History of Cork City

Corcach Mór Mumhan translates as The Great Marsh of Munster. Corcaigh being anglised as Cork. The city centre was built on a marshy area on islands of the river Lee. The waterways between the islands were built over to form some of the main streets of present-day Cork.
Cork City has it's origins in a monastic settlement, founded by St Finbarr

From 915 Cork City was settled (invaded) by Vikings, Anglo-Normans and English. The city charter was granted to Cork by King John in 1185.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Cork hosted the great International Exhibition. At the beginning of the twenty-first century it hosted the European Capital of Culture event.. Top

Our City - Cork City Council

Statio Bene Fide Carinis
A safe Harbour for ships is the motto on the coat of arms of our friendly and vibrant port city.
Since the City was founded by St Finbarr over 1,000 years ago it has grown from a trading merchant city to a cosmopolitan vibrant 21st century city of today.

The city, situated on the banks of the river Lee, is home to 123,000 people. It is located on the South West coast of Ireland and is the 2nd largest city in the Republic of Ireland. The area of the city is 3,731 hectares.

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University College Cork

University College Cork was originally established in 1845 as one of three Queen's Colleges in Cork, Galway and Belfast.

The original site chosen for the University is believed to have had a connection with Saint Finbarr, the patron saint of Cork, whose monastery and school of learning were in the area.

The UCC campus is noted for its mature well-wooded grounds containing several Californian Redwood trees. These form a splendid setting for the Gothic revival-style Main Quadrangle buildings, modelled on a typical Oxford college by the renowned Cork architect of the mid 19th century - Sir Thomas Deane.

The overall area of the main campus is forty-four acres, and is supplemented by further facilities nearby Top

Cork Institute of Technology

CIT offers a wide range of courses covering areas of study such as science, engineering, business studies, humanities, music, art and design. Courses are offered at all levels from Higher Certificate to PhD and these courses are offered as full-time or part-time programmes

Cork Institute of Technology is comprised of three constituent Faculties and three constituemt Colleges. The consitituent Faculties are Science, Engineering and Business and Humanities. The constituent Colleges are the CIT Crawford College of Art and Design, the CIT Cork School of Music and the National Maritime College of Ireland.

Faculties are made up of Schools which are in turn comprised of two or more academic Departments Top

Cork Airport

By Car
Cork Airport is conveniently located just 8 kilometres from Cork City Centre on the south end of the N27 when coming from the North, West, or East of Cork and off the R600 when coming from Kinsale.
Cork Airport Authority operates all Car Parks at Cork Airport and offers both short-term and long-term parking within the airport campus with over 4,600 spaces available in total. Special rates are available for Frequent Users of car parking facilities at Cork Airport. All car parks operate 24 hours and are regularly patrolled by Airport Police.

By Taxi
There is a Taxi rank located outside the main terminal building. The cost from Cork Airport to the City Centre and the central bus and railway stations is between € 10.00 and € 15.00 approximately.

By Train
Iarnrod Eireann , Ireland's national train company operates from Cork's Kent Train station and is located on the Lower Glanmire Road, north of the River Lee, less than 10 minutes walk from the city bus station.  Bus Eireann provides a regular Air Coach bus service from Cork's Parnell Place Bus Station to Cork Airport throughout the week. Distance to the Airport is just 8 kilometres. Top

Airport Hotels
Cork International Airport Hotel, Cork Airport
Radisson SAS Hotel, Cork Airport

Port of Cork

One of the ancient names for Cork harbour - Bealach Coullach, or way of the tribes - still carries a resonance, and an application, to the tides of trade, traffic and tourism converging at the Port of Cork.

As the start of a new millenium the Port of Cork enters its third official century. The Port of Cork has its legal origins in several Acts of Parliament consolidating in 1820 with the constitution of the Harbour Commissioners.

The earliest town was marshy, its streets more like canal, its core huddled between the river's northern and southern channels and bisected by yet another. That town was walled, with castellated watch-towers and early maps show ships below the walls. For several hundred years the city spread only when there was enough money.

For most citizens the river is a scenic playground, providing pleasurable walks along such banks as Tivoli, the Lee Fields or the Marina, a focus for local rowing clubs. The ports policy of leisure being integrated with industry is reflected by a commemorative millenium project which takes the form of a garden beside the river at Tivoli. Top

Cork Film Festival

Corona Cork Film Festival is one of Ireland's premier cultural events. Established in 1956, the festival has enjoyed a steady growth in scale, in numbers of admissions and guests, in reputation and in media coverage. The festival has developed an ever-increasing audience of general public, film lovers and filmmakers.

Corona Cork Film Festival is held in high regard on a local, national and international level. In Cork city and region it is one the most important events in the social and cultural calendar.

The programme is wide-ranging, an eclectic mix of big budget pictures, world cinema, innovative independent films, documentaries and short films from all over the globe. The festival is a major showcase for Irish film production. Top

Cork Jazz Festival

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Cork Chamber of Commerce

Cork Chamber is the leading organisation for promotion, development and expansion of commercial life in the Cork region. Membership of Cork Chamber will allow you to raise your profile, provide your business with PR, marketing and networking opportunities, and ensure that your organisation is represented on critical business issues, through the collective lobbying voice of Cork Chamber.
Cork Chamber, through its interconnected business network of over 900 members aims to be the leading voice on key issues affecting the region, through the representation of the views of the business community, the articulation of Government plans and policies and the accompanying research and analysis on key issues. Top

Cork Folk Festival

Back in 1979, when The Cork Folk Festival was being conceived, the idea of surviving 25 years was not even a pipe dream. At a time when folk festivals such as Ballisodare and Ballyshannon offered inspiration, one of the main motivations on Leeside was to provide an urban platform for the indigenous music, song and dance of the Muskerry Gaeltacht, Sliabh Luachra and West Kerry; in tandem with attracting premier national and international exponents of folk and traditional music to the city.
That first year of concerts, céilís, workshops, Festival Club and sessions, offered a successful template for succeeding years. The opening night, Thursday September 13th 1979 at Douglas GAA Club; was headlined by Nioclás Tóibín and Diarmuid Ó SúilleabhÁin, two fine traditional singers sadly no longer among us. The high standard of local traditional musicianship at the time is evident from the other participants: Conal agus Máire Ní Ghráda, and Máire agus Nollaig Ní Chathasaigh.

With venues such as Connolly Hall, UCC, The Country Club, The Phoenix Bar and Heaphy’s Bar (now The Lobby); you could have invested in a weekend ticket covering all 1979 events for jus £8. For that, you could have enjoyed De Dannan, Seán Ó Sé, Na Filí, Jimmy Crowley & Stokers Lodge, The Lee Valley Stringband, Niall Toner, Tomás Ó Canainn, Eoin Ó Riabhaigh, Mandy Murphy, The Press Gang – and a host of other names.

Céilís and Set Dances are a core component, as are the dance workshops on Festival Saturday and Sunday, presented by some of the finest teachers in the country, including: Joe O’Donovan, the late Connie Ryan, Mick Mulkerins, Pat and Liz Moroney, Betty Ryan, Máiréad Casey; and of course, Timmy McCarthy and William Hammond. Cajun two-steps and clog dancing are among other dance forms to have snuck in, thanks to visiting teachers, musicians and enthusiasts. Legendary Céilí Bands, including The Tulla, Kilfenora and Templehouse have provided the music for Folk Festival dancers; as indeed have many of the bands specialising in the set dance music indigenous to Cork, Kerry and South Munster. The Abbey Céilí Band, Donie Nolan & Taylors Cross, The Four Star Trio, The Island Céilí Band, The Donncha Lynch Céilí Band and Sliabh Notes have all followed in the footsteps (or should that be steered the footsteps)since that inaugural 1979 Phoenix Céilí Band hooley. The already mentioned and much missed Johnny Leary, and other friends from Dan Connell’s bar and famous dance locale in Knocknagree, have been as much a part of these events as Cork dance enthusiasts. A hugely popular element of the Festival which has survived from 1979 is the Specialist Concert. These are concerts featuring leading exponents of a specific traditional instrument; such as Button Accordion, Fiddle, Pipes, Flute & Whistle, or String. Originally dubbed Workshops, it was eventually decided that this was something of a misnomer, given that there were no question and answer sessions, indeed no opportunity for aspiring musicians to play with the featured exponents. Since the mid 1990s, Master Classes have successfully bridged that gap. Renowned unaccompanied traditional singers and songmakers from all over the country make the annual pilgrimage to the Cork Folk Festival’s Traditional Song Concert. Like the Specialist Traditional Concerts, this is presented by a different singer each year and is invariably a Festival highpoints year after year.
Since Nioclás Tóibín and Diarmuid Ó Súilleabháin sang on that very first Festival night in the Douglas GAA Club, literally hundreds of traditional singers have taken the Traditional Song Concert stage, from Clare’s late Junior Crehan and Micho Russell, to Chapelizod’s Frank Harte, from Altan’s Máiréad Ní Mhaonaigh to Danú’s Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh. Many are familiar faces from North and South year after year: Niamh Parsons, Rosie Stewart, Róisín white, Sinéad Caher, Tim and John Lyons, Tim Dennehy, The Góilín Singers Club (Dublin), Mick Scannell, Mick Marrinan etc. Top

Cork City Marathon

The Course

(A map of the 2009 course will be posted on the Cork City Marathon site as soon as the course is announced. It is likely to be very similar to the 2008 course. Download a map of the 2008 marathon course there.)

Cork is a city of hills and valleys. Established on the low-lying islands around Washington Street and St Patrick's Street, the suburbs rise to fill the surrounding hills to the north and south. To the west, the Lee Valley provides some flat stretches, while to the east the harbour’s estuary also offers some flat relief.

The course committee designed a unique and varied route, which incorporates many of Cork's most attractive and best-known features. Contrary to popular rumour, the race did not go up (or down) St Patrick's Hill!

The race begins and finishes on the city centre's main street, St Patrick's Street. It takes a single circuit of the city centre before heading north for the historic suburb of Blackpool. Returning along the northern quays of the River Lee, the runners pass the four-mile mark along the picturesque riverside scenery of the Lower Glanmire Road, before entering the Jack Lynch Tunnel. The 360m-tunnel beneath the River Lee links Dunkettle to Ringmahon, and the 2007 marathon was the first time that pedestrians had been allowed through it since shortly after it was opened in May 1999. Then, about 100,000 people walked through the tunnel over two days raising huge amounts of money for charity. This run through the Jack Lynch Tunnel brings the race into Mahon, via the South Ring Road and the Skehard Road.

Passing through Blackrock Village, the race heads west along the Marina and Centre Park Road, rejoining the city's South Link Road for a short distance to run into Turner's Cross. Through Ballyphehane, the Lough area and Glasheen, the race heads onto the Model Farm Road. Taking a right turn at about the 21-mile mark, the marathon returns towards the city along the mile-long Carrigrohane Road, known locally as the Straight Road. The final stretch of the 26.2-mile race brings the race along the Western Road, crossing Slí Cumann na mBan and onto the North Mall, along Pope's Quay, Christy Ring Bridge and Lavitt's Quay to the finish line on St Patrick's Street. Top

The National Sculpture Factory

The National Sculpture Factory is a national organisation, dedicated to artists, which advances the creation and understanding of contemporary art. Specifically, it provides and promotes a supportive environment for the making of art, opportunities for commissioning new works, collaborations, residencies and other artistic interventions. Top