Clonakilty — Uncover Collins' Assassination Plot

Your investigation begins in Cork, outside the Cork Public Museum, a neoclassical building constructed in 1844 as a women's prison, before being abolished in 1895 and converted into a museum in 1924 by the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society. It's here, in the shadow of this carceral past, that you find the first clue: a message hidden within the permanent collection tracing Cork's history from the Bronze Age. The museum, located in Fitzgerald Park across three floors, will put you on the trail of the conspirators, revealing unexpected links to Irish nationalist movements.

The route then takes you to the National Monument on Grand Parade, erected in 1906 to commemorate 80 Irish prisoners who died under British rule between 1798 and 1867. This 15-meter-high monument, adorned with sculptures by John Hughes depicting figures of the Irish rebellion, was inaugurated by nationalist William O'Brien. Devastated by an explosion in 1921 during the War of Independence and restored in 1960, it stands as a powerful symbol. In augmented reality, the monument reveals engraved names, clues hidden by a clandestine network to guide you to the next stage of your investigation in Munster.

Continue towards Elizabeth Fort, a star-shaped bastion fort built in 1601 by Lord President Elizabeth I to defend Cork against the Spanish. Its dimensions of 50m x 40m make it a strategic location. Restored in 1860 as a police station, it was also used as a prison for Irish Republicans during the Civil War of 1922-1923, a crucial period for your inquiry. Today offering panoramic city views and free access, the fort provides insights into troop movements and weapons caches. A coded message, projected onto the stone walls, reveals a contact within the resistance.

Your path then crosses Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral, an Anglican cathedral built between 1862 and 1879 by William Burges in a French Gothic style. 74 meters long with 61-meter towers, it replaces a 12th-century cathedral and houses an 1870 organ with 4000 pipes. Its French stained-glass windows by Maréchal and Guinebault (1868-1920) tell sacred stories. In augmented reality, one of the stained-glass windows, listed as an Irish Historic Monument since 1987, illuminates to show you the conspirators' secret meeting point, an emblematic heritage site in Cork.

The South Gate Bridge, built in 1712 connecting South Mall to Parliament Street, is your next stop. 12 meters wide, it replaced an older 17th-century version and was named after the nearby medieval South Gate. This is the bridge Michael Collins crossed during his March on Cork in August 1922, shortly before his assassination. Repaired after the 1780 floods, it stands as a testament to the city's resilience. Your journey also takes you to the Crawford Art Gallery, opened in 1884 in a former 1720 coach house, where works by Jack B. Yeats and Seán Keating display the Irish soul. Finally, at Coal Quay, a historic market since 1610, you decipher the last message, confirming the assassin's identity and thwarting the plot. This Cork circuit will have allowed you to retrace an essential page of Irish history, from the city's emblematic sites to the heart of Munster.