In Praise of East Cork. Food. People. Place. Worth a Visit!

 

St Tola Tartlet at Clancy's Youghal

Superb fish at Sea Church, Ballycotton

In Praise of East Cork.

Food. People. Place. Worth a Visit!

Friendly people, great food, and coastal and inland attractions make East Cork a gem of a place to visit. From the fantastic 13th-century St Mary’s Collegiate Church in Youghal to high-class Gardens and Arboretum at Fota, and Barryscourt Castle in between, all free to enter, there is a treasure chest of places to visit in the area.

Featherblade, signature dish at Ferrit & Lee

Let me take you on a trip to see a slice of it. We’ll also enjoy some delicious meals as East Cork is a foodie’s paradise with top-notch venues including CUSH and Ferrit & Lee, Midleton’s pioneering Farmers Market (every Saturday), and the food mecca of Ballymaloe. Cafés worth noting in the area are the Kilkenny Design Café and Carewswood Café (in the garden centre).

Christy Ring

And, before or after Ballymaloe (which could take a while), do take the opportunity to visit the medieval town of Cloyne. It is one of the area's hidden gems, its skyline dominated by the large medieval Round Tower and across the road is St. Colman's Cathedral, built in 1270/80 and still in use. 

Famous Cloyne people include the 20th century hurler Christy Ring and the 18th century philosopher George Berkeley, both of whom are remembered here: Ring's statue (right) is by the GAA field and Berkley's tomb is in the cathedral.

Cush Midleton

Coming from the city on the old Cork-Waterford road, look out for signs (on your right), just after Glounthaune, for the Harpers Island Wetlands. Enjoy the nature all around you, including the ample birdlife (get your photos from the hides there!).

Next, take the Cobh exit ramp and head for breakfast or lunch, right to Bramley Lodge, or left to The Bakestone Cafe in Fota Retail Park. Now, set up for the day, go over the nearby bridge to Fota Island and its many attractions. If you have kids, go to the Wildlife Park; if not, walk through the renowned Fota Arboretum and maybe add a tour of the Georgian House. You can also enjoy lunch in Fota House where the Food Club will look after you. Both the park and the house have their own railway station, on the Cork - Cobh line.

There's a new tour and taste in operation nearby at the Hederman Smokehouse in Belvelly. Check it out here.

If you like it around this area, you may also try the high-class Fota Island Hotel and Golf Resort. Other top-class hotels in the area include the Raddison Blu (Little Island), Vienna Woods (Glanmire) and the Castlemartyr Resort with its Michelin starred Terre. The Resort also has a lively pub in the village called The Hunted Hog (serving food every day).

Planet Dessert at O'Mahony's Watergrasshill

On the way east, or on the way home, why not call to the Elm Tree for some of their tasty food? Their carvery (left) is much awarded. 

Moving on, go over the Belvelly Bridge (take a long look at the recently renovated castle) and you’ll find yourself on Great Island where the cathedral town of Cobh is situated. Much to do here including the Sirius Art Centre, also the Titanic Trail and Spike Island, walking tours, harbourside bars and restaurants and of course the Cobh Heritage Centre which tells of forced deportations and also the tales of the ill fated liners, The Titanic and the Lusitania and, of course, St. Colman’s Cathedral.

Casement Square, Cobh

Staying in Cobh? Try the Commodore Hotel (relax in your harbour view suite) with its magnificent frontage by the promenade or, if you like it even closer to the water, there's the well-named Water's Edge. 

Fota Arboretum. Also here: Fota House, walled gardens, plus a café.

Need a flavoursome plateful and good coffee? Why not try Seasalt by the water. Also look out for Ellen's Kitchen and the Quays Bar & Restaurant. In Casement Square, The Arch Wine Bar/Café has been getting good reviews while Azure Harbour Bistro will feed you very well indeed. 

Tasting of the best smoked fish included in guided tour of Hederman Smokery in Belvelly Cobh.

If you have four or more hours to spare, be sure to take the ferry over to Spike Island. It is a fantastic tour, with great guides, and so many interesting things to see and do, much of it related to its historic military and prison life, but also superb walks and views out over the harbour. Very Highly Recommended.

 Bouillabaisse at Azure, Cobh

From Cobh, boats take you across to Spike and also on harbour tours. Maybe you’d just like to walk around the town; I did so recently, taking in the Holy Ground, the Titanic Garden and the Sonia O’Sullivan sculpture, and you may check it all out here. Perhaps you'd prefer just to sit on the decking at The Titanic Bar & Grill and watch the boats go by. On the main road in and out of Cobh, why not call to the Hederman Smoke House, do the tour and enjoy some of Frank's marvellous fish. On the lookout for coffee, cake and vintage ceramics, then you must visit Belvelly Vintage at 5 Harbour Row.

Midleton Distillery

Superb Stir Fry at The Malthouse

Time now to head out of the islands and head east for a tour of the revamped Midleton Distillery Experience. No shortage of food stores, cafes and restaurants in Midleton (indeed there's a café, The Malthouse, in the distillery). Plenty more nearby, including the accomplished Ferrit & Lee and Cush. Then there's the friendly Granary foodstore now well over 20 years in business. And, at the start of 2026,  The Grumpy Bakers have moved to Main Street. You'll find them in the previous O'Donovan's premises and they now have much more space for you to enjoy a coffee and sandwich or treat.

Lamb at Ballymaloe lunch

There will be detours, of course. One that I like - you may need a driver here - is to head towards Ballyvolane House near Castlelyons. Lots to do here, including fishing and glamping, and it was here that the famous Bertha's Revenge Gin was born!

Peacock gold at Fota Wildlife

Be sure and call to the 200-year-old O'Mahony's Pub in Watergrasshill. Superb local food and drink, music also, extensive sheltered outdoor areas and ways and means to keep the kids happy.

You must stop in Ballymaloe, the home of modern Irish food, home also for the annual Festival of Food (every May). You could spend a day here. Maybe an overnight stay as well to sample the world-renowned cooking. Call to the café for a mid-afternoon or mid-morning coffee. And don’t forget Golden Bean coffee roaster Marc Kingston is also based here. Be sure to take a look at the impressive Cookery School gardens nearby, not forgetting the Shell House.

In the seaside village of Ballycotton, take a stroll down to the pier and see the fishermen come and go, maybe take a boat trip to the lighthouse on the nearby island. If you feel you need to stretch your legs, then there is a spectacular walk along the cliff tops.

After all that exercise, treat yourself to a gorgeous meal at Seachurch or the also excellent Salty Dog that overlooks the harbour. Don't forget the Trawler Boyz behind the Blackbird Pub. Enjoy lunch at Carewswood Café in the Castlemartyr garden centre of the same name and do check their plants! Like to stay here for a night, then check out the Castlemartyr Resort (where you can enjoy your lunch in the Canopy).

View from the Bayview Terrace

Prefer a coastal stop? Then the Garryvoe Hotel and its top notch Samphire Restaurant, with great views over the bay, is close at hand. And across the bay, there's its sister hotel, The Bayview, great views here also. Closed in mid-winter but, when open, check out the superb cooking of chef Ciaran Scully, an example here.

Ballycotton cliff walk

Meal time at Festival
of Food in Ballymaloe

Youghal is the final town, on the Blackwater and just shy of the border with Waterford. On the way, you could stretch the legs in Killeagh’s Glenbower Woods, one of many attractive walks in the East Cork area which now boasts a greenway from Midleton to Youghal.

Just a few minutes from Killeagh village, you'll find the lovely food market on Joe's Farm (the family themselves renowned for their vegetable crisps); you can find superb local produce here, much of it from the farm. They also hold special events for the public, eg cutting sunflowers in August and harvesting pumpkins later in the year.

Perhaps you'd prefer to take in the magnificent views on the two walks in nearby Knockadoon. In Youghal, you'll find good coffee and food at The Priory on Main Street. Just alongside is the newly refurbished Clock Gate Tower, a must visit!

Stretch the legs and work up an appetite on the relatively new Youghal Boardwalk that runs alongside the beaches. Indeed, Clancy's Bar & Restaurant is at the eastern point of the boardwalk and they will feed you very well indeed.

After all the activity, you deserve to rest up for the night. Enjoy a meal in the Old Imperial Hotel on Youghal's main street, maybe just a drink in its old Coachhouse bar, maybe both! Aherne’s, of course, is famous for its seafood and they too have rooms. Aherne's is now being taken over by the Finns (famous for earlier and popular restaurants in Timoleague and more recently Kinsale) and are expected to make quite an impression in Youghal.

Samphire Restaurant at Garryvoe Hotel

And, before leaving the area, don’t forget to visit the gardens at Ballynatray House, a Blackwater gem.

Dinner at Brook Inn

If, at the end of a day's touring, you find yourself heading back towards the city, then do consider the Brook Inn near Glanmire for dinner. It is a lively buzzy place and the food is good there too. Or dine and stay at the lovely and comfortable Vienna Woods Hotel.

Enjoy East Cork, the food, the place and its people!

Pelican gets his fish at Fota.

Ballynatray House, by the Blackwater

(revised May 2026)
If you have a cafe, restaurant, or visitor attraction, not listed here, please let me know by DM and I will do my best to visit with a view to inclusion in the next revision. You may also use the comment facility below.

Clouds and wildflowers on Knockadoon

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Waterford Festival of Food. A tasty West Waterford slice

 Waterford Festival of Food. A tasty West Waterford slice

The Hatmaker Hotel and The Farmgate Lismore

A 24 hour visit to West Waterford turned into something of a food trip - most of them do. The annual weekend Waterford Festival of Food began at more or less the same time we landed in Dungarvan on Thursday evening.

Our base for the night was the Hatmaker Hotel, now creeping up to its first birthday. It is based in a beautiful reconstructed heritage building. And is named after the previous occupant's business. The rooms, 16 in all, are incontestably glorious, the spectacular Peacock tail headboards immediately catch the eye as does the statement bathtub in the spacious bathroom.

Dungarvan

There is no restaurant here but the ground floor café bar, with a sun trap of a courtyard, does quite a good job all day long. After a stroll around town, We dropped in just as they turned from café to wine bar. After quite a lunch in Youghal, the menu of sharing boards was enough for us.

Indeed, the one that we ordered, a mix of cheese and charcuterie, was one of the best around and certainly proved sufficient for us. The wine list, short, is entirely French and I renewed acquaintance with one of favourite whites, the Château Turcaud Entre-Deux-Mers Blanc, a delicious blend of Sauvignon blanc and Semillon. 

Sunny terrace at the Hatmaker

The Hatmaker aim to support local and glad to see that they had a few different bottles of the Dungarvan Brewing company’s beer in the chill and I enjoyed my choice: the Helvick Head Blonde Ale. 

We were back there for our breakfast. No cooked breakfast but the continental offering is more than acceptable. Both of us were highly impressed by the Granola Parfait.

Refreshing ale at the Hatmaker

No restaurant in the Hatmaker but the Michelin starred Cliff House is an easy drive away.

A few hours later, we were up on the Vee. On social media the previous evening I had read of a fire at Mount Mellaray but the buildings looked in good nick as we passed on the road from Cappoquin. I read later the fire was confined to furze bushes on a nearby hill.

After enjoying the views from the Vee (quite an amount of fields in the distance were yellow with rapeseed) and after a few strolls (the wind from the previous day had died down), we took the Lismore road, heading for  a Waterford Festival of Food event at the Farmgate.

Bruschetta starter at Farmgate

It was a lunchtime event and was more or less a sell-out. We had booked just a couple of days earlier but all we could get was a counter seat (they are quite an attraction here) at 2.00pm.

The Farmgate is doing well after the move from Midleton. Everybody gets a warm welcome here. It is quite a neighbourhood restaurant, many customers known by the first name. We enjoyed the relaxed ambience, buoyant and bright.

Lismore Castle

A few chats included one about the frequent Local Link Bus that connects Lismore with Dungarvan in about 30 minutes. One server joked that by night the service is known as the Drink Link.

No cavalcade of choices here, just three starters and three mains.  No dessert included though coffee and tea were on the special luncheon menu at fifty euro a head.

Cod

The Farmgate, as they have for decades, support local and that is obvious from the menu. We enjoyed starters of Croquettes of McGrath’s lamb, mint and yogurt dressing on a bed of Roger Ahern’s Salad leaves, and a Bruschetta with Knockanore mozzarella, roasted Irish vine tomatoes, wild garlic and basil pesto. I didn't know they produce Mozzarella in Knockanore (near Villierstown).

McGrath’s Chicken Supreme was one of the main courses, with a white wine, lemon and  Thyme cream sauce, and served with spring onion champ and a carrot and parsnip puree. The same veg came with our other main dish the Baked Cod with a leek and mussel sauce and we also shared a side dish of seasonal root veg along with some green beans. Each plate went back clean!

Soon it was time for the coffee and then a sunny 45 minute drive back  to Cork via Tallow, Conna and Watergrasshill.

Also in this trip: Welcome Lunch at Clancy's Bar & Restaurant Youghal

Trees on the Vee. Spot the yellow of the rapeseed fields in the distance?