Fermoy is a small town (population approx. 5,000) situated in the centre of the lush Blackwater Valley. It is on the cross-roads between the Rosslare/Killarney (N 72) and the Dublin/Cork (N 8) routes.

Renowned for inland fishing it is an attractive base from which to explore the history and amenities of north and east County Cork. The town has its roots in two main traditions; religious and military.

A Cistercian Abbey was founded in 1170 and around this Abbey the town developed.

At the dissolution of the monasteries during the Tudor period, the Abbey and its lands passed through the following dynasties: Sir Richard Grenville, Robert Boyle, Scientist ('Boyle's Law'), William Forward and John Anderson.

It was in 1791 that the lands were bought by a Scotsman, John Anderson. He was an entrepreneur who developed the roads and started the mail coach system in Ireland. He designed the town, and the streets remain much the same as they were when originally built.

In the early 19th century, he offered cheap sites to the military, and the town fast became a manufacturing and services base for the British Army until 1922.

Fermoy is ideally situated for visits to the many fine country houses and gardens in the area, historic sites, castles and places of archaeological interest.

There are trips to the Vee in the Knockmealdown mountains, where Mount Mellary, a famous Cistercian monastery, is also situated.

In fact Fermoy is surrounded by villages, each with something unique and interesting to offer: Kilworth with its castle and crafts centre, Glanworth with its castle, woollen mills and megalithic tomb. Further castles are to be found in Ballyhooly, Castlelyons, Conna, Cregg, Castletownroche, Lismore and oddities like the towers of Ballysaggartmore near Ballyduff.

The area is rich in historical monuments, a reflection of its important location in former years.

Begin your walk from the quay on the bank of the river, at the Grand Hotel [5].

Before leaving, look at the beautiful weir which crosses beneath the old seven arched bridge built in 1864.

The weir diverts a substantial amount of water into the millrace, which feeds the old mill, visible east of the bridge.

Proceeding up-river, you will pass the Fermoy Youth Centre [6] which, was originally a cinema and included a ballroom. It still contains a cinema and an exercise centre together with two full sized hand-ball courts, racquet ball, squash and a billiard room.

The theatre has hosted many drama productions by the Fermoy Choral Society including plays which competed in Drama Festivals in Ireland.

Passing by the Youth Centre, the next public premises is the Fermoy Rowing Club [7], built in 1984 and opened that same year - their centenary year. Now you enter the beautiful Barnane Walk which parallels the River Blackwater, shaded by trees on both sides of the river. Next, you meet St. Bernard's Well, which hitherto was the source of water for many of the people living in Fermoy.

Continue to the stile at the end of Barnane facilitating the right of way through the fields along the bank of the river.

Return down Barnane Walk and at the Rowing Club, turn right up Waterloo Lane and exit on McCurtain street.

Turn left down McCurtain Street and proceed to Fermoy Resource Centre [8] which was previously the town police station, and now a centre for numerous activities such as a Thrift Shop, Senior Citizens Day Centre etc. Cross the street and proceed back up McCurtain Street.

Just before the Bishop Murphy Memorial School, is Monument Hill and a short way up the hill, are the main gates to St.Colman's College [10], the diocesan college for the diocese of Cloyne.

Walk past the Bishop Murphy Memorial School, on your left and across the street is Gael Scoil de h-Íde, an Irish speaking school which was previously the Vocational School.

Next to the Bishop Murphy School, is the CYMS Hall; originally a national school, it has been the focus of youth activities for many years and contains one of the finest billiard rooms in north Cork.

Continue walking up Cork Hill which veers to the left. On your right is the 'Range', so called because a shooting range existed on the site behind the houses; a notable feature is that the footpath is higher than the street. The road was lowered during famine times to provide famine relief work; this is a notable feature of many of the roads and pathways around the town of Fermoy.

Take the first turn left into Chapel Square and note the beautiful fa'ade of St. Patrick's Catholic Church [9]. This site was donated by John Anderson who designed the town of Fermoy. Should you wish to visit the church, do so and exit via the rear of the Church yard next to the Blue Nun's Convent, Little Convent of Mary. Turn right up Monument Hill, then turn left into Emmet Street and walk along past St. Colman's College [10] and Loretto Convent Secondary School [11] for girls and the Presentation Convent primary school for girls along College road.

Opposite the Presentation Convent, note the big building which formerly was the Fermoy College for boys.

Turn left down the very steep hill (Richmond Hill leading to Walker's Hill), and note the very high footpath which dominates the road by approximately six feet, and is similar to that on the Range at Cork Hill

Turn right at the bottom of Walker's Hill into Patrick Street. This leads into O'Rahilly Row which contains neat houses and an old stone building which was once the Wesleyan Church [13].

An interesting capture of arms occurred during our 'troubled times' (1919) at this Church, when it was raided while the military were at service. A monument erected near the front of the building is dedicated to a soldier who died following the raid.

Facing you and on your right are the Fermoy Council offices and Court House [14].

One kilometre further along this road (Court House Road), on your right, is the Fermoy Hospital [15]. Should you wish to visit the grounds, proceed through the gates and up the drive under the archway.

Note the old buildings, and the remains of those which have been demolished.

The Hospital formerly provided maternity and surgical services. Now it is a hospital for the elderly and serves the community of Fermoy.

Having returned to the road, turn right, and on the left at the right hard bend on the road, there is a gate and entrance down a track to the Blackwater River which is noted for its fine fishing.

This part of the river is pleasant and tranquil and affords one of the best views of Carrickabrick Bridge - the Fermoy Viaduct [32], which carried the railway from Rosslare to Fermoy.

Return towards the town and take the first turn right, onto the Mill Road.

On your left is the Mart [18] which in days gone by was known as the Fairfield, in which cattle, sheep and pigs etc. were bartered and sold.

The fair took place on the first Monday of the month and the animals were herded into the town on Sunday night by drovers.

Facing you at the end of the road is the Old Mill [16] which has been refurbished. Turn left and proceed up the Quay.

On your right you will see the millrace which provided the water to turn the mill-wheel in days gone by; also the sluice gates [17] which controlled the speed and volume of water or were used to dam the water when servicing the mill wheel.

At this point there is a view of the bridge and the weir which traverses under the bridge.

Cross the bridge to the north side of town and take time to view the beautiful river both east and west of the bridge structure, the weir, and the mill on the east, the Grand Hotel, the Rowing Club and the full sweep of Barnane on the west. Continue into the square, known as Brian Boru Square. Continue past Frances Street/Rathealy Road, passing the stone cut houses on your right and up Oliver Plunkett Hill also known as Barrack Hill.

Note again the way the road has been cut down below the footpath on both sides.

At the signpost indicating Fermoy G.A.A., [27] turn right and at the end of the street are the old gates of the former British military barracks and which is now the entrance to the fine grounds of the Fermoy G.A.A. Club [27].

These grounds were the site of the Barrack Square during the military presence in the early part of the twentieth century.

The grounds now also contain a squash court and pitch and putt course [28]. Return to the main road (N 8) and turn right uphill.

At the cross-roads, is the former site of the railway bridge which spanned the road and carried train traffic from Rosslare to Fermoy.

On the right-hand side, now occupied by a garage, was the old Railway Station to Waterford, of the line built by the Duke of Devonshire, and subsequently extended to Rosslare.

Continue straight on the N 8; behind the very high wall on your right was the site of the old military hospital closed down when the British military departed the town of Fermoy in 1923.

Continue on the Dublin Road (N 8) and on your left are the remains of the military barracks of Fitzgerald Camp [30], known locally as the Aerodrome (closed in 1998). Colonel James Fitsmaurice, first to cross the Atlantic from east to west, served here in the air corps.

Cross the road and return toward the town. The land next to the army camp was the site of a nine-hole golf course, before the Golf Club moved to its present site near the Corrin (Walk 1.3).

Continue on down on the right, are the former coal yards which were supplied with coal from the railway station in the early part of the century. This site is also a coal depot to this day.

At the cross roads, turn right and after 1 km you will arrive at a funeral home which became Fermoy railway station [31] after the Duke of Devonshire's station went out of use when the railway bridge was built over the Dublin road. This area also includes a number of significant industries, both food and chemical based.

Cross the road at the funeral home and walk down the street between the row of houses to the old entrance of Faber-Castell, the site of the old British barracks.

Turn left, pass by St. Joseph's school and then turn right into Marian Square.

At the far right hand corner of the square, there is a passageway beside the old barrack wall past the entrance to the Fermoy Rugby Club grounds [25].

Turn right along the road around the old British military complex and proceed through the gates of the Soccer Club grounds [25] to the old famine graveyard [26], indicated by a small plaque at the North End.

Passing through the gate, enter another graveyard which was the British military graveyard.

Return towards the town and take the first turn right down the hill at the end of which is the Church of Ireland [24], a lovely church which dominates the view from the bridge. The site for the Church of Ireland was donated by the Baylor family. From the vantage point by the church, is a fine view of the town park.

The road on the right [N72] leads to Castlehyde and Grange Stud Farms. These are among the most famous horse breeding stables in the world.

Continue towards the bridge and visit the lovely town park containing the swimming pool and gymnasium [23]. Crossing the bridge you arrive back at Grand Hotel.