Things to do in Cork

Must-see Cork sights

Cork is one of those places with the best of both worlds: it’s a really lively, vibrant city with lots of sights, good shopping and great nightlife, yet only an hour or two from beautiful, isolated, coastal countryside where you can get that end-of-the world feeling – like it’s just you and your bike, your kayak, your surfboard or your golf clubs. Based around the mouth of the River Lee, Cork lures visitors with its wild and beautiful craggy coast, featuring remote islands where Gaelic culture reigns.

But it’s not all about rural charms - Cork city sees itself as a rival to Dublin, renowned for its independent spirit and booming with a vigorous artistic, intellectual and cultural life of its own.

1. The Crawford Art Gallery
2. Cork City Gaol
3. The Butter Museum
4. Blackrock Castle Observatory
5. The Jameson Experience
6. Cobh’s seafaring history
7. Whale watching and kayaking around Skibbereen
8. Mizen Head
9. Foodie culture and nightlife
10. Go hiking or biking

1. The Crawford Art Gallery

The free-to-enter Crawford gallery it’s situated at the heart of Cork city. The 3,000 works of visual arts ranging from 18th-century European painting to contemporary video installations. 

It’s packed with well-known pieces by 20th century Irish artists such as Seán Keating, Harry Clarke, Norah McGuinness, Mainie Jellett and Jack B. Yeats.

Look out for the View of Cork, painted in about 1740 by John Butts: you can pick out the waterway that is now Patrick Street, the 1724 Custom House (with a Union Jack in the courtyard), which is now the gallery you’re standing in.

2. Cork City Gaol

Creeking your way around the eerie old jail is one of the most intriguing things to do in Cork.

Designed by the Pain brothers, George and James, in 1818, the Cork City Gaol operated until 1923 when Republican prisoners – among them Countess Markiewicz and short story writer Frank O’Connor – were released after the Civil War.

A lively and informative audio-tour guides you round the well-preserved cells, where the individual stories of real-life prisoners are recounted. An audiovisual courtroom drama finishes the tour evocatively, projected onto the walls of one of the gaol’s imposing galleries.

3. The Butter Museum

Yes, the dairy trade is fascinating – thanks to the way the Butter Museum weaves its tribute to the spread. The story begins with dairy culture in early Ireland, as illustrated by a keg of bog butter: to this day, such kegs are often turned over by peat-cutters, who’ll swear the butter is still edible. 

The butter-market building you see outside was where barrels were washed and weighed, to avoid underhand practices by farmers. The story is brought up-to-date with a film on the successful development of that supermarket staple Kerrygold.

4. Blackrock Castle Observatory

On the bank of the River Lee sits this 16thcentury castle… which has an unexpectedly brilliant interactive space science exhibit inside. 

Beautifully produced, large-screen audiovisuals contain up to three hours of material you can explore interactively in as much depth as you choose - not just on cosmology, but on life, the universe and everything.

5. The Jameson Experience

Well you can hardly have a holiday in Ireland without tasking the strong stuff, and the Jameson Experience at the Old Distillery is a great introduction. 

Whiskey is no longer made in this partly 18th-century distillery, but you’ll be shown around the carefully restored machinery – including the biggest pot-still in the world, with a capacity of 32,000 gallons – in the atmospheric old buildings. Though the best part for some is knocking back a taste of Jameson’s at the end.

6. Cobh’s seafaring history

On the south coast of Great Island, located in Cork Harbour, the unpretentious town of Cobh makes a great escape from the city. Clinging onto a steep, south-facing slope, it sports a stony beach, a promenade with a bandstand and gaily painted rows of Victorian hotels and houses. 

Cobh’s long and often tragic seafaring past makes it perfect for history-lovers who are planning what to do in Cork. These tales are vividly detailed at the Queenstown Story, a multimedia heritage centre in the former Victorian train station on the seafront.

7. Whale watching and kayaking around Skibbereen

Spotting whales off the coast of Skibb is one of the best things to do in Cork County, with minke (roughly from April), fin (from June or July), more rarely, humpback (from September) and occasional killer whales, as well as scores of dolphins and porpoises, coming remarkably close to shore.

An hour from the city, Glandore Harbour, between Rosscarbery and Skibbereen, with the equally beautiful villages of Glandore to the east side and Union Hall on the west side, feels a world away. The pretty port village of Baltimore is a breath of fresh air and a departure point for good snorkelling, kayaking, and dolphin and whale-watching. 

Two companies run daily four-hour boat trips, costing about €50: Cork Whale Watch from Reen Pier, well to the southeast of Skibb on Castlehaven Harbour; and Whale Watch West from Baltimore.

8. Mizen Head

Popular with folks on a Cork holiday package, the view from Ireland’s most southwesterly point – accessed by a suspension bridge across a gorge – is nothing short of stunning. 

Mizen Head is a wild and beautiful peninsula, projecting southwestwards around Mount Gabriel. The whole of its empty northern coast presents sheer cliffs and stupendous views. The south coast is more populous but still a pretty walk, sheltering harbours, the village of Schull and the sandy beaches of Barley Cove and Galley Cove.

9. Foodie culture and nightlife

Narrow streets and lane ways filled with unique pubs, clubs and live music venues make up the landscape of Cork, Ireland’s second city, after dark. With students making up a third of its population, the city is renowned for its vibrant cultural scene. By day, for a real local Cork experience, eat at the Farmgate Restaurant in the English Market, at Liberty Grill or at Nash 19. By night, if you are looking for cheap bites and fab food; anywhere on French Church Street will hit the spot. Sober Lane also has excellent pub grub and Scoozies is top for casual dining. U2’s Bono has been overheard saying that Jackie Lennox's Chip Shop on the Bandon Road has the best chips ever. Or for a real treat for vegetarians or non-vegetarians alike, splash out at Café Paradiso (book well in advance). 

For a pint of the black stuff, Murphy’s and Beamish are the stouts of choice in Cork (rather than Guinness) and some great traditional pubs for a pint include The Castle Inn, The Oval, Sin É and no trip to Cork would be complete without a visit to the Hi B! To take the night up a notch, wander the central island of the city centre, along Washington Street, Patrick Street and the small streets and lanes on either side. Some of the places to keep an eye out for include Reardens, a late bar Wednesday to Sunday, with live music every Friday and Sunday; nearby Cubins; newly established night club and music venue The Savoy; Soho Bar & Restaurant with four floors; The Pavilion Nightclub, which used be the old Pavilion cinema, with a range of good music and DJs; Cyprus Avenue, a great music venue; and City Limits Comedy Club. Bowery and The Voodoo Rooms are probably the best clubs in the City.

10. Go hiking or biking

Imagine a cycling route hugging the wild Atlantic Coast – nothing between you and America –peninsulas ringed with plunging cliffs, a landscape unspoilt because it’s often inaccessible by main road. Cork’s 90km Sheep’s Head Way and 197km Beara Way should provide food for thought – sure they’d keep you occupied for a weekend anyway! The Sheep’s Head Way is one of the most recently created waymarked ways in Ireland. The route combines low, rugged hills and splendid cliff coastline with quieter roads, paths and tracks, to make a complete circuit of the Sheep’s Head Peninsula. The Beara Way uses minor roads, tracks and paths, crossing a number of small towns and delightful villages, with history and heritage in evidence along the way. 

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