Pillar

Explorer Tom Sallybrook House in Riverstown hates its least favorite visitor: the guy who brings flour into the living room and leaves no crumbs behind for the birds. The camber-headed windows are rolling their eyes at the craftsmanship, so admire it from afar without touching anything. Whisper 'nice' to the roof slates.

Explorer Tom Saint Stephen’s Hospital again! This one has verandahs where patients could sit in the sun to cure their lungs. It’s got those flat roofs and pilotis that make it look like it’s floating on stilts. Spot the old TB vibes if you can.

Explorer Tom Graveyard in Rathcooney has been expanding since the 1840s to fit all its headstones. The earliest one is from 1705, which is pretty old school. It sits by the crossroads with some church ruins nearby.

Explorer Tom Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church Springhill has a John Hogan sculpture inside that’s probably judging your outfit right now. The render decoration is giving it a bit of a glow-up. Grand plans for the afternoon?

Explorer Tom The Hermitage in County Cork is a villa with a plaque from Bachelors Hall. Built around 1810, it has bay windows and a walled garden. The name sounds lonely, but the architecture says 'come and stay for tea'.

Explorer Tom School in Riverstown is pretending to be a stonemason’s masterpiece while secretly hiding its broken windows. It claims red brick dressings make it fancy, but it looks like a bricklayer had a bad day. Shout hello and see if it pretends not to hear you from the pavement.

Explorer Tom Barnavara House in Poulacurry is an 1830 country house with a later canted bay that looks a bit tacked on. It’s got a gate lodge and garden setting that feels like a storybook. Check out the unadorned facade for me!

Explorer Tom Riverstown Bridge is wide enough to park a tractor on, which explains why the last time anyone crossed it, they got stuck mid-span for an hour. The locals still swear it was a ghost, but I think it was just bad parking. Wave at the arches for luck.

Explorer Tom Poulacurry House is a Georgian show-off with ball finials that twinkle in the sun. There was a prophecy about it becoming a disco, but that never happened, which is a massive letdown. Twist: imagine it spinning like a vinyl record and hum along quietly.

Explorer Tom Lauriston in Banduff is a Victorian Classicist remodel of an older house. It’s got a circular portico that looks like it’s ready to take a bow. Rarely see one this close to the city with its own land!

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 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.