Fota House’s untold stories to be immortalised

The memories, stories, and traditions of Fota House and its gardens are set to be preserved through a new oral history initiative.

Led by the Irish Heritage Trust, the project will capture rare accounts of what life was really like in what is one of Cork and Ireland's most important historic estates.

Delivered by Mac Conmara Heritage Consulting, the initiative will record the experiences of gardeners, estate workers, former staff, volunteers, local historians, and members of the wider community who have been connected to Fota House and Gardens over the decades. Many of these stories have never been formally documented.

Recorded interviews will be preserved through the Cork Folklore Project at UCC, ensuring they remain accessible for future generations.

Since acquiring Fota House in 2007, the Irish Heritage Trust has overseen its conservation, interpretation, and public engagement.

Martina Carroll, volunteer coordinator with the Irish Heritage Trust at Fota House and Gardens, said: “Visitors are often captivated by Fota House, its magnificent gardens and arboretum, but behind them are generations of people whose work, knowledge and dedication made this place what it is today. We want to ensure those stories are recorded and preserved before they are lost.”

The project forms part of Heritage Voices Plus, a national oral history initiative launched by the Irish Heritage Trust to preserve the stories of people connected to major historic Irish properties.

Dr Tomás Mac Conmara of Mac Conmara Heritage Consulting said the project will allow for a whole new level of understanding around the estate and how it functioned.

He said: “Fota House and Gardens are living archives. They preserve generations of knowledge, skill, and observation. Oral history allows us to record not only what people did, but why they did it, how they understood the estate, and how practices changed over time. These stories are every bit as valuable as the physical heritage itself.”

Heritage Voices Plus builds on a national oral history framework developed jointly by the Irish Heritage Trust and Mac Conmara Heritage in 2025, establishing professional standards for oral history collection, ethical recording, interview preparation, and long-term archival preservation across the trust's properties.

The project will also include a volunteer shadowing programme, giving participants practical experience in oral history methods, ethical practice, and heritage documentation.