With a population of 180,000, Cork (Gaelic: Corcaigh ) is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and is situated on the banks of the River Lee in the south of the county.
Get in
By boat
By plane
See this page on the Cork Airport official website for the current list of direct destinations:
Direct destinations from Cork Airport
By train
Three lines run from Kent Station, Cork.
1. Suburban train to Cobh; serving: Little Island, Glounthane, Fota, Carrigaloe, Rushbrooke, Cobh.
2. National route to Tralee; serving: Mallow, Banteer, Millstreet, Rathmore, Killarney, Farranfore, Tralee.
3. National route to Dublin; serving: Mallow, Charleville, Limerick Junction, Thurles, Templemore, Ballybrophy, Portlaoise, Portarlington, Kildare, Dublin Heuston.
By bus
Get around
Walk. Cork has a small city centre. A backpacker will most likely be staying, eating, drinking and touring in the city centre.
Taxis are plentiful (except for late Friday and Saturday nights, when demand exceeds supply). There is a bus service to the residential suburbs. Most buses leave from the main street, Patrick's Street or the nearby bus station at Parnell Place.
A guided bus tour departs from near the junction of Grand Parade and South Mall at regular intervals and provides an interesting tour of the main highlights of Cork for those who do not have a lot of time on their hands.
Understand
Cork was originally built on several islands (the Gaelic name, Corcaigh, means marsh), and the center of the city sits between the north and south channels of the River Lee. In fact, many of the wider streets, such as Patrick Street or Grand Parade, are actually built on former river channels.
Since the City was founded by St Finbarr over 1,000 years ago, it has grown from a small merchant town into a cosmopolitan and vibrant city that within the Republic of Ireland is second only to Dublin in size and importance.
Statio Bene Fide Carinis' – "A safe Harbour for ships" is the motto of the city that is found on the coat of arms.
See
Do
Cork has a thriving cultural scene that was acknowledged internationally when it was named the European Capital of Culture for 2005.
Several festivals are held annually in the city giving the visitor an opportunity to experience a wide range of music, theatre and film.
Mid June - Mid July. (See http://www.corkfestival.com)
Eat
Drink
Gay and Lesbian
taken from www.gaycork.com
Going Out
as from GayCork.com
Recently relocated, spacious and bright, with a first class music policy, Instinct has quickly established itself as Cork's flagship gay venue. Its late licence means many punters now don’t bother heading to clubs any more.
Instinct website
Cork's newest gay bar. Flux website
A cosy pub just south of the city centre, Loafers is Ireland’s oldest gay venue. Less cruisy than Instinct, its laidback, friendly atmosphere attracts a diverse clientele, and it’s generally more popular with women than the other gay venues.
Loafers website
‘The club’ now only runs the occasional weekend BUT instead operates a late cafe / bar. Well worth a visit, if you prefer a quiet drink / chat with your friends.
The Other Place website
Cork's newest all gay monthly night. It has proved a huge hit with the local gay community, both with then location, staff and the the music.
Grub Cafe @ the Other Place, is open Tuesday - Saturday 12pm to 6pm.
Grub Café website
Also check out gay pubs/clubs in;
Community
The Other Place Gay centre website
Lesbian centre website
Sleep
Budget
There are a handful of hostels in the city:
Mid range
Splurge
Get out
Cork (Corcaigh) is the second city of the Republic of Ireland and Ireland's third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city of the province of Munster.
The city proper has a population of 119,143 (2006 census), however this increases to 190,384 (2006 census) if the immediate suburbs of the city in the Cork County Council area are included. In the "Cork Joint Housing Strategy", it states that the 2006 population of Metropolitan Cork stands at approximately 274,000, while the Greater Cork area stands at 380,000 in 2006.
The city's name is derived from an Irish word corcach meaning "marshy place", referring to its situation on the River Lee. Cork has a reputation for rebeliousness dating back to the town's support of the English pretender Perkin Warbeck in 1491 during the Wars of the Roses. This has given Cork the nickname of "the Rebel County". It is not unusual for Corkonians to refer to Cork as the "true capital of Ireland" or to feel they have a distinct identity from the rest of Ireland.
The River Lee flows through the city, an island in the river forming the main part of the city centre just before the Lee flows into Lough Mahon and thence to Cork Harbour, one of the world's largest natural harbours. The city is a major Irish seaport — with quays and docks sited along the broad waterway of the Lee on the city's East side, while Cork plays host to the World's second largest natural harbour, after Sydney, Australia.
History
''Main article: History of Cork
Cork's city charter was granted by King John in 1185. However, Cork has its beginnings in a much earlier monastic settlement, founded by St Finbar in the sixth century. Over the centuries, much of the city was rebuilt, time and again, after numerous fires and attacks by Vikings or Norsemen(though there is little archaeological evidence to support this). It has been proposed, that like Dublin, Cork became an important trading centre in the global Scandinavian trade network. The city was at one time fully walled, and several sections and gates remain. The title of Mayor of Cork was established by royal charter in 1318, and the title was changed to Lord Mayor in 1900. The centre of Cork was gutted by fires started by the Black and Tans in the War of Independence, part of the policy of reprisals at the time; it was also the site of some fierce fighting between Irish guerrilla leaders and British forces. During the Irish Civil War, Cork was for a time held by anti-Treaty forces, until it was retaken by the pro-Treaty National Army in an attack from the sea.
Climate
Twinning with Shanghai came with some discontent, the Green Party has called on Cork's local, national and European elected representatives to support the withdrawal of the city's twinning with Shanghai due to reports of human rights violations in China . Since the twinning parties from both Cork and Shanghai have visited their counterparts on trade related missions.
Transportation
Air
:Main article: Cork International Airport
Cork Airport is one of Ireland's main airports and gateway to the South of Ireland. It is situated on the south side of Cork City in an area known as Ballygarvan. More than 10 scheduled airlines fly to over 50 destinations with over 50 flights a day. The airport continues to grow and a total of 2.730 million passengers used the airport in 2005, and passed the 3 million mark in 2006, which makes it the second busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin. The airport recently opened a second terminal able to handle up to three million passengers annually, and allowing for a pier extension which will boost capacity to 5 million. The airport plays a vital role in the development of Cork City, County and other surrounding areas and increased services to mainland Europe continue to develop. However, the national policy of requiring transatlantic flights to stop in Shannon in addition to Cork Airport's relatively short runway have hampered efforts to develop transatlantic services. Recent controversy regarding the new Cork terminal has come to the forefront, with a massive €180 million debt preceding the opening of the terminal, which opened on August 1st 2006.
Bus
Cork City's public transportation is provided by the national bus operator Bus Éireann. Routes connect the city centre to the principal suburbs, colleges, shopping centres and places of interest. There are also two city bus routes, Route Numbers 1 and 19, that provide orbital services across the Northern and Southern districts of the city respectively.
Buses to the outer suburbs, such as Ballincollig, Glanmire and Carrigaline are provided from the city's bus terminal at Parnell Place in the city centre. These suburban services include the Cork International Airport shuttle bus (Route Numbers 226 and 249). There is also a Park and Ride facility in the south suburbs, that allow easy access into the city centre. This is especially popular with students and commuters from not just the far suburbs but also the surrounding towns in County Cork.
Long distance buses depart from the bus terminal in Parnell Place to destinations throughout Ireland. Hourly services run to Killarney/Tralee, Waterford and Shannon Airport/Limerick/Galway and there are six services daily to Dublin. There is also a daily Eurolines bus service that connects Cork to Victoria Bus Station in London via South Wales and Bristol on an overnight sailing from Rosslare.
Ferry
The Cross River Ferry, from Rushbrooke to Passage West, links the R624 to R610. This service is useful when trying to avoid traffic on the Great Island (Cobh). Cork Ferryport is situated at Ringaskiddy, 16 km SE via the N28. Direct sea links are available to Roscoff (France) with Brittany Ferries and Swansea (Wales) with Swansea Cork Ferries. A connecting bus service is available to the city centre from the ferryport. Plans for a water taxi service are being finalised to provide traffic free connections for both commuters and tourists alike.
Road
The Cork area has seen improvements in road infrastructure in recent years, especially with regards to National Primary roads. The Cork South Link road (a dual carriageway), built in the early 1980s, linking the Kinsale road roundabout with the city centre was the first of many improvements. Shortly afterwards, the first sections of the South Ring Road (dual carriageway) were opened. Work continued through the 1990s on extending the South Ring Road with the opening of the Jack Lynch Tunnel under the River Lee being the most significant addition. The Kinsale Road flyover opened in August 2006 to remove a major bottleneck for traffic heading to the Airport or Killarney. Also in the 1990s work progressed on the Cork to Midleton dual carriageway and the N8 Glanmire bypass dual carriageway. Other projects completed at this time include the N20 Blackpool bypass and the N20 Cork to Mallow road projects. The N8 Glanmire to Watergrasshill dual carriageway bypass was opened in 2002. The N22 Ballincollig dual carriageway bypass, which links to the Western end of the Cork Southern Ring road was opened in 2004. City Centre road improvements include the Patrick St. project which reconstructed the street with a pedestrian focus.
The M8 Rathcormac to Fermoy tolled motorway bypass (17.5 kilometres) has recently been completed and opened in October 2006.
Rail
Railway and tramway heritage
Cork city was one of the most rail oriented cities in Ireland, boasting a total of 8 stations at various times. The main route, still much the same today, is that from Dublin. Originally terminating on the city's outskirts at Blackpool, the Glanmire tunnel now connects it to the city centre terminus of Kent Station. Nowadays actually a through station, the line through Kent connects the town of Cóbh east of the city. This also connected to the seaside town of Youghal, until the 1980s.
Other rail routes terminating or traversing Cork city were the Cork, Blackrock and Passage railway, lines to Macroom and Blarney, as well as the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway connecting Bantry, Skibbereen, Clonakilty and many other West Cork towns. West Cork trains terminated at Albert Quay, across the river from Kent Station (though an on-street rail 'system' connected the two for rolling stock and cargo movement). All that remains of the once-extensive public transport system is the line to Dublin and that to Cobh.
Within the city there have been two tram networks in operation. A proposal to develop a horse-drawn tram (linking the city's railway termini) was made by an American, George Francis Train, in the 1860s. These ideas were put into practice in 1872 by the Cork Tramway Company. However, the company ceased trading in 1875 after Cork Corporation refused permission to extend the line.
In December 1898, an electric tram system began operating on routes: Blackpool-Douglas, Summerhill-Sunday's Well and Tivoli-Blackrock. The gauge of the tramway was two feet, eleven and a half inches (90.2cm), and designed to be the same as the Muskerry Railway (although the two never shared traffic).
Increased usage of cars and buses in the 1920s led to a reduction in the numbers using the trams. The final day of operation of the trams was supposed to be March 31 1931. However, after a few weeks of closure, it was realised that the Irish Omnibus Company did not have enough capacity to cope with demand, and the trams started running again in April. This was only temporary however, and the final tram in Cork ran on September 30 1931.
Place names today still tell of the routes, such as Tramway Terrace in Douglas.
Current routes
Cork's Kent Station is the main train station in the city. From here, services to all over Ireland can be reached. The main line from Cork to Dublin, which is Ireland's busiest rail line, has eight direct departures daily and a number of connecting services. Irish Rail plans to upgrade this line to an hourly service in 2006. Direct InterCity services are also available to Kerry, with direct services to Killarney and Tralee, although most services to Kerry involve a change at Mallow.
The Cork Suburban Rail system also departs from Kent Station and provides frequent connections to most areas of Metropolitan Cork with services to the north and east of the city including Little Island, Mallow, Fota and Cobh. This railway line provides essential transport for the thousands of commuters to the city every day from the city's suburbs. The east of the city is also a scenic route connecting several islands in Cork harbour with the city centre. The train is recommended for travel to Fota Island wildlife park, arboretum, golf club and Cobh Heritage Centre.
In November 2005, the Irish government announced the reopening of the railway line between Glounthaune (on the Cobh line) and Midleton as part of the country's 10 year development plan. New stations will be provided at Carrigtohill on the Midleton branch and at Kilbarry, Monard and Blarney on the Dublin line as part of the plan, along with the already operational Mallow station. The Midleton branch is scheduled to be reopened in 2008.
In April 2007, it was announced that the government was to carry out a feasibility study on bringing light rail to Cork.
Education
:''See Also: Education in Cork
Cork is an important educational center in Ireland. University College Cork (UCC), a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, offers a wide variety of courses in Arts, Commerce, Engineering, Law, Medicine and Science. The university was named "Irish University of the Year" in 2003–2004 and 2005–2006 by The Sunday Times. Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) was named Irish "Institute of Technology of the Year" in 2006–2007 and offers a variety of third level courses in Mathematics, Computing and IT, Business, Humanities and Engineering (Mechanical, Electronic, Electrical, and Chemical). The National Maritime College of Ireland also located in Cork and is the only college in Ireland in which Nautical Studies and Marine Engineering can be undertaken. CIT also incorporates the Cork School of Music and Crawford College of Art and Design as constituent schools. The Cork College of Commerce is the largest post–Leaving Certificate College in Ireland and is also the biggest provider of Vocational Preparation and Training courses in the country. Other 3rd level institutions include Griffith College Cork which has been offering courses since 1884 and various other colleges. There is also a very large community of students from abroad, especially countries where Cork has twinned cities. The largest group of foreign students comes from China, Shanghai in particular. This is due to the exchange programmes on offer for Chinese students in universities in China. Other non-nationals come from Poland, India, America and Latvia, as well as "the old E.U." countries such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
:See Also: :Category:Secondary schools in Cork
Sport
:See also: List of Cork people - Sports
Sport is intensely important to the people of Cork, with Gaelic football, hurling and association football the most popular.
Gaelic games
Cork are the record holders for hurling titles, holding 30 titles on the roll of honour. Kilkenny (the current All-Ireland Champions) hold 29. Hurling is the most popular spectator sport in the city, and has a strong identity with city and county.
Cork have also won 6 gaelic football titles. There are many Gaelic Athletic Association clubs in Cork City. The main public venues are Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Páirc Uí Rinn (named for Christy Ring).
Association football
Cork City F.C. won the Eircom League in 2005 and also reached the Carlsberg FAI Cup final. They finished 4th in the 2006 season, qualifying for the UEFA Intertoto Cup. They play their home games at Turners Cross stadium on the south side of the city, and regularly attract the largest crowds in the league.
Rugby
Rugby is also popular in the city, being played at various levels, from school to senior league level. There are two first division clubs in Cork city. Cork Constitution (2 time All Ireland League Champions) play their home games in Ballintemple and Dolphin R.F.C. play at home in Musgrave Park, Pearse Road, Ballyphehane. Other notable rugby clubs in the city include, Highfield, Sunday's Well and UCC. At schools level, Christian Brothers College and Presentation Brothers College are two of the country's better known rugby nurseries.
Munster Rugby plays half of its home matches in the Celtic League at Musgrave Park in Ballyphehane. In the past Heineken Cup matches have also been played at Musgrave Park but now, due to capacity issues these are now played at Thomond Park in Limerick. As of May 2006 Munster are the Heineken Cup Champions with many players hailing from Cork city and county.
Water sports
There are a huge variety of water sports to be found in the harbour and river areas of the city. Rowing and Sailing have both grown in popularity over the past few years in the city. There are now four rowing clubs to be found training on the river Lee (UCC Rowing Club UCCRC, Cork Boat Club CBC, Shandon Boat Club SBC and Lee Rowing Club LRC) and a further recently revived coastal rowing club (Blackrock Rowing Club). Naomhóga Chorcaí is another rowing club whose members row traditional naomhóga on the Lee, primarily for leisure but also in occasional competitions. The Ocean to City race, held in 2005 and again in 2007, saw teams and boats from many local and visiting clubs race for 15 miles from Crosshaven to Cork city centre. The decision to move the National Rowing Center to Inniscarra has boosted numbers involved and interested in the sport. Sailing is an important pastime for many and Cork's maritime sailing heritage is maintained through its sailing clubs. While rowing is centered in the calmer waters of the rivers, sailing is based out in harbour area. The Royal Cork Yacht Club located in Crosshaven (outside the city) is the world's oldest yacht club. The sport also raises further interest through the Cork Weeksailing event which has a considerable reputation as an sailing event.
Other sports
There are also Cork clubs active nationally in basketball (Neptune and UCC Demons) and numerous golf, pitch and putt, hockey, tennis and athletics clubs in the city and suburbs.
The city is also the home of road bowling which is played on the minor roads adjacent to the northside and south-west suburbs. Boxing and Martial arts, such as Karate and Taekwondo, also command a high level of practise within the city.
Cork Racing races in the Irish Formula Ford Championship.
Further reading
See also
External links
