THERE'S a tiny island in Cork that's home to a huge five-star resort and an award-winning adventure park. Located in Cork Harbour, Fota Island is home to a 780-acre five-star resort and a 100-acre wildlife park named Fota Island Wildlife Park . For nearly 800 years, Fota Island was the private home of the Smith-Barry family who were the descendants of Philip de Barry.
Philip de Barry arrived in Ireland from Wales as part of the Norman invasion in the 12th century. After being granted lands across the county, including Fota Island, de Barry took up residence in Cork. Following the death of Mrs Dorothy Elizabeth Bell, the last remaining Smith-Barry, the estate was sold to University College Cork in 1975, and transformed into a tourist attraction.
Read More on UK Islands One of those attractions is the Fota Island Resort, a sprawling five-star resort that hosted the Irish Open in both 2001 and 2002. Spanning across 780 acres, the luxury resort is one of very few resorts in Ireland - and it's a huge hit from holidaymakers from the US. The hotel's general manager, John O’Flynn, told the Business Post earlier this year: "This month, we will welcome back our luxury American group business which will continue throughout the summer.
" "We love welcoming our American guests as they absolutely adore the resort and what it has to offer including the five-star customer service and experience that we pride ourselves in delivering. Most read in News Travel "It reminds us of how special Fot.