3 Best Sights in County Cork, Ireland

The peaceful setting along this country road was shattered by the sound of gunfire on the 22nd of August, 1922. The ambush resulted in the death of one of Ireland's most famous statesmen---Michael Collins---and the assassination is still shrouded in uncertainty. A large limestone cross and other monuments mark the spot where this happened, which is frequently visited by a steady stream of people to this date.  Expect to discover the unique game of road bowling—an Irish sport where competitors throw a metal ball along a predetermined course—along this stretch of country lanes.

Just 8 km (5 miles) north of Clonakilty, in the "blink and miss it" hamlet of Ballinascarty (it's really just a crossroads) an unsuspecting traveler might pause to inspect the stainless steel, fully-to-scale Model T that's perched on a limestone pedestal on the side of a road. Across the street, the Henry Ford Tavern is open for business---because this is the cradle of a modern-day basic---the car. Henry Ford's father, William, was born in this tiny townland, and fled to the safer shores of America during the Great Famine that decimated Ireland's population. In fact, both of Henry’s parents were of County Cork stock, which is why the European Ford production line for Ford Cars was located in the Rebel City until its fortunes changed back in 1984.

Many of the people who left Ireland on immigrant ships for the New World departed from Cobh, which was formerly known as Queenstown. The exhibit, in the old Cobh train station, re-creates the experience of the 2½ million emigrants who left from here between 1848 and 1960. It also tells the stories of great transatlantic liners, including the ill-fated Titanic, whose last port of call was Cobh, and the Lusitania.