Cork - Cork

Cork it's a city Irish in Munster province, capital of the county of the same name.

To know

For many tourists, including Italians, Cork is one of the main entrances into Ireland thanks to its international airport. Despite being the second city of the Republic of Ireland, Cork remains a city of human dimensions despite having about 400,000 inhabitants and is worth a few days of stay before "fleeing" to Kinsale and the other tourist centers of the southwest ofIreland.

When to go

Cork has a humid climate with frequent rains and fogs. The latter also appear in summer. The humidity rate is accentuated and oscillates between 70% and 100%. Summer is of course the best time to visit Cork. This is in fact the only season in which the rains thin out. Temperatures are mild; they rarely drop below 0 and rarely exceed 30 °.

How to orient yourself

Neighborhoods

• Center - Cork city center occupies a flat island formed by two branches of the River Lee. St. Patrick Street is the main road that starts from Daunt Square and ends at the bridge of the same name that leads to the north bank. In the vicinity of Daunt Square is the Old French Quarter, a district where the persecuted Huguenots in France had taken refuge. The most characteristic streets of the district are Paul street and its two branches, French Church Street and Carey's Lane. They are all very lively arteries due to the high concentration of restaurants and shopping centers such as the "Paul street Shopping Center" and "North Main Street". Also in the vicinity of Daunt Square is the English Market, a covered market with entrance from Princess Street and Grand Parade. English Market is almost a city institution dating back to 1610 but the building as we see it today is dated 1780. It was seriously damaged by a fire that broke out in 1980 and subsequently required considerable restoration works.
• North shore - Crossing the St Patrick's bridge leads to the north bank, occupied by a hill on which stands the St Ann's Shandon which with its clock tower dominates the panorama of the city. The main street on the north bank is MacCurtain Street which runs parallel to the river. The Opera House overlooks it.
• South shore - On the south bank are the Protestant cathedral (St Finbarr's Cthedral), the town hall (City Hall) sections of the 17th century walls and the ruins of Fort Elizabeth.

Cork was once crossed by numerous canals along which stood warehouses and merchant houses. Over time the canals were filled in. South Mall is the street on one of these canals. The ancient houses have survived and you can still see the stairways at the base of which the merchant boats were tied. The houses at 53 and 74 are the most characteristic of South Mall. They were built with bricks brought in by sea from Holland.

How to get

By plane

Cork Airport - Scheduled flights of the Aer Lingus from Rome-Fiumicino.

On boat

On the Cork route-Roskoff (Brittany, France) ferries operate Brittany Ferries. The crossing takes 15 hours

How to get around

What see

• Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Emmet Place. Free admission. 
• ^{[link previously not working]}St. Anne's Church, Church Street. 

Events and parties

• October Jazz Festival. 

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

Where to eat

Where stay

Moderate prices

• The Bru Hostel, 57 MacCurtain Street, ☎ 353 214559667. 
• Corks International Youth Hostel, 1 & 2 Redclyffe, Western Road, ☎ 353 21 4543289. It is part of the Hostelling International chain - Discounts for members of the association. 
• Maranatha Country House B&B, ☎ 353 21 438 5102. 

Average prices

• Jurys hotel, Western Road, Cork, ☎ 353 21 425 2700. 
• The Imperial Hotel Cork (South Mall), ☎ 353 21 427 4040. 

Safety

How to keep in touch

Around

• Cobh
• Blarney Castle

Itineraries

West coast of County Cork

A branch of the N 71 leads to Kinsale (31 km), one of the best known tourist centers in Ireland. Continuing west, you will find the following locations and sites

• Ruins of Timoleague Abbey.
• Clonakilty
• Drombeg Stone Circle
• Baltimore
• Ballydehob - from where a branch off of the N 71 leads to Mizen Head, the very southern tip of Ireland.
• Bantry House

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Cork
• Commons contains images or other files on Cork

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