What to see in Cork, Ireland's second largest city after Dublin and the largest in the province of Munster, located on the south coast, an itinerary from the castle to the English market.
Tourist information
Since most of the city center is located on an island in the Lee River, there are many bridges connecting it to other parts of the city.
Cork's name is derived from a word meaning marshy place, referring to the particular position on the river that flows from the city to Cork Harbor, one of the largest natural harbors in the world.
Being an important seaport, the motto of the city is that of safe harbor for ships.
Cork has always had a strong reputation for independence, which is why the inhabitants consider their city to be the true capital of Ireland.
Over the past two decades the city has changed rapidly, thanks to the huge investments made in favor of the cultural life of the city and the modernization of its infrastructure.
The Castle, located in the village of Blarney 8 km from Cork, is one of the oldest castles in Ireland.
It is famous for the qualities of its stone, traditionally considered capable of conferring the gift of eloquence to all those who kiss it and therefore commonly known as the stone of Eloquence.
What see
Cork City Gaol, a castle-like building, once a prison, clearly shows how impossible it was to escape from here for those who were forced to serve their sentence in this place between 1824 and 1923.
In one wing of the building there is now the very interesting Radio Museum.
Cork Vision Center is a place where a comprehensive introduction regarding Cork's geography and history is provided, with a very detailed scale model of the city.
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It is possible to explore the evolution of Cork starting from the past and, through the present, to range up to the possible future evolution.
Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, located next to the Opera House in the heart of the city, is an art gallery which houses a permanent collection, comprising over 2,000 works of art, ranging from European and Irish painting of the eighteenth century to works by contemporary artists.
The heart of the collection consists of a series of casts, works of Greek and Roman sculpture.
The Church of Sant'Anna, which was built in 1722 on a hill above the city, offers visitors the opportunity to climb the bell tower stairs to get a wonderful panoramic view of the city.
The Butter Cork Museum, located on O'Connell Square, celebrates one of the greatest Irish success stories, namely that of the butter trade, fundamental for the economic development of the city since the eighteenth century, which has made Cork the seat of the largest market of the butter worldwide.
One of Cork's major attractions, the covered English market is characterized by a lively atmosphere, with a number of shops specializing in meat, fruit and vegetables, fish, in addition to traditional cheese and fresh bread stalls.
