Shandon Bells

Saint Anne's Church was built between 1722 and 1726, and its tower is the Cork landmark - two sides faced in red sandstone, two in white limestone, giving the city's sporting colours, with a salmon weathervane about three and a half metres long on top. The clock has four faces that historically kept slightly different time, which earned it the local name of the four-faced liar. What makes the tower worth climbing is that you ring the bells: eight bells cast in Gloucester in 1750, rung from a set of ropes on the first floor using printed cards of simple tunes, by visitors, with no supervision beyond an explanation and ear defenders. It is genuinely unusual to be handed a church bell rope as a tourist. Above that the stairs narrow and steepen to a balcony under the vane with a full view over Cork. The stair is tight, uneven and not for anyone uneasy in confined spaces.

History

The name Shandon comes from the Irish Sean Dún, "old fort", and a medieval church of St Mary stood near the fort, named in the decretals of Pope Innocent III in 1199 as "St Mary on the Mountain". St Anne's was built between 1722 and 1726 and became a full parish church in 1772, when Arthur Hyde, great-great-grandfather of Douglas Hyde, was appointed its first rector (Wikipedia, Church of St Anne, Shandon).

What to look for

• The bell ringing - eight bells from 1750, rung by visitors from tune cards.
• The four-faced liar - the clock whose faces kept different time.
• The two-tone tower - red sandstone and white limestone, Cork's colours.
• The city view - from the balcony under the salmon weathervane.

When to go

Any season; indoors apart from the balcony. Reduced hours in winter and Sunday mornings are given to services. An hour covers it.

Before you go

The stairs are narrow, steep and uneven - unsuitable for limited mobility or claustrophobia. It is loud: ear defenders are provided and needed. Ticketed.

Nearby

The Butter Museum is beside the church; Cork city centre is downhill across the river.

Key facts