Cork

An Spailpín Fánach

It's Irish for "the migrant labourer" and has trad music most nights and a great atmosphere.

Mon Tue 5-11:30PM, Wed-Sun 7-11:30PM

Blackrock Castle Observatory

If pirates ever try to attack Cork from the moon, this place will give ample warning. It was first built in 1582 to defend the harbour and its shipping, but twice burnt down without the help of any marauders. The present castle is a cod-medieval structure of 1828; in 2007 it became an astronomy museum and observatory.

Wed-Sun 10AM-4PM·Adult €7, conc or child €5

Café Paradiso

This upscale creative vegetarian restaurant gets rave reviews even from committed carnivores.

Tue-Sat 5:30-9PM

Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne

This is the neo-Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral, opened in 1808.

Mon-Thu 8:30AM-4:30PM, Fri 8:30AM-3:30PM

Church of St Anne, Shandon

Shandon Bells

Shandon is the neighbourhood climbing the hill along the old road to Mallow. This Church of Ireland (Anglican) church was built in 1722; the famously inaccurate clock on its tower became known as "the four-faced liar". The church is best known for the eight "bells of Shandon that sound so grand on / the pleasant waters of the River Lee" as the 19th century ballad has it. (Who but Francis Mahony aka "Father Prout" would have dared rhyme Moscow with kiosk-o?) St Anne's bells are hung "dead" and rung by an Ellacombe apparatus. The most sonorous peel of bells is from change-ringing, which rotates them through 360°, but this demands skill and is sometimes impractical to build. It also incites scandalous behaviour, according to the Rev Henry Thomas Ellacombe of Gloucestershire, who in 1821 devised a mechanism whereby hammers struck stationary bells as resolutely as they would strike down temptation to sin. St Anne's is one of the two dozen churches in Britain and Ireland that still have functioning apparatus, and visitors can ding the bells from the tower first floor. There are 132 steps to the tower balcony, with a narrow squeeze as you clamber through the belfry, hoping that the group below doesn't choose that moment to start chiming.

Mar-May Oct: Mon-Sat 10AM-4PM, Sun 11:30AM-4PM; Jun-Sep: Mon-Sat 10AM-5PM, Sun 11:30AM-4:30PM; Nov-Feb: daily 11AM-3PM·Church free, tower adult €5, child €2, conc €4

Cork City FC

"The Rebel Army" were relegated in 2025 - they're a yo-yo team and now play soccer in League of Ireland First Division, the second tier. The playing season is Feb–Nov and matches are usually on Friday evenings. Turner's Cross Stadium (capacity 7485) is 1.5 km south of city centre. Take a bus to Evergreen Road or walk; you may not walk on South Link Road.

Cork City Gaol

Fascinating jail museum. It was opened in 1924 to hold male and female prisoners of the city, while those whose crime was committed outside the city were held at the county jail across the river, now the UCC campus. In 1878 the prisons were segregated: City Gaol became the women's prison and all the men were marched away to the county jail, while all county women were marched here. In 1919 Countess Markiewicz was held here for making a seditious speech; after Irish independence it held anti-treaty Republicans. In 1923 there was a mass escape, thereafter the gaol closed. In 1927 it became a radio station and part of the museum displays this.

Mar-Oct: daily 10AM-5PM; Nov-Feb: Fri-Mon 10AM-4PM·Adult €10, conc €8.50, child €6

Cork Public Museum

Wide-ranging museum depicts the city's history from prehistoric to modern times. There's a good section on Michael Collins and the anti-Treaty Cork Brigades of the Irish civil war.

Tue-Fri 10AM-4PM, Sat 11AM-4PM·Free

Costigan's Pub

Lively pub, gets busy but there's enough room to watch TV sport or avoid it. Big selection of whiskey and other spirits.

Mon-Thu 4-11:30PM, Fri 2PM-12:30AM, Sat Sun 12:30-11:30PM

Crawford Art Gallery

The permanent collection includes paintings by Jack Yeats and Sean Keating, and a series of plaster casts of classical statues, which King George IV found tedious. The gallery is closed until mid- 2028 for rebuilding.

East Village Hotel

It's a mid-range hotel but most reviews rate it for food and drink.

Mon–Thu 6-9PM, Fri 5-10PM, Sat 1-10PM, Sun 1-9PM

Elizabeth Fort

The original fort built in 1601 was just timber and earth, and the citizens made short work of it. It was rebuilt from 1624 as a stout "star" fortress. It lost its defensive role in 1719 but was variously used as a barracks, a depot for convicts (mostly female) awaiting transportation to the colonies, and a police station to 2013. It's now simply a tourist area with a gallery and occasional events, and you can walk along the walls.

Tue-Sat 10AM-5PM, Sun noon-5PM·Free

English Market

This covered market was created in 1788 by the Protestant or English city rulers; in 1840 the Irish Catholics took over and set up Irish Market at St Peters. It's primarily a fresh-food market: several stalls do sandwiches and other takeaways, and Farmgate Cafe is open to 4PM.

Mon-Sat 8AM-6PM

Franciscan Well Bar & Brewery

Fran Well Bar

Pub with large beer garden on north river bank, serving pizza from Pompeii Pizzeria next door. Brews its own range of beers and has a fine section of foreign bottled beers.

Mon-Fri 4-11:30PM, Sat 1PM-midnight, Sun 1-11PM

Jacobs on the Mall

Modern gourmet cuisine, lots of veggie choice, the set menu is especially good value.

Tue–Sat 5-10PM

Luigi Malones

Long-established popular Italian place with Art Deco interior.

Mon-Thu noon-8PM, Fri Sat noon-9PM Sun 1-8PM

Market Lane

Bustling two-storey Irish restaurant and bar near English Market gets great reviews for its food and has a GF selection.

Daily noon-9:30PM

Nano Nagle Place

Honora Nagle (1718-1784) pioneered Catholic education for girls in an era when that was repressed by the Penal Laws. She founded an Ursuline convent and the Presentation Sisters, which inspired Edmund Rice in Waterford to found the Presentation Brothers and later Christian Brothers. The museum depicts Nano's life, times and works, and the garden is an oasis of tranquillity.

Tue-Sun 10AM-5PM·Adult €7.50, conc €5, child €4.50

Old Town Whiskey Bar at Bodega

Cafe/bar in a nicely refurbished industrial building with a good all-day brunch. The bar has a formidable selection of whiskey and at weekends they have a late-night club.

Daily 10AM–20:00

Páirc Ui Chaoimh

This 45,000 capacity stadium hosts the biggest games. It's the home ground of Cork GAA, the county team, playing Gaelic football and hurling. They have a secondary home stadium at Páirc Uí Rinn, capacity 16,440, and club games are usually played at this and similar-sized grounds: Nemo Rangers for Gaelic football, Blackrock for hurling, St Finbarr's play both. The fixture list is posted by the national GAA.

Quay Co-op

Vegetarian restaurant (lots of vegan and GF choice) within a health food store.

Mon-Sat 8AM-6PM

Sin é

Trad pub since 1889, when there was a funeral parlour next door; Sin é means "that's it." In the 20th century the pub was the queue for the barbers shop upstairs. It's kept its atmosphere and has live trad music every night. No food served, but you can bring in cold bites, no hot food allowed.

Sun–Thu 12:30–11:30PM, Fri Sat 12:30PM–12:30AM

St Fin Barre's Cathedral

Saint Fin Barre (550-623 AD) was a preacher who spent his last 17 years hereabouts. A monastery dedicated to him was built in the 7th century, and there have been at least three churches on the site before the present building. This is an elaborate Church of Ireland (Anglican) cathedral built 1865-79 in Gothic Revival style. The interior is relatively small: Burgess the architect realised it would go way over budget so the focus was on creating a grand frontage, to impress the citizens and overawe the resurgent Catholics. There are three great spires, intricate carvings and gargoyles, stain glass windows, and a high ceiling over a rather stubby nave. The pipe organ adds to the cathedral's many expensive items of construction and maintenance.

Mon-Sat 9:30AM-5:30PM, Sun 1-5:30PM·Adult €7, conc €6, child free

The Glucksman

Gallery in stylish modern building opened 2006 within the university, with rotating art exhibitions. Its sponsor Lewis Glucksman (1925-2006) had been CEO of Lehman Brothers, remember them? He lived in Cobh from 1999 and was a major benefactor of cultural initiatives.

Mon-Sat 11AM-5PM, Sun 2-5PM·Donation €5

The Hi-B Bar

Small quirky bar up old creaking stairs, named for the former Hibernian Hotel. It often has live music, but no TV and definitely no mobile phones. Its legendary grumpy owner died in 2019 but his successors have retained the ambience.

Mon-Thu 3-11:30PM, Fri Sat 2PM-12:30AM, Sun 5-11PM

An Bróg

Lively bar, popular with students. Bróg means shoe but one woozy regular is beginning to suspect they don't sell shoes.

Mon-Fri 4PM-2AM, Sat Sun 2PM-2AM

Barryscourt Castle

Impressive tower house from 14th century, but mostly 15th and 16th; it fell derelict but was restored in the 1990s. The interior is again closed for restoration but you can see the attractive herb and knot gardens, and an orchard with examples of every type of Irish Apple Tree.

Daily 8AM-6PM·Garden free

Butter Museum

This museum explores Ireland's long history of butter-making. 1000-year-old bog butter, anyone?

Oct-May: Wed–Sat 10AM-4PM, Sun 11AM–4PM; Jun-Sep: Mon–Sat 10AM-4PM, Sun 11AM–4PM·Adult €5, students & seniors €4, child €2

Edison

formerly Long Island Bar

Cocktail bar with an extensive menu and loads of variety. Try the whiskey toddy on a drear winter night.

Wed 6-11PM, Thu-Sun 5-11PM

Fota Wildlife Park

Large park with dozens of animal and bird species, and Arboretum with many rare trees and plants.

Daily 9:30AM-6PM·Adult €19.90, child €13.70, conc €14.90, cheaper online