Cork
Encyclopedia : C : CO : COR : Cork
- For other uses of Cork, see Cork (disambiguation). Cork City redirects here, for the football club, see Cork City F.C.
The city proper has a population of 123,062; this increases to 186,239 if the suburbs of the city in the Cork County Council area are included. In the "Cork Joint Housing Strategy", it states that the 2006 population of Metropolitan Cork stands at approximately 274,000. The city (including suburbs) is the third largest city on the island of Ireland (after Dublin and Belfast) and second largest in the Republic of Ireland (after Dublin).
The city's name is derived from an Irish word corcach meaning "marshy place", referring to its situation on the River Lee. Cork has a reputation for independence dating from 1491, when some townsmen tried to overthrow the king of England, but more recently referring to its participation in the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. This has given Cork the nickname of "the Rebel County". It is not unusual for Corkonians to refer to Cork as the "true capital of Ireland" or to feel they have a very distinct identity from the rest of Ireland.
The River Lee flows through the city, an island in the river forming the main part of the city centre just before the Lee flows into Lough Mahon and thence to Cork Harbour, one of the world's largest natural harbours. The city is a major Irish seaport — with quays and docks sited along the broad waterway of the Lee on the city's East side.
History
''Main article: History of Cork
Cork's city charter was granted by King John in 1185. However, Cork has its beginnings in a much earlier monastic settlement, founded by St Finbar in the sixth century. Over the centuries, much of the city was rebuilt, time and again, after numerous fires and attacks by Vikings or Norsemen. The city was at one time fully walled, and several sections and gates remain. The title of Mayor of Cork was established by royal charter in 1318, and the title was changed to Lord Mayor in 1900. The centre of Cork was gutted by fires started by the Black and Tans in the War of Independence, part of the British government policy of reprisals at the time; it was also the site of some fierce fighting between Irish guerrilla leaders and British forces. During the Irish Civil War, Cork was for a time held by anti-Treaty forces, until it was retaken by the pro-Treaty National Army in an attack from the sea.
Railway heritage
Cork city was one of the most rail oriented cities in Ireland. It has boasted a total of perhaps 8 stations at various times. The main route, still much the same today, is that from Dublin. Originally terminating on the city's outskirts at Blackpool, the Glanmire tunnel now connects it to the city centre terminus (nowadays actually a through station) of Kent Station. The town of Cóbh, on Great Island, east of the city, is also connected — though the route originally had its own terminus perpendicular to the current station. This also connected to the East Cork seaside town of Youghal, until the 1980s.Other rail routes terminating or traversing Cork city were the Cork, Blackrock and Passage railway, lines to Macroom and Blarney, as well as the famous Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway connecting Bantry, Skibbereen, Clonakilty and many other West Cork towns. West Cork trains terminated at Albert Quay, across the river from Kent Station (though an on-street rail 'system' connected the two for rolling stock and cargo movement).
All that remains of the once-extensive public transport system is the line to Dublin (also serving Mallow, County Kerry and Limerick) and that to Cobh. The only rail projects currently under consideration are an enhanced suburban service along the current lines, and a connection towards Youghal (probably only as far as Midleton).
Tramway Heritage
There are no tram services operating in Cork although the Cork Area Strategic Development Plan suggests it as one among a number of solutions for dealing with traffic congestion in Cork. Historically, there have been two tram networks in operation in Cork.A proposal to develop a horse-drawn tram was made by an American, George Francis Train, in the 1860s. His plan was to link the city's railway termini with horse-drawn trams. These ideas were put into practice in 1872 by the Cork Tramway Company. However, the company ceased trading in 1875 after Cork Corporation refused permission to extend the line.
In December 1898, an electric tram system began operating in the city. The routes were: Blackpool-Douglas, Summerhill-Sunday's Well and Tivoli-Blackrock. The gauge of the tramway was two feet, eleven and a half inches (90.2cm). This was designed to be the same gauge as the Muskerry Railway, although the two never shared traffic.
Increased usage of cars and buses in the 1920s led to a reduction in the numbers using the trams. The final day of operation of the trams was supposed to be March 31 1931. However, after a few weeks of closure, it was realised that the Irish Omnibus Company did not have enough capacity to cope with demand. The trams started running again in April, 1931. This was only a temporary measure though and the final tram in Cork ran on September 30 1931.
Placenames today still tell of the routes, such as Tramway Terrace in Douglas.
Climate
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average daily maximum temperature (°C) | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 14.1 | |
| Average daily minimum temperature (°C) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 6.6 | |
| Mean total rainfall (mm) | 119 | 79 | 94 | 57 | 71 | 57 | 70 | 71 | 94 | 99 | 116 | 122 | 1049 | |
| Source: [BBC Weather] | ||||||||||||||
The highest air temperature recorded in Cork was 29 °C (84.2 °F). The lowest was -9 °C (15.8F) [link].
Places of interest
There are two cathedrals in the city:
- St Mary's Cathedral, commonly called the North Cathedral, is Roman Catholic
- St Finbarre's Cathedral is Church of Ireland.
Cork city in general boasts some good quality architecture, capable of rivalling that of Dublin or Belfast. The main street, Patrick Street, was remodelled in the years up to 2004. As the main shopping street, it boasts striking buildings along its broad avenue (much of which is given to pedestrian use). Grand Parade, another part of the route, is a tree-lined avenue, home to many offices and financial institutions. The old financial centre, is the South Mall with several banks whose interior derive from the 19th century, and are very deserving of a visit, particularly Allied Irish Banks which was once an exchange. Many of its buildings are in the Georgian style, although the modern County Hall tower is the tallest building in the Republic of Ireland. Across the river is Ireland's longest building, the Mental Hospital built in Victorian times, which has now been renovated and converted into a residential housing complex.
Cork's most famous building, also accessible to the public, is the church tower of Shandon dominating the North side of the city, with the North and East sides faced in red sandstone, and the West and South sides in the predominant stone of the region, white limestone. The clock tower on the church is known by locals as The Four-faced Liar, as from the base of the building, each clock face appears to show a different time. The bells of Shandon may be rung by members of the public.
The City Hall, another splendid building of limestone, replaced the previous one destroyed by British forces on December 11th 1920 during the War of Independence in an event known as the "Burning of Cork" . The cost of this new building was provided by the British Government in the 1930s as a gesture of reconciliation.
Fitzgerald's Park, to the west of the city, is worth a visit — as are the grounds of University College Cork, through which the River Lee flows.
The English Market, accessible from Grand Parade, Patrick Street, Oliver Plunkett Street and Princes Street, is a covered market for fish, fruit, meat, spices and luxury foods. The origins of the market can be traced back to 1610, but the present building dates from 1786.
The cross-continent European walking route E8 trail starts at Cork, ending 4700 km away in Istanbul, Turkey.
Culture
Cork's cultural life is vibrant. Music, theatre, dance, and film all play a prominent role in city life. The Cork School of Music and the Crawford College of Art & Design provide a constant throughput of new blood, as do the active theatre components of many courses at University College Cork (UCC). Highlights include:Corcadorca Theatre Company, where Cillian Murphy (from Batman Begins) got his start; Cork Film Festival, a major supporter of the art of the short film; The Institute for Choreography and Dance, a national contemporary dance resource; the Triskel Arts Centre; Cork Jazz Festival; the Cork Academy of Dramatic Art (CADA).Cork has been gaining cultural diversity for many years, with people immigrating from all over the world, particularly from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and various African nations. This is reflected in the recent growth of multi-cultural restaurants and shops, including the standard fare of Chinese and Thai restaurants, and more recently French patisseries, Indian buffets, and Middle Eastern kebab houses. Though Cork saw significant Jewish immigration from Lithuania and Russia in the late 19th century, and though Jewish citizens such as Gerald Goldberg (several times Lord Mayor), David Marcus (novelist) and Louis Marcus (documentary maker) played important roles in 20th century Cork, the Jewish community is now almost non-existent, but it still retains a Jewish quarter and a local synagogue.
Recent additions to the arts infrastructure include splendid modern additions to Cork Opera House and the Crawford Art Gallery. The new Lewis Glucksman Gallery opened in the Autumn of 2004 at UCC, was nominated for the prestigious Stirling Prize in the United Kingdom, and building is about to commence on a new €60 million School of Music building. Construction of the €50 million Brookfield UCC Medical School complex was completed in 2005.
Cork was the European Capital of Culture for 2005. One of the key projects was the Cork Caucus. In 2005, Smart Telecom also made Cork one of the first citywide high-speed Wi-Fi network in Europe. However, further examination of this rather misleading claim reveals that coverage consists of a paltry 1.5 sq kilometres, leaving citizens living or working only a few blocks outside of the very core of the city centre with no access to this network.
The vast majority of Corkonians view themselves as distinctly different from the rest of Ireland, in particular Dublin, and refer to themselves as "rebels" as the county is known as the Rebel County. There is great rivalry between Cork and Dublin, similar to the rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona. Many Corkonians will think of themselves as Corkonians rather than Irish when they are still in Ireland and view Cork as The People's Republic of Cork (no connection to Communism) due to the city and county's significant differences from the rest of Ireland. T-shirts and other items can be purchased bearing insignia of The People's Republic of Cork in various languages such as English, Irish, Polish and Italian. The Cork bicolour is flown at all buildings that also fly the Irish tricolour and sometimes on its own, for example the city's main courthouse, bus station, railway station and major department stores amongst many other buildings.
Cork Accent
The main thing that sets Cork apart from the rest of Ireland is the accent, and Corkonians who are abroad (some consider leaving Co. Cork as being abroad owing to the vast size of the county which makes it rarely necessary to leave) use it to identify with each other. Cork English usually differs largely from other accents in Ireland. The Cork accent is rather like singing as the speaker seems to go from high to low while speaking depending on the tone and mood. The Vikings; Elizabethans and Normans have all left an indelible echo on the habits and common speech of the people of Cork. Cork accents also differ depending on which side of the River Lee you live on. Class distinction in Cork has meant that people from the south side of the river will have a more refined accent, as opposed to someone from the "north side". Characteristics include:
- The θ (th) diphthong is rarely if ever pronounced.
- Cork people are liable to add the word "like" onto the end of sentences for emphasis, as in "I don't know him at all, like".
- Slang and sarcasm unique to the city can be identified by the high pitched tone used in general expressions.
Nightlife
There is no shortage of nighttime activites in cork, or "craic agus ceol" as they refer to it as. The are many excellent restaurants such as Fenns Quay and Iasacs. The city is famous for its live music venues including Sober Lane, Reardens and Charlies. If dancing takes your fancy the Savoy nightclub is well worth a look.Media
Broadcast
The city's FM radio band is impressively crowded: as well as RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2fm, Lyric FM, Radio na Gaeltachta (all run by RTÉ), and Today FM. There are also local stations such as Corks [96FM], 103FM County Sound, CUH FM, [Cork Campus Radio] and Red FM. Many of these radio stations lack consistent formats, often broadcasting multiple musical genres.Cork was also home to many pirate stations over the years most notably large scale stations South Coast Radio and ERI in the 1980s. Today some small inconsistent pirates prevail though a recent clampdown by Ireland's communications regulator,[Comreg], has closed a number of higher profile pirate stations over 2005/2006 and this activity by Comreg has discouraged other operators of such stations from starting up with potentially heavy penalties for those who do.
Cork is also home to two television stations; RTÉ Cork broadcasts from its television centre in Fr. Matthew Street in the city centre and South Coast TV also broadcasts from Cork, providing a regional television station for the South of Ireland. Cork is home to the RTÉ [Vanbrugh String Quartet], and to many superb musicians including John Spillane, The Citadels and Rory Gallagher.
Retail
The retail trade in Cork City is developing quickly with a mix of both modern, state of the art shopping centres and family owned local shops providing unique and often hand-made crafts. Department Stores can cater for all budgets, with expensive boutiques for one end of the market with many high street stores also available. Shopping centres are all over the suburbs in places such as Blackpool, Douglas, Wilton and [Mahon Point] to name just a few. Others are available in the city centre, with plans and excavation work on-going for the development of three more large malls (The Cornmarket Centre on Cornmarket Street - Opening Autumn 2007; Academy Street proposal and the Grand Parade scheme planned for the site of the former Capitol Cineplex and Central Shoe Stores), expanding the capacity of the city centre, to rival that of the suburbs. Cork's main shopping street is St. Patrick St. and is the most expensive street in the country per sq. metre after Dublin's Grafton Street. Other shopping areas in the city centre include Oliver Plunkett St. and Grand Parade. Cork is also home to some of the country's leading department stores with the foundations of shops such as Dunnes Stores and Roches Stores being laid in Cork City.Industry
Cork City is at the heart of industry in the south of Ireland. Its main area of industry is pharmaceuticals, with Pfizer Inc. and Swiss company Novartis being big employers in the region. The most famous product of the Cork pharmaceutical industry is Viagra. Cork is also the European headquarters of Apple Computer where their desktop computers are manufactured and their European call centre is hosted. It is also home to the Murphy's Irish Stout brewery and the Beamish and Crawford brewery which have been in the city for generations. And for many years, Cork was the home to Ford Motor Company, which manufactured cars in the docklands area before the plant was closed. Henry Ford's grandfather was from Cork, which was a main reason for opening up the manufacturing facility in Cork. But technology has replaced the old manufacturing businesses of the 1970s and 1980s, with people now working in the many I.T. centres of the city. Much of Cork's economic success is due to a few main reasons, such as transport and a well educated workforce. Cork's deep harbour allows ships of any size to enter, bringing trade and easy import/export of products. Cork International Airport also allows easy access to continental Europe and Kent Station in the city centre provides good rail links for domestic trade. The City of Cork is home to one university and many colleges that provide a skilled and trained workforce. Also, Cork's suburbs have a number of modern industrial estates, with good road links and modern telecommunications to attract both local and foreign investment from Europe, the United States, and Japan. More recently Amazon.com, the online retailer, have set up in Cork Airport Business Park along with Motorola.Twinned Cities
Cork City Corporation began its first twin/sister city programme with Coventry in 1969. Since then, Cork has [developed links] with several other cities in the areas of culture, education, tourism, science and economics:Twinning with Shanghai came with some discontent, with several Cork City Councillors and people from the local Chinese community, including a Falun Gong practitioner who was tortured in China, citing religious intolerance, lack of freedom of speech and human rights abuses in China.
Transportation
Air
- Main article: Cork International Airport
Bus
- City
- Suburban
- Long Distance
[AirCoach] (operated by First Group) also run a daily service to Dublin and Dublin Airport departing every 2 hours. Prices are between €7.00 and €10.00. Leather seats and extra legroom make the trip with AirCoach considerably more comforable compared to Bus Éireann. This service departs from St Patrick's Quay near the Metropole Hotel rather than Parnell Place Bus Terminal.
Ferry
The Cross River Ferry, from Rushbrooke to Passage West, links the R624 to R610. This service is useful when trying to avoid traffic on the Great Island (Cobh). Cork Ferryport is situated at Ringaskiddy, 16 km SE via the N28. Direct sea links are available to Roscoff (France) with Brittany Ferries and Swansea (Wales) with Swansea Cork Ferries. A connecting bus service is available to the city centre from the ferryport. Plans for a water taxi service are being finalised to provide traffic free connections for both commuters and tourists alike.Road
The Cork area has seen improvements in road infrastructure in recent years, especially with regards to National Primary roads. The Cork South Link road (a dual carriageway), built in the early 1980s, linking the Kinsale road roundabout with the city centre was the first of many improvements. Shortly afterwards, the first sections of the South Ring Road (dual carriageway) were opened. Work continued through the 1990s on extending the South Ring Road with the opening of the Jack Lynch Tunnel under the River Lee being the most significant addition. Also in the 1990s work progressed on the Cork to Midleton dual carriageway and the N8 Glanmire bypass dual carriageway. Other projects completed at this time include the N20 Blackpool bypass and the N20 Cork to Mallow road projects. The N8 Glanmire to Watergrasshill dual carriageway bypass was opened in 2002. The N22 Ballincollig dual carriageway bypass, which links to the Western end of the Cork Southern Ring road was opened in 2004. City Centre road improvements include the Patrick St. project which reconstructed the street with a pedestrian focus. The M8 Rathcormac to Fermoy tolled motorway bypass (17.5 kilometres) is currently under construction and is scheduled to open before Christmas 2006.Rail
- National
- Suburban
In November 2005, the Irish government announced the reopening of the railway line between Glounthaune (on the Cobh line) and Midleton as part of the country's 10 year development plan. New stations will be provided at Carrigtohill on the Midleton branch and at Kilbarry, Monard and Blarney on the Dublin line as part of the plan, along with the already operational Mallow station. The Midleton branch is scheduled to be reopened in 2008.
Education
Cork is an important educational center in Ireland. University College Cork (UCC), a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, offers a wide variety of courses in Arts, Commerce, Engineering, Law, Medicine and Science. The university was named "Irish University of the Year" in 2003–2004 and 2005-2006 by the Sunday Times. Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) offers a variety of third level courses in Mathematics, Computing and IT, Business, and Engineering (Mechanical, Electronic, Electrical, and Chemical) and is one of the few places in Ireland where nautical studies are available. It also incorporates the Cork School of Music and Crawford College of Art & Design as constituent colleges. The Cork College of Commerce is the largest post–Leaving Certificate College in Ireland and is also the biggest provider of Vocational Preparation and Training courses in the country. Other 3rd level institutions include Griffith College Cork (incorporating Skerry's College) which has been offering courses since 1884 and various other colleges. There is also a very large community of students from abroad, especially countries where Cork has twinned cities. The largest group of foreign students comes from China, Shanghai in particular. This is due to the exchange programmes on offer for Chinese students in universities in China. Other non-nationals come from Poland, India, America and Latvia, as well as "the old E.U." countries such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
- See Also:
Sport
Sport is intensely important to the people of Cork, with gaelic games (hurling & gaelic football) and soccer the most popular.Gaelic games
Cork are the current All-Ireland Hurling Champions, having won back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005. There are many GAA clubs in Cork City, and the main public venues are Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Páirc Uí Rinn.Football
The current champions of the Football League of Ireland are Cork City F.C., who play their home games at Turners Cross stadium on the southside of the city.Rugby
Rugby Union is also popular in the city, being played at various levels, from school to senior league level. Cork Constitution (2 time All Ireland League Champions) play their home games at Ballintemple. Other rugby clubs in the city include Dolphin, Highfield and Sunday's Well. At schools level, Christian Brothers College and Presentation Brothers College are two of the country's better known rugby nurseries.Munster Rugby plays half of its home matches in the Celtic League at Musgrave Park in Ballyphehane. In the past Heineken Cup matches have also been played at Musgrave Park but now, due to capacity issues these are now played at Thomond Park in Limerick. As of May 2006 Munster are the Heineken Cup Champions with many players hailing from Cork city and county.
Other sports
There are also Cork clubs active nationally in basketball (Neptune) and rowing (Shandon boat club), and numerous golf, pitch and putt, hockey, tennis and athletics clubs in the city and suburbs. The city is also the home of road bowling which is played on the minor roads adjacent to the northside and south-west suburbsThe city's (and county's) maritime heritage is maintained through Cork's sailing clubs, and the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven (outside the city) is the world's oldest.
- See also: List of Cork people - Sports
See also
- Metropolitan Cork
- County Cork
- West Cork
- Cork Harbour
- List of Cork people
- Historic Cork Gardens
- Fota Island
- Cork International Airport
- Unite* Gay Youth
External links
General
- [[wikitravel:| travel guide]] from Wikitravel
- [Cork City Council]
- [Cork City FC]
- [University College Cork]
- [Architecture of Cork]
- [Cork Institute of Technology]
- [Strategic Cork Guide]
- [Cork Joint Housing Strategy]
- [Port of Cork]
- [Cork Developments Blogspot]
- [Gay Youth Group - Cork's Gay Youth Group]
Culture
- [Cork city becomes the first citywide high-speed Wi-Fi network in Europe community wireless network] - Story from www.theregister.com
- [Cork, European Capital of Culture in 2005]
- [Where's Me Culture?] - A Popular Cultural Initiative For 2005
- [Launderette Gallery] - dedicated to contemporary Irish & European art
- [Liverpool's 'Nerve' magazine] - An article on the Capital of Culture year.
- [Cork Film Centre]
- [Cork Film Festival]
- [Cork Jazz Festival]
- [PeoplesRepublicOfCork.com]
- [Corcadorca Theatre Company]
- [Institute for Choreography and Dance]
- [The Everyman Palace Theatre]
- [The Cork Pops Orchestra]
- [Live music in Cork]
- [What's on in Cork]
- [A Dictionary of Cork Slang]
- [Surfing in Cork]
- [Cork School of Culture 2005] - Coláiste Chríost Rí
- [Caucus]
- [Granary Theatre]
- [Freakscene] - Cork's longest running nightclub
- [GayCork.com] - Cork Gay Community Online
- [Gay Youth Group - Cork's Gay Youth Group]
Photographs
- [corkspace.com - opensource images of Cork City]
- [Irelandscape] — Pictures of Cork and other Irish locations.
- [Cork Flickr] — Pictures of Cork on Flickr.
Maps
- [WikiSatellite view of Cork at WikiMapia]
- [Cork Corporation city maps]
- [Google Maps Cork]
- [MultiMap Cork]
|- style="text-align: center;"
| Cities in Ireland |
| Republic of Ireland: Dublin | Cork | Limerick | Galway | Waterford | Kilkenny |
| Northern Ireland: Belfast | Derry | Armagh | Newry | Lisburn |
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