Ireland – It’s Intrigue is Irresistibly Interesting: Fota Island

Ok! Are you ready for Fota Island? That is where our taxi was headed at the end of the last post.

It took about twenty minutes to drive to Fota Island. Like everything else I’d experienced in Ireland, I found it to be incredibly interesting. Its intrigue was entirely different than that of Cork City Centre.

(Click any photo to see it larger)

Map of Southern Ireland — It took us about 20 minutes by taxi to reach Fota Island from Cork City Centre.

The Island

Fota Island was green and lush. There were feathery tree tunnels, melodic bird songs, red squirrels, and very few buildings. It was tranquil and peaceful, and the pace felt very relaxed.

Green on both sides of a waterway. — Fota Island across the water. The greenery of Ireland often reminded me of a living patchwork quilt.

Leaves and branches — The branches and leaves of many trees intertwined high overhead, creating a canopy.

I was excited and a bit uneasy about meeting up with my co-workers since I’ve been working remotely for several months. But Fota Island was an amazing antidote for my nerves. Surrounded by its live, growing, oxygen-producing, botanical beauty, I felt calm – even reassured.

The Fota Island Resort

The Hotel

When we arrived at the Fota Island Resort Hotel, it appeared they’d rolled out the red carpet for us! It was just our impeccable timing; we got the welcome prepared for the guests of a high-profile wedding. We walked in hurriedly, reveling in the moment and feeling celebratory for the bride and groom.

An entry decorated with a red carpet. — A red carpet welcome! We got to enjoy it, even if it wasn’t rolled out for us.

Our room at the hotel was nice. The bathroom was especially grand. Our view, though, was my favorite. I pretty much always hear the call of the outdoors, and Ireland is just irresistible.

A view of a hillside out a window. — Something about that patchwork of green just begged me to relax and breathe!

I spent the next two days in meetings. My mornings were spent at our Cork office, and the afternoons in one of the hotel’s board rooms. It was nice to see the colleagues I worked alongside daily in California. It was a blessing to meet the faces behind the voices from our east coast and European sites.

The Fairy Trail

While I was occupied with business, my husband studied (always the student!) and got well acquainted with the hotel gym. He also explored the resort grounds so he could treat me to highlights in the evenings. My favorite of his shared discoveries was the Fairy Trail.

The Fairy Trail is a walking path with tiny doors and huts placed in the trees. It is a scavenger hunt, of sorts. I imagine it would be a wonderful spark for a child’s imagination.

Little doors on a tree. — Such adorable detail!

Door and hut decorations on a fallen log. — Look up, look down, and then keep searching all around!

A fairy door on a log with mushrooms. — This Fairy dwelling is complete with toad stools on top! My grandma used to tell me that fairies danced under mushrooms, which she called toad stools. Ah, childhood!

Tiny homes on a sideways tree trunk. — These Fairies have tiny homes on the tree instead of in it. If you look closely, you can see a butterfly on the far-right arch, giving perspective as to just how tiny fairy homes are!

The Golf Course

The resort’s golf course was beautiful too. We don’t play much golf, but we did enjoy walking the trail alongside it. We had dinner one night in the club house restaurant.

A green golf course with trees. — The gorgeous Fota Island Resort golf course.

A statue with flowers. — The Fota Island Golf Club. The restaurant is in the building on the right.

Small bottle of coke. — The sodas were tiny in Ireland. Much more appropriately portioned, I’m sure, than a US big gulp!

The Intrigue

I will leave you with a couple more photos, which I took on the resort grounds. I’m sure you will agree that the intrigue of Fota Island is vastly different than Cork City Center, and yet just as incredibly interesting.

Trees with fall colors — Fall in Ireland

Fountain of elephants blowing water from their trunks. — Playful fountain near the hotel’s front entrance.

Fota Island also holds a wild and unexpected surprise, which I will show you next time! I hope you’ll come back for that. Until then, know that you are precious, and loved by your Creator, and deemed more extravagant to Him than all the intrigue of Ireland and even the universe!

“What is man that You remember him,
or the son of man that You care for him?
You crowned him with glory and honor
and subjected everything under his feet.”
Hebrews 2:6, 8

Curious how this Ireland trip came about?
Click here for the introduction post.

8 replies on “Ireland – It’s Intrigue is Irresistibly Interesting: Fota Island”

Really, truly beautiful! Thanks for taking us along!

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I am truly enjoying your company! Thanks for coming along. 😀

Just for the record, no self-respecting IRISH faerie would live in a house ON a tree! These are probably monaciellos who have emigrated from Italy, and when they couldn’t find an Irish wine cellar, they just built above ground. They’re nice enough folk, but not as suave as their Irish kin. 😉

Haha! I love that! Thank you for lending your fun imagination to the “Faerie Tale”.

Lovely! When I was little, my mom used to tell me about the fairies living in the fairy grass (moss?) in our backyard. I love the trail and little houses! Like you, I’m drawn to nature and love being outside. What an incredible trip you had!

Do people still tell stories about Fairies? I don’t feel like I hear them much. I need to tell some to my grandkids! They are happy childhood memories for me.