Best Attractions in Cork

Best Attractions in Cork

Cork is full of cool stuff to see, the city and county have many great attractions to check out. In this post, I have mentioned some great things to see and do in Cork. Cork is the third-largest city in the whole of the island of Ireland.

The population of Cork is just under 200,00 people. If you want to try some whiskey and learn how Jameson whiskey is made there is the Jameson distillery to visit in Midleton. Cork is home to the Titanic Experience in Cobh, you could check out Fota Wildlife Park which is a great area to visit with children.

Cork is home to Spike Island, this island is off the coast of Cork and Spike Island was formerly a prison. Maybe you wanna kiss the cleanest tourist attraction in the world being the Blarney Stone in Blarney Castle, this is one of the most popular attractions in the rebel county!!!!

Blarney Castle

You have to kiss the Blarney stone while in Cork, it’s one of those things you got’a do! The Blarney Stone is located inside Blarney castle. Blarney Castle and gardens are located around a 20-minute drive from Cork city. The old Irish castle dates back to the year 1210, the castle is now a world-famous attraction, one of the best in Cork.

You can wander around the gardens and climb up the castle stairs and then lean in and kiss the stone, then you will have 7 years of the gift of the gab, which means you will have like a silver tongue! If you like shopping and Blarney woollen mills have plenty of Irish made products, the Blarney woollen mills are the perfect spot to pick up a few gifts.

The whole area of Blarney has some nice pubs, restaurants, and cafes to check out, its a very popular location with lots of tour buses flocking there each day as part of package tours and day tours. Blarney Castle is a great attraction to visit, you could easily spend half a day or even a full day checking out everything in Blarney!

Address – Monacnapa, Blarney, County, Cork.

Link on Google maps

Jameson Experience Whiskey Distillery

If you like whiskey you will love the Jameson Experience, the museum is set on 15 acres of land, its an old whiskey distillery and was turned into a visitor centre in the year 1992.

The visitor centre has in excess of 100,000 visitors per year, everybody loves whiskey right!!! You can take a tour of the museum to learn about how the Jameson whiskey is made.

You will learn about all the different types of whiskeys made by Jameson some are aged for many years to produce a beautifully flavoured whiskey, of course, you can try some of the whiskey and buy some to take home with you. There is food available in the museum, it’s a great attraction to check out.

Address – Old Midleton Distillery, Distillery Walk, Midleton, County. Cork.

Link on Google maps

Cork City Gaol

Cork City Gaol is another cool attraction to check out in Cork. The old jail is located in the heart of Cork city, this old jail has a long history. The old jail used to house male and female prisoners.

The building was closed as a jail in 1923, these days its a super cool tourist attraction. Cork City Gaol is used for functions and events. It’s a fascinating building both inside and outside.

You can take a tour and learn about the history of the building, its real authentic and hasn’t been updated, the original features are still on show for everyone to see. Cork City Gaol was used for radio broadcasting up until the late 1950s, it’s truly a cool old attraction that you would enjoy visiting.

Address – Convent Ave, Sunday’s Well, Cork.

Link on Google maps

Fota Wildlife Park

Fota Wildlife Park is a great area to bring kids, and pass away a day. The wildlife park has plenty to keep you busy. You will learn plenty while visiting Fota Wildlife Park, you will see all kinds of animals, Rhinos, Tigers, Elephants, Gorillas you name it and Fota Wildlife have it. Children love looking at all the animals.

The wildlife park is visited by loads of school groups going on school tours. Fota Wildlife Park is all about conservation and biodiversity. The centre breeds animals and are specialists in animal management.

Address – Fota, Carrigtohill, Co. Cork.

Link on Google maps

Titanic Experience Cobh

The famous Titanic ship is linked to Cobh in a big way, the famous ship stopped in Cobh on its maiden voyage before it hit an iceberg. The Titanic experience is a super cool attraction for all age groups. The visitor centre is full of cool stuff, you can take a tour and learn about Cobh and the famous day in April 1912 when the Titanic ship left Cobh.

You will see what life was like on board the Titanic and get a feel for the hi-spec interior of the famous ship. There is a display in the visitor centre that is a chilling reminder of what it was like when the ship hit the iceberg and a cinematographic view of the sinking of the famous ship. There are audio and visual displays to check out, all in all, its a class visitor centre.

Address – White Star Line Building, 20 Casement Square, Cobh, Cork.

Link on Google maps

Mizen Head

Mizen Head is part of the Wild Atlantic Way route, this is possibly one of the best road trips in the world. Mizen Head is around a two-hour drive from Cork City, The route from Cork has loads to see. It’s full of interesting historic sites, coastal towns and villages with beautiful views of the coastline of Ireland.

The visitor centre at Mizen Head has won awards, it’s a cool maritime museum and heritage attraction. There is an old signal tower on the site to check out. The views you will see here are some of the nicest on the Wild Atlantic Way route, so make sure to have the battery charged in your phone because you will be taking a lot of photos. The footbridge at Mizen Head is a so cool, you will remember this site for a long-time, believe me, it’s unreal!

Address – Mizen Head, Cloghane, Goleen, County. Cork.

Link on Google maps

Check out my post on The Wild Atlantic Way Cork here!

Spike Island

Spike Island has 1300 years of history associated with it, you can travel out to the island by boat and take a tour around the old prison, its just another pure class by attraction as they say in Cork! The scenery is fantastic on the island, and it a lovely place to go for a walk.

The Island is home to an old 7th-century monastery and a 24-acre fortress. Spike island used to be the biggest convict house back in the Victorian times. The Island was home to monks, rioters and some redcoats. The 200 years old Fort Mitchel is a star-shaped fortress and this became a prison that housed up to 2300 prisoners. Spike Island prison was the largest of its kind in the whole world at one stage, it’s definitely one of coolest attractions in Cork to check out!

Address – Spike Island,Kennedy pier, Cobh,Cork.

Link on Google maps

See the Ring of Beara Drive

The ring of Beara is a scenic route in Cork, its full of mountain ranges, wild animals, coastal viewpoints and greenfields, you will love it! The route covers 135 kilometres and takes around 2 and a half hours. This route is full of interesting stuff to see, it an amazing route to travel along.

The Ring of Beara is Ireland at its best, beautiful scenery, you will really enjoy this route! This road trip has castles, cows and culture, and plenty of Irish culture. You can check out some of the nice villages and Irish pubs on route, one to check out is Mac Carthy’s Bar in Castletownbere, its a charming Irish pub with a rich history!!! You have to check it out!

Link to map of the Ring of Beara.

I hope you find this post useful, i welcome any questions or suggestions by email to info@allthings-ireland.com

Thanks

John C

All Things Ireland