The website of Fáilte Ireland (the Irish tourist board) has plenty of suggestions for general tourists, keen golfers and walkers.
In and around Cork, you might like to shop at the English Market (yes, I know, but that’s what it’s called), ring the Shandon Bells, tour the Beamish brewery, or visit the Glucksman Gallery (on campus), St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork City Gaol, Cork Butter Museum, Blarney Castle (kiss the Blarney Stone and you need never be stuck for words in a lecture again), Fota House and Gardens, Fota Wildlife Park, the Jameson Heritage Centre at Old Midleton Distillery, Cobh Heritage Centre (Cobh was the departure point for almost half of Ireland’s emigrants from 1848-1950), and Kinsale. You might also find the Cork-Kerry tourist website of interest.
In summer 2006, The Guardian newspaper published a short piece on Cork with some good suggestions.
Most evenings, there’s a live trad music session at An Spailpín Fánach (opposite the Beamish brewery); it generally starts around 9pm. It’s not always as lively as these photos suggest, but nonetheless the shots give a good idea of this Cork institution. Spot conference assistant Michelle Finnerty dancing with a fellow music postgrad, Daithi Kearney. (They’re the ones wearing stripes.) For further info on live music, theatre and other entertainment, see Cork Gigs and WhazOn.
Last updated 24 April 2007. Page maintained by Melanie L. Marshall with help from Han-earl Park. The views expressed here are my own, and not those of University College Cork.