Glen River Park

Explorer Tom National Tavern in Ballinamought West/Montenotte is a solid roadside pub from around 1920 that really stands out. It’s got raised lettering advertising local stout and porter, which is a nice touch. Pop in for a pint if you dare and see if the round-headed windows let in enough light!

Explorer Tom Cork Prison has been operating for about 150 years, so it’s seen some truly terrible behavior. It was a military prison first, then a civil one, so it’s basically a career changer. Wave to the gatehouse!

Explorer Tom Shop or retail outlet in Glankittane/montenotte is doing a bit of Tudor revival. Brian Dillon was born here, so maybe he’s haunting the half-timbered gable? Snag a photo of that fancy corner for the gram.

Explorer Tom St Brendan’s Roman Catholic Church is circular with a pyramidal copper roof, looking like a futuristic dome in Rathmore. Built in 1973, it’s got mosaic tiled columns that are properly arty. Does the spire point to heaven?

Explorer Tom Post box in Ballinamought West is rocking a Queen Victoria crown from the 1890s! It’s a cast-iron reminder of our colonial past, with some excellent mass-produced design. Give the monarch a cheeky nod if you see it!

Explorer Tom Collins Barracks in Rathmore is ready for its close-up on a reality show where nobody knows what a verandah is. The cast-iron columns are flexing their muscles while the rest of the town naps, so don’t wake them up. Give it a thumbs up from across the street.

Explorer Tom St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Ballinamought West is dressed up in red sandstone and grey limestone. The stained glass inside is top-notch, but the stone outside does most of the talking. It’s quite handsome.

Explorer Tom Bridge in Rathmore isn't actually a bridge, it’s a ventilation shaft from 1850! One of four that let steam trains breathe out their fumes. Local legends say it did other weird stuff, but mostly it just stood there looking confused on a traffic island.

Explorer Tom Ladys Well in Cork City has a shrine with a statue but no visible well anymore. It's not frequented on a holy well nowadays, which is sad. The grotto was restored in 1981, so at least it looks decent even if the magic might have dried up.

Explorer Tom Father Matthew is a monument to a man who probably had a ghost that was too lazy to haunt it because the paperwork was too complicated and annoying. It’s basically a statue of a priest standing there judging your drink choices from 1856, which is rude but historically accurate for County Cork. Bring sandwiches, the gulls will thank you.

Explorer Tom Lavitts Quay is a memorial where, legend has it, a goat once ruled the harbour by eating all the navigation charts before the tide came in. Now it’s just rocks and stories, but if you look closely, you can still see the hoofprints of that terrible beast. Bring your worst joke, the place has heard worse.

Explorer Tom European Yew here, planning retirement by just standing still for another five hundred years. It says it's saving up leaves for a big trip to the afterlife. Stick around for the light changing, it's a slow burn show.