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Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) is situated on the banks of the River Lee in the south of the country. It is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the third largest in all of Ireland.
Cork is the anglicized version of the Irish word Corcaigh, which means marsh. The city center was originally built on marshland and boats were able to navigate into the channels which separated the many islands. Many of the wider streets, such as St Patrick's Street, the South Mall, and the Grand Parade, are actually built on former river channels. St Patrick's Street is Cork's commercial hub and is known colloquially as either "Patrick Street" or "Pana".
The center of the city forms an arrow-shaped island between the North and South channels of the River Lee. There are upwards of thirty bridges over the two channels.... Read more
Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) is situated on the banks of the River Lee in the south of the country. It is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the third largest in all of Ireland.
Cork is the anglicized version of the Irish word Corcaigh, which means marsh. The city center was originally built on marshland and boats were able to navigate into the channels which separated the many islands. Many of the wider streets, such as St Patrick's Street, the South Mall, and the Grand Parade, are actually built on former river channels. St Patrick's Street is Cork's commercial hub and is known colloquially as either "Patrick Street" or "Pana".
The center of the city forms an arrow-shaped island between the North and South channels of the River Lee. There are upwards of thirty bridges over the two channels. This, combined with the one-way traffic system, can make the center a little bit confusing for first-time visitors. The River Lee flows from West to East, and outside of the center, hills rise steeply to the Northside, while the Southside is that bit flatter but still hilly in parts. St. Anne's Church watches over Shandon, just to the North of the river. The University is about 2 km to the west of the center.
The Train Station is about 1 km to the east of the center. Shops are generally concentrated around St. Patrick's Street, Oliver Plunkett Street, Paul Street, and North Main Street. Bars and Restaurants can be found everywhere, but especially around MacCurtain Street, Washington Street and Oliver Plunkett Street. Financial businesses are centered on the area around the South Mall and the Administrative heart of the city is on Anglesea Street.
The patron Saint of Cork, Saint Finbar (c.550-c.620) founded a monastery on the south bank of the River Lee approximately 1,400 years ago. A settlement grew up around this monastery and was added to (and ransacked) by Viking invaders during the ninth and tenth centuries. The town grew and the English Norman King Henry II, who had been requested by Pope Adrian IV (the only English Pope) to collect papal dues not paid, gave Cork city status in 1185.
Cork slowly grew during the late Middle Ages, developing into a crowded, walled city, centered around North and South Main Streets. The city enjoyed a golden age of sorts during the seventeenth century providing butter to ships which plied the North Atlantic. During this period the city expanded and many Italianate residences were built on the hills to the North in Sunday's Well and Montenotte.
After a sluggish start following independence, the city grew substantially during the latter half of the twentieth century. Currently, as a result of the Celtic Tiger phenomenon, development is having a profound effect on all aspects of the city, including its appearance, mostly for the better. From a small merchant town, Cork has grown into a cosmopolitan and vibrant city that, within the Republic of Ireland, is second only to Dublin in size and importance.
Statio Bene Fide Carinis' – "A safe Harbour for ships" is the motto of the city that is found on the coat of arms.
In recent years Cork has developed a slightly separatist mentality 1 when compared to other parts of Ireland. This is most evident in colloquial speech (Cork Slang) 2 and references to Ireland's capital, Dublin. This is, however, mostly tongue-in-cheek humor.
Cork has a small city center. A visitor will most likely be staying, eating, drinking and touring in the city center. Taxis are plentiful and even on busy weekend nights, you shouldn't wait long for a cab. There is a bus service to the residential suburbs. Most buses leave from the main street, Patrick's Street or the nearby bus station at Parnell Place.
A guided bus tour departs from near the junction of Grand Parade and South Mall at regular intervals and provides an interesting tour of the main highlights of Cork for those who do not have a lot of time on their hands.
Cork City, though small, is a nodal point for shopping in much of Munster. The City has several large department stores and many smaller interesting shops.
Bus Éireann operates a bus service around Cork City with many of the buses stopping on Patrick's street in the city center. Some bus stops (including nearly all in the city center) are equipped with real-time information displays showing the next 3-4 buses due and their estimated time of arrival. All Bus Éireann buses are wheelchair accessible.
There are numerous Taxi ranks located throughout Cork city. Fares are calculated on a meter and all taxis are the same price. Fares are also negotiable for longer out of town trips. Most drivers also offer fixed priced guided tours.
Taxis appear as normal cars except with a yellow bar above it with their license number and 'TAXI' or the Irish equivalent 'TACSAÍ' written on it. If the light is on, the taxi is available for hire, but some taxi drivers forget to turn on and off their light, so check to see if anyone's in the cab.
If you're in Cork City on a Friday night and you want to go out and enjoy the city's pub culture then a great way to do it is by going on the Cork City Pub Crawl. It's a pub crawl/tour/party organized by local energetic youths, with the aim of creating a buzz or a bit of craic among the tourists and locals of Cork City. They run it every Friday, starting at 20:00 outside the GPO on Oliver Plunkett St. and take the group to 4 pubs and a club in Cork. The group is a fun blend of locals and backpackers, all up for the craic.
Barrack Street is known in Cork for its amount and variety of bars. The Barrack St. Challenge challenge is to drink one pint in each bar starting in Nancy Spain's and still be able to walk by the time you reach the Brewery. Cork is also well known for its live music scene.
Cork is a safer city than Dublin. During the night caution should be taken, as in any situation involving large numbers of people and alcohol. Late night fighting and anti-social behavior are more common in Ireland and Britain than elsewhere in Western Europe and Asia. However, as in any city the vast majority of people are out simply to enjoy themselves.
Sensible and vigilant behavior when out late at night should mean that any trouble is avoided. If your safety feels compromised, approach any of the many police or doormen in the city center, who will be happy to provide assistance. There is virtually no gun crime in Cork, even the general police don't carry guns, so there is no need to worry about firearm violence.
LOCAL TIME
4:12 pm
May 19, 2022
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