Who would have thought that Glanworth could offer so many wonders? This small village in County Cork counts among its tourist treasures the fabulous Glanworth Bridge, a 15th-century Anglo-Norman bridge built at the foot of a ruined medieval castle: Glanworth Castle.
The history of the bridge dates back to the 15th century, when the Roche family, a wealthy Anglo-Norman family who had settled in Glanworth since the 13th century, decided to build a Dominican abbey in 1475. To connect it, they decided to build a narrow bridge over the local river, and named it “Glanworth Bridge”.
Since then, the bridge has never moved, and is officially the oldest bridge in Europe (but also the narrowest!).
Built from local stone and mortar, the bridge is quite pretty, and offers a breathtaking view of the 13th-century castle, built a little higher up on a rocky promontory. A bridge that is still passable today, and is the pride of the village!