Travel Information

Cork City European Capital of Culture 2005 Beginning as a sixth century monastery settlement on the swampy mouth of the River Lee, Cork has gradually grown to become Ireland's second biggest city - which natives describe as the "real capital".

With many winding streets and steep hills, the city has lots of character, with charming shops, stalls, pubs and parks. Many notable sites, such as St Finbarr's Cathedral, with its impressive French-Gothic architecture and Cork Public Museum in the pleasant

Fitzgerald Park.

Sculpture lovers should check out the Crawford Gallery in Emmett Place, which houses some Rodin bronzes, as well as a fine collection of paintings.

Blarney Castle

Just a few miles from Cork City, Blarney Castle is one of Ireland's oldest castles, and is arguably its most famous. The original structure dates back to the tenth century, though the castle was twice rebuilt - most recently in 1446 by Dermot McCarthy, King of Munster.

Blarney Castle is best known for its "Stone of Eloquence," said to bestow the gift of eloquent speech on all those who kiss it.

Cobh

Cobh is a picturesque town situated on an island of the same name, on the southern tip of the country. Cobh has a strong maritime tradition, with an engaging history that has been laced with famous tragedies. The port was the departing point for millions of emigrants during the Irish potato famine; the Titanic stopped in Cobh as part of its doomed maiden voyage; and 170 victims of the Lusitania, torpedoed in 1915, are buried at a local cemetery. These tragic but engaging stories are recounted in the Cobh Heritage Centre.

Today, the colourful village offers a wide choice of restaurants specialising in fresh seafood dishes, and a lively nightlife.

Fota Wildlife Park

Established in 1983, Fota Wildlife Park is widely recognised as one of the most modern wildlife parks in Europe, with more than 70 species of exotic wildlife cohabit in open space and natural surroundings.

In the grassland (which measures 40 acres), giraffes, zebras, ostrich and antelope roam together in 40, much as they would in the African savannah, though all of the animals have adjusted to the Irish climate. They are joined by kangaroos, macaws and lemurs. The trees on the lake islands provide a wonderful habitat for the park's many monkeys. The cheetah is the only species that is restrained, and by a conventional fence.

Many of the species at Fota are threatened with extinction in the wild. Among these are the Liontailed Macaque of the Indian forest; the Scimitar horned Oryx of North Africa; and the white-tailed sea eagle, once native to Ireland but gone from the wild here since the early 1900s.

Fota Wildlife Park lies about 10km east from Cork city, on the Cobh road.