Irish

Irish
author Kevin Barry recently wrote: “The city of Cork is
besotted with itself, and it talks of little else.” He meant it as
a compliment and that’s how Cork residents would have taken it
anyway. It’s “the real capital” – a tongue-in-cheek slight to

Dublin but also a solemn nod to Cork’s role in Irish
history.

On the surface, Cork is a picturesque university town on the
banks of the River Lee, with a compact, walkable city centre. It
was named the European Capital of Culture in 2005 – a well deserved
accolade – but in many ways, the city wasn’t quite ready. Not long
after, it became bruised and battered by Ireland’s economic
downturn; spirits were low and Cork’s potential was hidden behind
doom, gloom and unused retail spaces. Since then, new restaurants
have opened, galleries have been reinvigorated and bars
refurbished. Young people are returning to the city in droves and
breathing life back into its historic streets.

Even in less prosperous times, Cork has always had a music,
literary and art scene to rival any European capital. Pubs and bars
range from the traditional (think impromptu sing-songs and céilí)
to the truly innovative, and the same goes for food. In fact, with
its acclaimed English Market and abundance of fresh local produce,
Cork’s food scene is enviable and catches the eyes of chefs and
restaurateurs from all over the world.

Vestiges of the old city are everywhere – a star fort perched on
a hill, remnants of old city walls and a 14th-century medieval
abbey – but there is something fresh and cosmopolitan about Cork.

Festivals such as Cork Jazz and the Cork Film Festival draw crowds
every year. Yet the real sense of this intriguing city should be
discovered on an idle evening chatting to locals over a pint of
Murphy’s as you look out over church spires and rivers.