Monopoly poll winner seems clear as a bell

It seems the Bells of Shandon will be ringing out as one of 22 squares in the exclusive Cork version of the board game Monopoly.

According to Winning Moves — which will produce the board game under licence from Hasbro — the iconic building is winning the race in an online poll to determine what well known Rebel County landmarks will be featured when the game hits the shops in October.

Spokesman Graham Barnes said over 3,500 votes had been cast in the past week.

“I can definitely say that the Bells of Shandon is winning the race at present, but because the poll is still ongoing, I don’t want to give you a breakdown of the voting.”

He said there was also a strong showing from other landmarks.

Blarney Castle and the Elysian, Ireland’s tallest building, are also in the top five.

The Irish Examiner/Evening Echo offices, which are directly opposite the Elysian, are also making a good showing, he said.

“Your GAA pitch [Páirc Uí Caoimh] is also doing well and there have been a good number of votes for the square in Bantry.”

Mr Barnes said the company will take a couple of months to complete the final design, but the game will definitely be in all major shops by October, with an expected retail price of under €30.

“In the years to come, I’m quite sure that we will visit other parts of Ireland to launch similar games there as the response has been excellent from the people of Cork.”

The game will have the obligatory Go To Jail and Free Parking squares, although some wits point out there’s very little free parking to be had in Cork.

It’s not too late to get your favourite landmark on the board, as voting won’t close until 10am tomorrow.

Nominations can be made by emailing [e-mail], or on facebook.com/corkmonopoly.