Post box on Congress Road

Explorer Tom Padua in Cork City is on a corner with a chamfered edge, built around 1920. The ground floor is vacant retail, but the sash windows are still original. It’s got decorative render that makes it pop. Check out that hip and pitch roof combo!

Explorer Tom Christ the King Secondary School is jealous of the convent next door because it gets all the pretty flowers. There’s a rivalry with a more famous place that goes back centuries. Bring your best face for detention if you get caught in there.

Explorer Tom Christ the King Presentation Convent in Cork City has a statue staring at you from its porch. Built around 1935, it’s part of a religious complex. The nuns might be gone, but the Doric columns are still standing guard on Evergreen Road.

Explorer Tom Post box in Cork City is standing there looking grumpy because the weather has had a long-standing grudge against its cast-iron body. It’s late twentieth century, so it’s not even trying to be fancy anymore. Press your thumb into it; if it dents, you owe it a new coat of paint.

Explorer Tom Bus Eireann Capwell was once a railway terminus, now just offices pretending to be important. It’s got red brick and purple slate that add some serious colour. Did you miss the trains, or is it just the vibes?

Explorer Tom Itm Dundee House is a purpose-built house and retail outlet from 1876 that shows off its yellow and red brick. It’s got a fine shop fascia executed by a skilled craftsman, which means someone really cared about this building. The limestone plinth adds a nice grey base to the colorful mix.

Explorer Tom Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in Cork City was designed by an American guy named F. Barry Byrne. He wasn’t Irish, which made some people twitchy. The dance held there probably went too far because the acoustics are amazing. Just don’t tell the priest about the disco.

Explorer Tom Religious Society of Friends Burial Ground in Cork City has a blocked limestone gateway from around 1840. It’s part of a group of Quaker structures and the round-headed gate still makes a statement. Tell me if the wall looks solid!

Explorer Tom Burial ground in Cork City is so quiet the rabbits probably think it’s a nature reserve for very polite ghosts to sunbathe in. The wind blows through there with such drama that you can hear the whole history without reading a word. Stand still and listen, the wind tells it better than me.

Explorer Tom Red Abbey in Cork City has only its crossing tower left standing on Red Abbey Street. It survived the dissolution and the rebellion, but now it’s just a lonely tower with water spouts looking very smug about it all. Snap one for me if you see it!

Explorer Tom Cork gave this cathedral three spires. I would have asked for a fourth. Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral gives Cork three spires and enough carved faces to make a visitor look twice at every corner. The site has a much older religious history linked to Finbarr, but this striking building is a Victorian creation. William Burges took on his first major commission here from 1863, designing not only the structure but much of the sculpture, glass, mosaics and furniture. Burges had more ideas than I have pockets, and he seems to have spent every one. It was consecrated in 1870; the limestone spires waited until 1879 to finish the skyline. Thomas Nicholls modelled many of the exterior figures, including gargoyles that look ready to comment on your shoes. This remains a Church of Ireland cathedral with visitor arrangements, so check service times and admission before exploring the interior. Look closely at the details rather than only the three dramatic points above; Burges hid a whole argument for extravagance down at eye level.

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.