Garinish[1] or Garnish Island (Irish: Garinis)[1] (also known as Ilnacullin) is an island in Glengarriff Bay, an inlet of Bantry Bay, near the shore of the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland.[2] It is a popular tourist attraction with walled gardens and a Martello tower.

Garinish

Native name: Garinis
Landing slip
Garinish
Geography
Location	Bantry Bay
Coordinates	51°44′11″N 9°32′28″W
Administration
Ireland
Province	Munster
County	Cork

History

The garden was designed by Harold Peto, (1854–1933), for its owner John Annan Bryce, (1841–1923), a Belfast native, who purchased the island from the War Office in 1910. Bryce's son Roland bequeathed the island to the Irish nation in 1953. It was taken over and is still maintained by the Office of Public Works. Renowned for its gardens and architecture (a mansion was designed by Peto but was never built), the island has played host to writers including George Bernard Shaw and George William Russell.^{[citation needed]}

There is a restored Martello tower on the island dating from the time of the Napoleonic Wars. The tower, like others in Cork, but unlike other Irish Martello towers, has a straight cylindrical shape that does not splay out at its base.^{[citation needed]}

Mains electricity was brought to the island in the early 1950s via overhead cable.[3]

The gardens

The island extends to 15 hectares (37 acres) and is renowned for its gardens which flourish in the mild humid micro-climate of Glengarriff harbour assisted by a mainly pine shelter belt. Structures include a clock tower, a Grecian temple, a Martello Tower, and an Italian casita.

Getting there

Access is by one of several ferry services from the village of Glengarriff. These ferries generally include a tour of the nearby seal colony. Landing by private craft is possible but space is limited at the main landing point used by ferries.

See also

• Historic Cork Gardens

Further reading

• R. Whalley, The Great Edwardian Gardens of Harold Peto (2007)
• Ilnacullin (1989. - National Parks and Monument Service) ISBN 0-7076-0034-0
• M. George & P. Bowe, The Gardens of Ireland (1986. Hutchinson) ISBN 0-09-167100-0

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Garinish Island.

• Official Website
• Heritage Ireland official website
• Visitor Guide

На других языках

[de] Garinish (Bantry Bay)