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Ireland > Munster > County Cork

Think quiet serene rivers in idyllic green countryside, savage storm lashed coastlines and warm sheltered beaches, purple heather clad hills, rich agricultural farmlands, great salmon fishing, and a mild warm (for Ireland) climate warmed by the prevailing Gulf Stream current. County Cork is Ireland's largest county, and includes Ireland's third largest city, the booming, cultural, energised city of Cork with its citizens (`Corkonians') playing a prominent part in the growth of the new Ireland's `Celtic Tiger' economy. Along the wild and unspoilt coastline welcomes are friendly and Gaelic is widely spoken. Landscapes in this part of Ireland, the most southerly, have altered little over the last 1000 years. The coast is dotted with beautiful small fishing villages and retreats, craft shops and great scenery.

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The Blarney Stone. To be sure to be sure - 5 miles north of Cork, County Cork's world famous Blarney Castle is home to the Blarney Stone, situated high up in the ruined keep that is all that is left of Blarney castle, which was built around 1446. As much a symbol of Ireland as the shamrock, kissing the stone is an ancient tradition - to do so is said to bestow great eloquence (aka `the gift of the gab') to the 'kisser'! To achieve this feat, the visitor must be held by the feet and bend backwards under the tower parapet. Despite the undignified posture, thousands of visitors queue so each year to perform the kiss. The walls of the castle are massive - in places 18-feet thick (5.5 metres). It's a must do - after all who in the world can claim to have kissed the Blarney Stone! Footnote: How did it get its reputation? In the days of Queen Elizabeth 1, the castle was held by Dermot MacCarthy, the lord of Blarney, who had the gift of `plamas', the Irish word for soft flattering or insincere speech - today we would recognise the term as well, 'sucking up' to someone! Well, Queen Lizzie asked him to hand over his castle but he continually blocked this with lots of nice words and no action to which she is reputed to have replied, `This is all Blarney - he says he will do it but never means it at all.' However the MacCarthy's forfeited it in the Williamite wars of 1690 and then successive owners after that until it fell into disrepair and ruin.

The City of Cork, the Republic of Ireland's second largest city, has a rich history of Irish mercantile tradition, and is a must for any traveller wishing to sample the culture of the Irish South. A Danish stronghold until the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1179, it is a bustling, energetic and proud city with over 135 thousand people. The city centre is cosmopolitan and sophisticated and hums with real energy and a great nightlife, however its business savvy `Corkonian' inhabitants still remains remarkably relaxed despite the unabated pace of the Irish 'Celtic Tiger' business growth, characterised by the IT and bioscience industries in the region.

Cork City Gaol, now passed from use, is a castle-like prison with a grim atmosphere. A tour gives you an idea of why people turned to crime in the shocking poverty here in the 19th century.

Mizen Head Signal Station, sited on top of a windswept promontory on Ireland's most southwesterly point, is now open to the public - for the first time since it was completed in 1910. A visit to this outpost, with its famous suspension bridge and spectacular views up and down the south and west coasts, is worth the effort.

Kinsale, 18 miles south west of Cork city, is a lovely town of picture-postcard charm and is considered the gourmet capital of Ireland. In the last decade it has become very `chic' and is now the most upmarket and most expensive part of Ireland, and `the' place to be seen for the countrified set or just your normal famous TV show host or famous entertainer. However, good news - as it is still relatively unspoilt and worth a visit alone just for the pretty nature of the town itself. Apart from great places to eat, its attractions include Charles Fort, about 1.2 miles (3km) east of the town, one of the best-preserved star forts in Europe.

North of Cork City, in the valley of the river Blackwater is Mitchelstown, famous throughout Ireland as the heart of Ireland's Irish dairy industry. Lush green rolling fields with their grazing Friesian cows, interspersed with wheat, beet, and oat crops, symbolise a countryside which for centuries has provided the centre of Irish pastoral wealth. The other pleasant towns of Kanturk and Mallow characterise this engaging pastoral countryside. Also in this region 30 miles north of Cork is the town of Femoy, an old garrison town of the British army, and famous for its salmon fishing. Just outside Femoy is the magnificent late Georgian mansion Castle Hyde, now owned by `Mr Twinkletoes` himself, Michael Flatley of 'Riverdance' fame. No, it's not open to the public. Shame. This was the ancestral home of Douglas Hyde, the first president of the Irish Republic.

Cobh (the Titanic and the Lusitania) is pronounced `Cove' is famous as the great harbour of Cork, it was the last port of call for the Titanic and the destination of the Lusitania when it was torpedoed by a German submarine off nearby Old Head, bringing America into World War 1. Here you will also find the lovely peaceful old churchyard of Clonmel, a poignant reminder of the Lusitania sinking where many of the victims are buried. Also in the town of Cobh is the Lusitania Memorial, a powerful moving memorial to those killed on the Lusitania. The port was also the embarkation point for hundreds of thousands of emigrants to the new world of America and Australia. Not commercial at all, it is worth a visit.

Skibbereen (where they ate the donkey) is a market town famous (maybe infamous?) for its weekly newspaper the `Southern Star' previously called the `Skibbereen Eagle'. The strange phase `Skibbereen, where they ate the donkey' came about during the great Potato famine in Ireland of 1845-1849 when it is estimated well over 1 million people died of famine, and over 2 million people left Ireland forever to settle overseas. No doubt they did indeed eat the donkey. Scandalously, over 17 million pounds of foodstuffs a year were still being exported back to England during the famine by the British, who ruled Ireland at that time.

For whiskey connoisseurs, the Jameson Heritage Centre is in Midleton, 11 miles east of Cork, and is an 18th century restored whiskey distillery, with its working water wheel and 30,000 gallon pot still. (Claimed as the largest in the world.) It stopped being a working distillery in 1975 but you can take a guided tour and sample its delicious product and learn all about the history of Irish whiskey.





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