We loved this place a little too much. I thought this would be a short visit, but we ended up…read morespending the entire day there. This place is highly recommended while in Cork. If you are of Irish descent, you will love this place. If you are interesting in the history of Irish emigrants, like me, you will even love it. They also have a very extensive and informative Titanic exhibit. Simply wow!!!

Housed in the former Victorian Railway Stations main hall, (a single line to Cork still adjoins the…read moremain building). The heritage centre, complete with it's own genealogy centre, tells the story of the estimated 2.5 million people that left these shores from this very spot forever. Although this itself is roughly a third of the number that left all Ireland in a century of emigration that really began with the 1846 famine, Cobh was to be the single most important port of departure. Cobh is literally pronounced cove, and is indeed the cove of nearby Cork, although it was named Queenstown from 1849, until the time when it's original name was revived in 1922. The Queenstown story is very well presented, I liked the recreation of life on board a ship from steerage bunks to upper decks, and clearly an awful lot of thought & imagination has gone into creating an environment that will appeal to everyone from easily distracted children through to American tourists, although some might say there is no disparity between the two! For transatlantic liners, departing English ports like Liverpool or Southampton, Cobh was always the last port of call before heading west. Many familiar large ships would have anchored just a couple of miles offshore, with smaller tender vessels ferrying passengers to & from the quayside here. The most famous of all of them of course was RMS Titanic. At 1.30pm on Thursday 11th April 1912 Titanic sailed after a 2 hour visit to take on just 123 passengers to bring her total complement up to 2206, 1517 of which were to drown with the ship 3 days later. There is a famous photograph taken by a Father Frank Browne, one of 7 passengers to have disembarked from the ship here, that frames this small exhibition, the last image of a legendary ship. However I was left wanting more here than the exhibition could ever provide. The museum is much better about another ill fated 4-funneled liner, RMS Lusitania. The Lucy as she was nick-named was torpedoed in 1915, just up the coast from here of Kinsale, with a loss of life almost on the same scale, (a small number of the victims were buried in the nearby cemetery). One of my favourite exhibits was the old phone kiosk of the period, where by picking up the receiver you can listen to tape recordings of both witnesses to the tragedy & survivors. Also because there are personal belongings on show recovered from the wreck, these prove to be a more persuasive reminder of human tragedy than the Titanic exhibit with only it's words & photos. If you're interested in the Lusitania, seek out my review of nearby Kinsale Tourist Office as well. Overall this is a very impressive experience, particularly thought provoking on the 19th century mass exodus from Ireland. It will easily absorb you for an hour or two's visit, if not there's an extremely well stocked gift shop & coffee & snack bar! However it's only when you're outside, gazing out beyond the statue of Ellis Island Annie & her brothers, far out to sea, & recall those millions whose last sight of their homeland this was, that you begin to get a true sense of perspective on the place.

DOIN' PANA…read more Patrick Street is the main street in Cork, great shopping, eating and drinking, throughout and in the areas just off it. It is always busy and Cork people enjoy strolling up and down and the promenading is known as Doin' Pana. Needn't cost you a cent and you never know who you might meet.

If it wasn't for this place there would really be nothing else to do in Cork. Eat, drink and shop…read morefor a day or two. But what makes this place special (as well as every other place we visited in Ireland) are the wonderful, true and friendly Irish people!

This museum is definitely a place to take children along or better yet relatives or friends who…read morewant to enjoy a day out. The museum is housed in former waterworks site. The restoration process must have been enormous. There are various buildings which house the history of Cork's waterworks site over the centuries and you see the hige Lancaster boilers and think yep some engineer got it right. It's a fun day out plus the museum has a lovely tea shop.

fab for families,excellent value at €7 for 4 of us,spent about an hour and a half between the…read morebuildings,playground and exhibits

Brought my Mom here for lunch. The food was terrible and when we complained - the chef/manager came…read moreout to yell at us that they had made the food for us so we had to pay for it. Most of the staff were nice but some of them were very undressed for serving food, one had a top on that barely covered her front and her back was completely bare. Completely inappropriate and unhygienic for a food service worker. We were told by a staff member that all the food was brought in pre-made. Complete waste of money, we paid for two of the meals as we had started eating them before realising that it was poisoned with salt. My sister didn't even take her meal from the server as she could see immediately that it wasn't what was on the menu and had items she is unable to eat. That was when the manager came out to yell at her and caused a scene! We had to go to another restaurant to get her something to eat as she hadn't been able to eat anything. Please avoid this restaurant unless you want sub par, pre made food at extortionate prices.

One of my favourite places in Cork, and somewhere I try to call into whenever I have a few free…read moreminutes when I'm at home. The Crawford was lucky enough to snag an extension and refurbishment during the Celtic Tiger years. It's spent the last few years putting it's new-found sprawl to good use. There's three permanent exhibitions each on the small side (sculptures, a Harry Clarke sampler and a few artifacts from Cork's merchant past). The main exhibition area tends to lean on modern Irish art and has a good pedigree thanks to the gallery's links with the Hugh Lane in Dublin. Oh, and there's a nice tea-room and restaurant in the back, so it's a good way to waste a lunch hour too!

GLEN RESOURCE CENTRE Walked down yesterday morning to see…read moreShandon Celtic and Grangevale play an AUL 1 game in the Glen Park, part of the Glen Resource and Sports centre. Grange hadn't played there in over ten years and were pleasantly surprised at the improvements in facilities; besides, they won the game 2-1. The Centre is owned by Cork City Council and is managed by a voluntary Board of Directors, comprised mainly of local community representatives and tenants. Outdoor Facilities: * Soccer: 6 x 5 -A side floodlit ' caged' pitches. * 2 x synthetic grass tennis courts * 1 x floodlit outdoor basketball court * Extended car-park Indoor Facilities: * Conference Room * Meeting Room * Activity Hall (activities avail throughout the year) For further details contact: The Manager, Glen Resource & Sports Centre, Glen Avenue, The Glen, Cork. Tel: 021 4550511 Email: glencentre@eircom.net

THE FIRKIN CRANE Close to the famous St Anne's Church of…read moreShandon, there is a unique rotunda called the Firkin Crane. Designed by Sir John Benson and opened in 1855, the building was part of Cork's original butter exchange. Firkin was a measure of butter. The butter market slipped into decline and closed in 1924 at which point James Daly and Sons took over the building and used it until the 1970s when a cap and hat company took over for a few years. After being gutted by a big fire in 1982 the Firkin Crane was re-opened ten years later and is now a centre for dance of all kinds. A visit here can be combined with a visit to the Butter Museum which is only yards away. You might even catch a show in this busy building.

A very convenient, clean and comfortable hotel for visiting UCC. Breakfast wasn't great, but it…read morewasn't terrible (typical full Irish, but served by very pleasant staff). Check-in staff were very helpful, parking was plentiful, and room very large, quiet, clean and modern. Excellent value for single (I was given a room with 2 double beds) at only €75 per night. Great simming pool for the kids with constant lifeguard supervision from 7am to 7pm. Other activities like mini-golf and tennis included as well as a children's activity program. The leisure facilities (pool, etc.) are available for guests and members. About a 10 minute walk from the university-- a nicer place to stay than local B&Bs on the busy road, I think. Brookfield Leisure Centre - Find more information about Brookfield Leisure Centre on: http://gyms-in-cork.blogspot.com Get real opinions, photos, reviews, membership price and a full list of Gyms in Cork

Fabulous venue, I've been numerous times to see live music and never been disappointedread more

A very cool vibe in this place, with two stages and a bar inside, and a seating area outside. We…read morewent on a Tuesday night with improv jazz groups playing which was fantastic. We had to move quickly for seating as it got crowded very quickly. A good heavy pour in our drinks though!