gift shop

ONE of Cork’s best-located attractions will reopen next month, after failing to open last summer.

Cork County Council said Camden Fort Meagher, which commands stunningviews across all of Cork harbour, will re-open on Saturday, April 27th for the summer season, complete with a gift shop and a café making the most of the site’s location.

The fort closed to the public for the 2023 season to facilitate essential repair work to safeguard the structural integrity of Camden Fort Meagher for many years to come.

Camden Fort Meagher is internationally recognised as being one of the world’s finest remaining examples of a classical coastal artillery fort and it featured on the TV physical challenge series Ultimate Hell Week.

Refurbishment work at Camden Fort is now complete.

For almost 400 years the fort played a key role as a strong strategic position for the defence of Ireland, the west coast of England and Wales. Over 60% of the fort is located underground in a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers. The fort has had extensive restoration works recently, completed on the casemate block.

Specialist works included the excavation, waterproofing and backfilling of barrel- vaulted roofs. Traditional methods for stone cleaning and re-pointing of stonework with lime mortar to safeguard the integrity of the original construction were employed.

The restoration project has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Irish Construction Excellence Awards 2024. To mark the reopening, Cork County Council has sponsored jerseys for Crosshaven GAA Club’s newly-established girls’ football teams, providing two sets of jerseys with the Camden Fort Meagher logo on the front.

At the sponsorship event for the Crosshaven Girls’ Football team, county mayor Cllr Frank O’Flynn said the Council was delighted to see Camden Fort logo on the girls’ kit.

‘The extensive restoration works that have taken place during the fort’s closure to the public, will ensure that the fort will be enjoyed and survive for generations to come,’ he said.

To coincide with the reopening, Cork County Council has sponsored jerseys for Crosshaven GAA Club’s new girls’ football teams, with the Camden Fort Meagher logo. They were presented by county mayor Cllr Frank O’Flynn and Council divisional manager Michael Lynch, along with local councillors, Camden Fort staff and volunteers, to the members of the GAA club.

The reopening will also see a new on-site ticket office and gift shop added to the visitor experience, which includes guided tours of the fort, as well as a café with breathtaking views of Cork Harbour from its balcony, allowing diners to spot the numerous cruise ships visiting Cork and other activity on the large harbour.

Chief executive of Cork County Council Valerie welcomed the local volunteers back on site and thanked them for their amazing work in the past. Many of them were involved in the original reclaiming of the neglected fort and undertook months of hard work clearing the site and restoring many of the features.

‘Their dedication and passion continue to prove invaluable as we work together to preserve and promote this historical site for generations to come,’ she said.

The opening hours are Wednesdays to Sundays and bank holiday Mondays: April to June, from 10am to 5pm (last entry 4pm); July to August from 10am to 6pm (last entry 5pm), and September to October from 10am to 4pm (last entry 3pm).

Entry prices are €8 for adults and €5 for children with concession for families and annual tickets. Under 3s are free.