Honan Chapel

Explorer Tom University College Cork in Gillabbey is actually just a very fancy Edwardian house on Donovan Road. The pentagonal roof spire is trying hard to look academic, but it’s mostly just showing off its stained glass.

Explorer Tom Crossleigh in Gillabbey has got a pentagonal spire and thinks it’s a castle. It’s Edwardian architecture with stained glass and Tudor detailing, basically a house that went to art school. Go on, compliment the brickwork; the local sheep have already rated it five stars.

Explorer Tom Caucasian Wingnut is named after a place that sounds like a wizard’s hat but is actually a nut tree. There was a bishop who refused to visit because he didn’t like the wings on the nuts. Pack a picnic and an excuse for why you’re sitting under a weird tree in Cork.

Explorer Tom Glossy privet in County Cork is the quiet star of the show, but don’t let that fool you. The whole parish once argued about whether it was fancy or not. It’s free, it’s odd, so what more could you possibly want?

Explorer Tom The Glucksman Gallery has 'Yesterday' as its favourite song because it thinks everything modern is just noise and bad paint choices anyway. It’s sitting there quietly judging your outfit while you pretend to understand the abstract art on the walls. Tell the kids it's a castle. Close enough.

Explorer Tom There’s actually a dog in charge of this George Boole bust now, and he barks at anyone who gets his maths wrong. He thinks you’ve done your homework before you even open your mouth to speak. Walk past slowly like you're in a film.

Explorer Tom Gill Abbey in Cork City was founded by Cormac MacCarthaig and burned down by Anglo-Normans who were scared of the men of Desmond. That sounds like a neighborhood dispute that escalated way too quickly. Tell me if the gossip I made up about the monks is true, or just lie.

Explorer Tom Ira Volunteers Memorial in County Cork had a fox take charge of the guard duty last Tuesday because the actual guards were all asleep on the job nearby. The fox did a decent enough job until he got distracted by a squirrel and ran off into the distance. Look up, the best bit is always higher than you think.

Explorer Tom Cork Public Museum lives in a house that has hosted royalty, history displays and, for a while, an air-raid office. The Beamish family built it in 1845. It welcomed dignitaries during Cork's International Exhibition in 1902, then reopened as a museum in 1910 when the exhibition grounds became Fitzgerald Park. During the Second World War it partly served civil defence, before the museum returned fully to its usual business. I would have offered to guide the 1902 visitors and promptly mixed up all the dates. Check current museum hours and entry before visiting, and leave time for the park around it. Look at the building before the objects inside. Its own changing jobs are part of Cork's story, even if it is too modest to put itself in a case.