Destination: Dept.Area Price: {advanced search} or Get a Personalised City Break Quote

CORK

You can read more about CORK below or view our special city break offers by clicking on the link below:

Click here to see all our special offers for CORK

Home > CORK

CORK

Cork is the second city of the Republic of Ireland and Ireland\'s third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast. 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 rebelliousness dating back to the town\'s support of the English pretender Perkin Warbeck in 1491 following the Wars of the Roses. Cork County has the nickname of \"the Rebel County\", and Corkonians often refer to Cork as the \"real capital 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.

A visit to Blarney is a must during your city break to Cork. Situated just 5 miles from the city and set in beautiful wooded countryside is the Blarney Castle Estate with its legendary stone. Tradition holds that those who kiss the Blarney Stone will be endowed with the gift of eloquence – “the gift of the gab”, as the locals prefer to call it.