Cork City

Located in the south of Ireland, the Cork region offers its visitors a great diversity of scenery, culture and leisure activities.

Cork claims some of the most varied and spectacular scenery in the country. The southern coastline, sculptured by the ice age and influenced by the warm waters of the Gulf stream, is steeped in ancient history and folklore. This mountainous area has an abundance of natural beauty and is enriched by sub-tropical flora produced by the unusually warm temperat climate.

Visitors to the area can travel by air, boat, train or car to Cork City, the second city in the Republic of Ireland. With her remarkable charm, bumpy bridges, hilly streets and distinctive continental air, the city of Cork will not fail to captivate the welcome of all of her visitors, young and old.

Cork City Gaol - five minute drive from the city centre.

Despite it's majestic appearance, this prison building housed 19th century prisoners often in wretched conditions.

Furnished cells, amazingly lifelike characters, sound effects and fascinating exhibitions allow the visitor to experience day-to-day life for the prisoner and the gaoler.

Incorporated in the gaol visit is a spectacular sound and image presentation showing contrasting life styles in 19th century Cork and why people turned to crime.

University College Cork - five minute walk from the city centre.

Located across the road from Hayfield Manor, perfect for an evening stroll, beyond the picturesque entrance to UCC, opens into a lively campus filled with historical buildings. Worth a visit are the Boole Library and the 1915 Honan Chapel with its stained glass and Celtic designs, which epitomise the spirit of the early 20th century Celtic revival period. In the corridor of the Quadrangle Building facing Western Road, there is a fascinating collection of Ogham Stones, which were the main form of pictorial language prior to the coming of the written word.

Blarney Castle and Estate - 20 minute drive fromCork

Leaving Cork City and heading northwards will bring you to Blarney - The biggest little village in Ireland! Discover the charm and magic of Blarney, an historic and nostalgic place steeped in history and the ancestral seat of the McCarthy Clan.

Nobody is quite certain how the Elizabethan comment developed into the legend that the gift of eloquence may be derived from kissing the Blarney Stone, but it is likely that the stone itself had some significance in the McCarthy Clan.

The Kissing Stone itself is set in the battlements and to kiss it the visitor must lie on the walk within the walls, grasp a guard rail, lean back and touch the stone with their lips. It sounds dangerous but it isn't and nobody should leave Blarney without kissing the stone!

Also, an opportunity to visit the famous Blarney Woollen Mills for some last minute shopping should not be missed.

Short Trips from Cork

Cobh ~ The Queenstown Story - 40 minute drive from Cork

Retrace the steps of the 2.5 million adults and children who emigrated from Ireland via Cobh on coffin ships, early steamers and finally, the great ocean liners.

Explore the conditions on board the early emigrant vessels, including the dreaded "coffin ship".

Experience life on board a convict ship leaving Cobh for Australia in 1801. Discover Cobh's special connections with the ill-fated Titanic, which sank on her maiden voyage - Cobh was her last port of call.

Relive the horror of World War I and the sinking of the Lusitania off Cork Harbour, with the loss of 1198 lives.

Jameson Heritage Centre - 30 minute drive from Cork

Irish Whiskey is world renowned and its history can be traced on a guided tour through The Jameson Heritage Centre in Midleton, Co. Cork, 12 miles east of Cork City. The Jameson Tour commences with an informative audio-visual presentation. Guests accompanied by tour guide then follow the Old Distillery Trail through the various historic and architecturally unique buildings - mills, malting houses, corn stores, stillhouses, old offices and atmospheric warehouses, where you can encounter superbly restored machinery and dramatic recreations of many of the steps of whiskey production.

Visitors can see the largest pot still in the world, with a capacity of 32,000 gallons and the old waterwheel, manufactured in 1825 to provide motive power prior to the days of electricity and still turning today. Each visit culminates in the Jameson Bar with the Irish Whiskey tasting session when you may have the opportunity of becoming a qualified Irish Whiskey taster with a presentation diploma!

Stephen Pearce - 40 minute drive from Cork

Stephen Pearce is located a few hundred yards from the village of Shanagarry and the sleepy fishing village of Ballycotton.

Stephen Pearce pottery is all hand made and hand decorated. It continues a 250 year tradition of hand crafted pottery in Co. Cork. In the ancient rural setting of Shanagarry it is easy to appreciate the unique quality of each pot, especially when you see for yourself the person and the hands that created it.

Visitors are welcome to watch this ancient craft or to browse through the shop which stocks a selection of Simon Pearce Glass, Jewellery, Linens and of course the entire ranges of Stephen Pearce. Where ever possible, children will be given a piece of clay to make their own masterpiece.

Kinsale - 30 minute drive Cork

The ancient harbour town of Kinsale is located 20 miles from Cork city. Kinsale is one of the oldest and most attractive towns in Ireland. This wealthy picture-perfect Irish village south of Cork is an increasingly popular attraction and is today considered the Irish Gourmet capital with an ambiance of small intimate restaurants and pubs for you to choose from.

The best and the most exciting way for you to get to know any town is for you to walk around it. This is especially true of Kinsale. It is a small town of winding streets which were not really designed for traffic as we know it today.

Walk by Desmond Castle which was built by the Fitzgerald's c.1500 A.D. as a customs house and was used by Don Juan De Aguila and his arsenal when the Spaniards occupied the town for one hundred days in 1601 and which now houses the International Museum of Wine.

Or stand inside the strategic forts of King Charles and King James and imagine yourself besieged by the Spaniards, Mount Joy or Churchill or challenging entry to ships from all corners of the world. Find out why and where the French and later American prisoners were held in the XVIII century.

Brief History of Cork

Cork is Ireland's largest county, with an area of 748,567 hectares. It is a microcosm of Ireland as a whole in history and scenery. It has long sandy beaches, high rugged cliffs and a scattering of off shore islands.

There are rocky mountains, subtropical gardens and still, dark corrie lakes. You can find dark forests, climbing hillsides, old walled towns, multicoloured spinnakers of racing yachts on a bright sea and old memories of seafaring and ship wrecks. It was in the harbour town of Cobh (pronounced cove) that the Titanic made her last port of call and many Irish immigrants were on the doomed ship. At one time Cobh was known as Queenstown, in honour of a visit by Queen Victoria.

Blarney Castle (pictured above) is known for its Blarney Stone. Legend has it that if you kiss the stone you will be granted the gift of eloquence. You must go to the top of the castle, lie on your back and ease down while someone holds you feet in order to kiss the stone. One story is that the stone is one half of a larger stone and that the other half is the Stone of Scone, where Irish Kings sat for their coronation, and now resides in Westminster Abbey where British royalty sit upon it to be crowned.

County Cork is known as The Rebel County for the independant spirit of those that reside here, both past and present. Cork city is known as the shopping capital of the southwest and almost anything you can imagine can be found there.

Created & Designed by Des McAuley