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.