Camden Fort Meagher to soon reopen with extended access to the public 

Senior Cork County Council officials have now confirmed the fort will reopen from next March to October on a five-day-week basis.

In recent years the fort only opened to visitors during the summer months and mainly at weekends, unless it hosted special events. 

The fort gained prominence when it was the setting for the RTÉ series Hell Week during which several celebrities and groups of members of the public had to undergo gruelling special forces training under the stewardship of former members of the country’s elite Army Ranger Wing (ARW).

A meeting of the Carrigaline Municipal District Council, which controls the Crosshaven area, has now been informed by Nicola Radley, the council’s senior executive officer for the region, of the plans.

The council has created a private company, although under its auspices, to run the facility which it hopes will become a major tourist attraction in the years to come.

Local volunteers

Ms Radley said the council is also dependent on a group of local volunteers who’ve put a major amount of work into the project.

She said council officials and Sarah McSweeney, assistant manager for the company controlling the fort, have held “two very successful meetings with the volunteers” to access how they can better develop the facility to attract more visitors.

“A lot of progress has been made and we are looking forward to reopening the gates next March,” Ms Radley said.

Currently the fort, which was first built in the 1550s by the British and upgraded on numerous occasions up to World War One, is undergoing essential restoration and renovation thanks to a grant of €160,000 from the Historic Structures Fund. It is inaccessible to visitors as essential restoration work is being undertaken.

Ms Radley told councillors renovations involve excavating over 7ft of ‘fill material’ from the earthen roof, fixing the roof drainage, repairing stone and brickwork, raking out and repointing stone joints, and applying a new waterproof tanking system to ensure the structure’s waterproof integrity.

She said excavations have already revealed two stone emplacements which will remain exposed above ground level following completion of the works.

A waterproofing layer is due to be installed shortly and infilling of material is expected to be completed this winter. Raking out and repointing of stone joints is now nearing completion. The works have restored the appearance of the areas where work was carried out and will protect the structure from further damage.

“Regrettably, the areas where works are underway cannot be accessed, which in turn prevents the fort from opening its doors to visitors at present,” she said.

Ms Radley added council staff and volunteers are continuing to collaborate to ensure a successful reopening of the fort and she’ll keep councillors updated on progress.