Where the white deer graze. A Walk in Mallow

Where the white deer graze.
A Walk in Mallow

The captivating white deer in the castle grounds

Mallow is one of those towns that has been by-passed. And forgotten, by many. Remembered by many too if the local Friday rush-hour traffic is anything to go by!
The Hibernians Hotel and its Tudor facade

But no doubt about it, those of us in a rush to Limerick, or to Shannon, or to the West of Ireland, just don't call there anymore. At least that was the case with me until recently.

St Mary's Church

Months earlier I had picked up a brochure on the town, on its facilities and on its history. They even had a walk detailed. I didn't quite follow that walk but did get to see some of the landmarks.
Birthplace of Canon Sheehan

You’ll see quite a few by strolling along Davis Street, the narrow-ish main street, now one-way. The first striking building is the Clock House, “a fine example of a half-timbered Tudor construction”, built by an amateur architect Sir Denham Orlando Jephson in 1855. It eventually fell into decay and the restoration began in 1996 and it now looks splendid.


Thomas Davis
In the plaza in front, you see the statue of Thomas Davis who was born at No. 73 in the former Main Street in 1814. The statue was unveiled 100 years later by President Higgins. Further up the street, another statue recalls JJ Fitzgerald (1872-1906) a Mallow born “scholar, patriot and champion of the oppressed”. The nearby Spa House, erected in 1828, recalls the curative power of its Spa that once made Mallow one of the chief holiday resorts in Ireland.

JJ Fitzgerald

Aside from the Davis House, there are other historic buildings to be seen including that of the English novelist Anthony Trollope at No. 159 West End. And if you fancy a drink in Maureen's, in William O’Brien Street, you’ll be enjoying it in the house where Irish novelist Canon Sheehan was born in 1852. And O’Brien’s own house is to be seen on Davis Street.

Clock Tower

Mallow is also well known for its castle or should I say castles. The old, a ruin, and the modern are right here in the town and in the grounds a herd of lovely white deer graze peacefully. Well worth a visit, as is the town itself, despite a few ugly scars left from the years of the Tiger but they are far outweighed by the good stuff.

See also: 

Peppers of Mallow. Dine at the Crossroads of Munster

The old castle

The modern castle
Time for a snack
Time for dinner

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