page_title: Fota Island
section_title: Fota House
hierarchical_section_title: Fota Island / Fota House and Gardens / Fota House
caption_attribution_description: English: Fota House Fota House was formerly the home of the Earls of Barrymore, now in the hands of the Irish Heritage Trust.
context_page_description: Fota is an island in Cork Harbour, Ireland, just north of the larger island of Great Island. Fota Island is host to Ireland's only wildlife park – as well as the historical Fota House and gardens and golf course owned by the "Fota Island Golf Club and Resort". The island comprises two townlands both called Foaty: one each in the civil parishes of Clonmel and Carrigtohill.
context_section_description: Fota House was the former home of the Smith-Barry family (Earls of Barrymore since 1627), descendants of Philip de Barry. The de Barry family came from Wales as part of the Norman invasion of Ireland. The family were granted lands at Fota and elsewhere in 1185. The family first resided at Barryscourt Castle, Carrigtwohill, then at Castlelyons where they held extensive lands. Fota House was originally a hunting lodge and became the family's main residence in the 1820s when the architect, Sir Richard Morrison (1767–1849) and his son Vetruvius Morrison (1794–1838), created the present regency mansion with over 70 rooms.
  The last member of the Smith-Barry family to live in Fota House was Dorothy Elizabeth Bell (1894–1975), daughter of Arthur Smith-Barry, 1st Baron Barrymore (1843–1925). She continued to develop and record the plant collections in the gardens and in the arboretum, which her family had started in the 1840s. On Mrs Bell's death in 1975 the estate was sold to University College, Cork.
  During the latter part of the last century, the house fell into some disrepair – culminating in the collapse of a ceiling. This closed the house to the public for some time. It was restored using EU, Irish government and private funding, prior to reopening in early 2002. In December 2007, the new Irish Heritage Trust took over responsibility for Fota House.
caption: View of Fota House.
exif: {}