At the heart of Munster lies Mallow, County Cork's largest county town. Set deep in the blackwater valley, Mallow was traditionally an agricultural market town but, due to vast improvements in infrastructure and services, coupled with significant promotion and investment by Cork County Council and the private sector, the town has become a thriving business and residential centre. A great place to live, to shop and to do business.

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A day or two at the races
Welcome to Cork Racecourse Mallow, situated on the banks of the Blackwater, the Crossroads of Munster and Home of National Hunt racing. With national hunt and flat meetings all year round Cork Racecourse Mallow provides fabulous facilities to enjoy the excitement and spectacle of a day at the races. Whether you are an occasional racegoer, or racing is your passion, a day at the races is unlike any other sporting event. At Cork Racecourse Mallow you can enjoy your day to the full and feel part of the fun, excitement, colour and ‘craic’ that is racing in Ireland.  This racecourse with its excellent parking facilities is ideally located approx one mile from town on the Killarney road. There is a free shuttle bus service from Mallow Train station and Mallow Town to and from the racecourse for all race meetings. Racing home for Easter Festival.  (Dates TBC 2020)

Places of interest in and around Mallow:

  • Atlantic Oak Sculpture, Tip O’Neill Park (Sculptress Ellis O’Connell)
  • Knockroura
  • Bridgetown Abbey 
  • Dromaneen Castle 
  • Doneraile Park 
  • Barretts Castle 
  • Spensers Castle 
  • Ballybeg Abbey Nano Nagle Centre
  • Farahy Church (Elizabeth Bowen buried in graveyard) 
  • Island Megalethic Tomb
  • Donkey Sanctuary 
  • Ballyhass Lakes
  • Leaba Caille Wedge Tomb

Things to do around Mallow

Showjumping

Enjoy the thrill of international showjumping at the Greenglens Arena, in Millstreet town, with two highly acclaimed horse shows each year in August and October/ November with competitors from all over the world.

Markets

There is a Country Market on Fridays in St. James Hall where homemade produce is for sale. There are regular farmers markets at the Nano Nagle Centre (eastward on the N72). There is also a farmers market every Friday at 4 home car park.

golf

Apart from its excellent 18 hole golf course, Mallow Golf Club has many fringe benefits including a golf shop, squash, tennis, billiards and a sauna. There is also the Majestic Pitch & Putt course on the Cork Road and also worth visiting are Doneraile and Charleville Golf Clubs.

walking

Walk along the Blackwater River from the Town Park to Annabella. Town Trail, available from the Tourist Office. Knockroura, two miles south of the town, forest walks, picnic and viewing area. Knockroura is part of the E8 European long distance walking route Galtee Mor Climb. Ask at the Tourist Office for directions. Mallow Riverside Amenity Walk, Killavullen Loop Walk, Ballyhoura Walking Trails, Ballyhoura Biking Trails. Doneraile Forest Park.

Accommodation

There are various types of registered accommodation available to suit all needs in Mallow and in the surrounding areas.

Transport

Mallow has a comprehensive bus and rail service connecting to such places as Cork, Limerick, Killarney, Tipperary, Rosslare, Dublin etc. Taxis are available locally. Mini-buses and coaches are available for hire.

Game/Coarse Angling

The Blackwater catchment offers first class fishing of trout, salmon, roach, dace and perch. This excellent river has few equals as a competition water and is a most important game/coarse angling river. In addition Ballyhass Lakes offers all year round trout fishing.

Albert Lynchs

Albert’s as it is affectionately known is a pub in the same family ownership for over a 100 years (4 generations) and has retained its original character but changed appropriately and professionally over the years and survived. It’s a pub with a warm and welcoming atmosphere and a cheerful and caring staff that serve top quality draught Irish beer, stout, ale and a wide selection of bottled beers, wines, spirits and cocktails. Albert’s has the traditional Irish bar charm offering a unique interior design with lots of seating, full of nooks and crannies for its customers to chat within. In contrast to the old style the bar has many luxury extras such as HD plasma technology, ideal for viewing weekly sporting events and matches. Lying outside the bar is the beautiful “ash garden” with heated seating nestled amongst potted plants. A great place to go for a drink on your own or with a group of friends and where you will feel at home and will go away wanting to come back. tel: 022 21784 email: info@albertlynchs.com www.albertlynchs.com

Mallow Heritage Trail

Stop A - MALLOW CASTLE OLD/NEW

In 1185, John, King of England, constructed the first castle in Mallow. In 1282, it became the possession of the Earls of Desmond. Following the Geraldine Wars, the estate was confiscated by Queen Elizabeth who granted it to Sir Thomas Norrey, brother of Sir John, along with the Seignory of Mallow and six thousand acres of surrounding country. The Desmond Castle was in such bad repair that in 1585 a new one was constructed on the same site. In 1607, Elizabeth Norrey, daughter of Sir Thomas and God-daughter of the Queen, married Sir John Jephson a soldier of repute. There were four sons and four daughters of the marriage, and their direct descendants have lived at Mallow Castle until it was purchased by the McGinn family of Washington D.C. in the 1980s. Since 1928, the old ruined castle has become a National Monument. The New Castle building is not open to the public at present but one may visit the ruined castle and grounds where you can view the unique white fallow deer established here since 1600. The castle is now owned by Cork County Council. A number of family fun and festival events take place on the castle grounds each year

Stop B - THE CLOCK HOUSE

The Clock House was build c. 1855, by Sir Denham Orlando Jephson. He was an amateur architect who is said to have designed this house after he had returned from an alpine holiday. The Clock was brought from the tower of the Old Mallow Castle. The bell was cast at Millerd St., Cork. The Clock House is a fine example of a half-timbered Tudor construction. The bell tower became dangerous and was removed c. 1970. The Clock House was originally a licensed premises. The first tenant was Mr. Michael Nunan. The Clock House was purchased by the FDC Group in 2015. A complete restoration of the building has now been completed.

Stop C - THE SPA HOUSE

The discovery in 1724 of the curative powers of its Spa made Mallow one of the chief holiday resorts in Ireland. Visitors to Mallow during the heyday of the Spa give colourful impressions of the Irish Bath. From their accounts we learn that promenades were constructed, new walks were planned and bands discoursed music while the company drank at the wells and in various inns. The Long Room was opened on 16th May 1738. Murphy, who was a versatile musician, guaranteed to make a new minuet for every ball night if required. The Long Room extended from the Clock House up Daivs Street. A Spa Hotel scontaining a bar was subsequently built but for some unknown reason the bar was never licensed and the hotel did not flourish. The Spa House was erected in 1828, over the spring well, by Charles Denham Orlando Jephson. It was designed by George Pain. The house contained a pump-room, an apartment for medical consultation, a reading room and baths. Dr. J.H. Justice undertook to supervise the medical treatment at the Spa.

Stop D - THE DOGS HEAD FOUNTAIN

The waters of Lady’s Well, which have an inexhaustible supply, flow through this fountain. In olden times, people came from far and wide to bottle and bathe in these waters which were reputed to hold healing properties for rheumatism and other discomforts.

Stop E - THOMAS DAVIS HOUSE

Davis Street formerly Main Street is called after the great patriot, Thomas Davis. It was here at No. 73 that Davis was born (1814-1845). He was a founder member of the ‘Young Ireland Movement’ and a nationally acclaimed writer. Davis wrote the famous song “A Nation Once Again”. Mallow’s Pipe Band is appropriately called after its’ honoured son. He is buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery in Dublin. In 2014 to mark the bicentenary of the birth, in 1814, of this great patriot a full size bronze statue of Thomas Davis was erected in the new Thomas Davis Plaza in Mallow. In December 2014 the statue was unveiled by President Michael D Higgins during his visit to Mallow Town.

Stop F - OLD BAY WINDOW & OLD MARKET HOUSE

The Main Street had many fine Bay Windows and old shop fronts which represented the ‘Boarding Establishments’ used during the ‘Spa Years’. At No. 65, note the windows. On the opposite side of the street at No. 115, now O’Connor’s World of Wonder, note the fine protruding bay windows and old style shop front. O’Brien Street is called after yet another famed son of Mallow -William O’Brien. The Old Market House (The Cut Hair Studio) the original arches can still be seen. To the rear was the historic shambles (a medieval butchers market) and the original entrance to St Annes.

Stop G - MONUMENT

Here stands the monument statue of J.J. Fitzgerald, B.A.C.C., C.U.D., a profound scholar, patriot and champion of the ‘oppressed’. Born in the Shortcastle Street on 18th February 1872, he died 6th April 1906.

Stop H - CANON SHEEHAN HOUSE

It was here at No. 29, William O’Brien St., that Canon Sheehan was born (1852-1913). Sheehan, a world famous novelist, served as Parish Priest in the nearby town of Doneraile, where he compiled some of his more famous novels – such as ‘Glenanaar’, ‘My New Curate’, and ‘The Graves of Kilmorna’. Today one can view the grave and full size bronze statue of this famed literary priest in the courtyard of Doneraile’s Catholic Church.

Stop I - TOWN HALL & TOURIST OFFICE

The existing structure replaces the ‘Old Town Hall’ which was burned on 25th September 1920 during the troubles. The Civic Offices have relocated to Cork County Council Offices, Annabella, Mallow. The newly refurbished Tourist Office is now located on the ground floor of the Town Hall building.

Stop J - WILLIAM O'BRIENS HOUSE

It was here at Thomas Davis Street that William O’Brien was born (1852 – 1928). He was a distinguished journalist, profound ‘Nationalist’, Leader and Land-Leaguer. O’Brien served as a member of Parliament firstly for Mallow and later for Cork. He is buried in the graveyard at the rear of St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

Stop K - ST. JAMES PROTESTANT CHURCH

On approaching this handsome late English Ecclesiastical Church, one must notice the commanding ‘Gates’ which have been restored to their formal grandeur and are now over one hundred years old. The gate posts at the junction Davis Street and St. James Avenue show the previous location of the church gates. St. James Church was built in 1824, replacing the frail ruined St. Annes (1190) close by, who’s bell, incidentally, still serves the community. The interior is of ‘Gothic’ tradition with two fine stained glass windows commemorating the famed explorers, Arthur Mounteney Jephson and Henry Mortem Stanley respectively, also Desmond Jepson, son of the former explorer who was killed in London in 1938. There are war memorials in the church. In December 2014 President Michael D Higgins visited the church and viewed the baptismal font where Thomas Davis was baptised.

Stop L - ST. MARY’S CATHOLIC CHURCH

Close-by, yet set back from Davis Street lies the town’s oldest Catholic Church which was constructed in the early years of this century. Cruciform in design, it follows the Lombardo Romanesque style of architecture and is a most impressive landmark in the centre of town. Here again we see yet another memorial stained-glass window in honour of Canon Sheehan. William O’Brien is buried in St Mary’s Graveyard behind the church.

Stop M - ANTHONY TROLLOPE’S HOUSE

Now a business premises it was here at No. 159 West End, which is now a Paddy Powers, that this celebrated English Novelist resided for a time. Working as an ‘Overseer’ in the local Post Office, he was a mounted follower of Duhallow Hunt Club (the oldest club in Ireland, founded in 1745) and in turn transformed his hunting images and experiences of local countryside into some of his most famous novels. While in Mallow he wrote 4 books which included Barchester Towers, published in1857.