Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens Admission Ticket

I was lucky enough to participate in a group guided tour of fota house and gardens. We were blessed with the best most informative guide - and I’m sorry but I can’t remember the ladies name. We did the garden tour followed by the house tour. The lady took her time with everyone’s questions snd had plenty of historical anecdotes! This was followed by a delicious lunch! It was a wet day and although some of the tour was out doors it didn’t dampen the spirits!

The first station were two elves, they had to make a train from 4 pieces of wood with Velcro. Send station was Mrs Claus where she read a book for ten mins which was poor. Then we met Santa and the first thing I noticed was his beard was ridiculous. He said come here and take a photo first. Then asked where we were from and made a joke about cork jerseys which the kids didn’t get. Then asked the kids what they wanted and my son said a motorbike, instead of being nice about it he said where is your licence. Then we were told to leave. Very short. My daughter came out and said he was clearly fake did you see his beard. And then they got books as a present, I felt so sad for my kids. Worse €115 spent!

A really interesting tour of the house with Lynn, a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. Lynn was especially kind as we arrived at the wrong time for a tour but it was our only chance and she very kindly took us on our own tour. We are so glad that she did! Thank you Lynn, it was very informative with interesting stories.

A very enjoyable tour with M. as our guide. I'm from Carrigtwohill, and have visited the gardens now and then, but didn't quite realise what a gem we had locally, with the house itself and its history. The tour lasted an hour and a half, and we could easily have lingered for another hour or more in the various rooms, looking at the paintings and furnishings. Afterwards, we purchased 'Through the Green Baize Doors' - a book of recollections of Fota House from someone who worked there in the mid 20th century. The stories of the people who lived and worked here (some of which had been imparted by our tour guide, and on whose recommendation we bought the book) added pathos to beauty of the physical house. The nearby presence of the gardens and arboretum further enrich the offering. It'd be great if the place were more easily accessible by foot and bicycle from Carrigtwohill (I know this is outside the remit of Irish Heritage Trust, but perhaps it's something the local council could work on, in conjunction with those on the island).

What a great place to visit! My husband is a wheelchair user and normally these historic house tours are out of bounds for him. Not Fota House - he was able to enjoy 80 per cent of the tour with a lift ride to the first floor. The staff are second to none in terms of welcome and hospitality - a special thank you to Maeve and Carmel. The story of the house is warm and authentic and it’s great that the Irish Heritage Trust is keeping the history alive for visitors. You get a great cup of coffee too! Well done.