Autumn in Gougane Barra

By Linda Tancs

Gougane Barra is a scenic valley and forest park in the Shehy Mountains of County Cork, Ireland. There’s a tiny island at the edge of the lake at the entrance to the forest park where Saint Finbarr, the patron saint of Cork, founded his early Christian monastery in the 6th century. You’ll find a network of trails that wind through the woods and around the lake, one of many things to enjoy while the foliage undergoes its autumn transition. September 25 is the saint’s feast day; the closest Sunday is known in Cork as Gougane Sunday, when a steady stream of pilgrims gather at the saint’s hermitage.