“‘Tis the bells of Shandon, that sound so grand on the pleasant waters of the River Lee....” So goes a line of the song “The Bells of Shandon,” penned by local writer Francis Mahony, who was also known as Father Prout. It’s a rite of passage for any first-time visitor to Cork to stop at the 18th-century St. Anne’s, with its distinctive pepperbox steeple topped by a glistening gold salmon ornament on the weather vane. Ascend the steps of the tower and take your turn to chime the bells.
