Known as the Rebel county and in Munster as the “real” capital of Ireland, Cork is a city with a unique culture and personality distinct from Dublin and Galway.

Its international appeal was well and truly cemented recently by the selection of Cork, by  Lonely Planet, as one of the Top Ten cities in the world to visit in 2010 –“Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2010” .

“With a population of the Cork Metropolitan Area of four hundred thousand people and a huge investment into infrastructure Cork now has one million square feet of retail space in an easily accessible city centre. Cork also has some of the best restaurants in Ireland or England so this vote is not really a surprise to the people of Cork,” say Lonely Planet.

“Sophisticated, vibrant and diverse while still retaining its friendliness, relaxed charm and quickfire wit, Cork buzzes with the energy of a city that’s certain of its place in Ireland.”

With this in mind…. Here’s our Top 10 Reasons to Live in Cork City

1. Cork Festivals:

One of the many things that separate Cork city from the rest of Ireland is the quality and variety on offer in its festivals. In summer there’s the Cork midsummer festival a rapidly growing arts festival that takes place for ten days in mid June. In those ten days the city streets, parks and venues rock with music, dance, theatre, circuses and picnics to celebrate the summer solstice. In June there is also the Cork City Marathon and the Ocean to City race, an exciting and good-humoured 15-mile rowing race from Crosshaven to Cork city to look forward to. During October one has the gift of 2 festivals running  after each other. The Cork Jazz Festival which is run on the long October weekend. Renowned worldwide as one of the friendliest Jazz festivals, some 1,000 musicians from 30 countries play in venues all over the greater city area during the four-day event. Also running in October or in November some years is the Corona Cork Film Festival which hosts a wealth of renowned world cinema showing a range of international, experimental and art-house films as well as international shorts that one would otherwise might not have a chance to see in mainstream cinema, thus being a delight for film buffs of all ages.

2. Music:

As well as the celebrated Jazz Festival, Cork has a thriving music scene and is famous for one of the greatest guitarists in the world Rory Gallagher. During the summer it hosts Live at the Marquee a summer music festival for all generations with a mixture of bands and comedy acts for old and new. Past acts in the last few years have included acts as diverse as 50cent, Kasabien, the Flaming Lips, Lady GaGa,  rock legends such as The Who and Irish folk legend Christy Moore as well as Comedy acts such as Des Bishop and Tommy Tiernan. To celebrate it’s musical diversity many bars in Cork have different thriving music scenes: for the true rock diehards there is Fred Zeppellons, for those interested in traditional Irish music sessions try An Realt Dearg on a Wednesday night and for those looking for a more contempory music feel there are various bars around too many to name that cater to that. However if you want to sit down, have a drink and listen to a gig Charlies Bar hosts live music from a range of influences rock to blues 6 days a week.

3. Nights out:

In Cork city there is a diverse range of bars, clubs and restaurants to suit all needs. Cork bars combine a distinctive mixture of the old and the new. From snug pubs with a distinct Cork feel such as the SinE the only public house left in Cork, and the little gem that is Tom Barry’s with it’s relaxed atmosphere and beer garden, to a bar with a global feel such as the Bierhaus which serves international beers to the more cosmopolitan modern bars such as Suas Corks finest rooftop bar, and latebars (The Crane Land Theatre) and clubs such as Havana Browns, Cork city has it all. As regards eating out, as well as traditional pub grub, Cork has an internationally renowned range of restaurants combining both traditional and new world cuisine ranging from the award-winning vegetarian restaurant Café Paradiso to Augustines to restaurants with global flavours such as Boqueria. From traditional cosy pubs that play live Irish music sessions most of the week, to cosmopolitan bars and nightclubs to fine dining Cork has a selection to suit everyone.

4.Entertainment and the Arts:

Cork is alive with the Arts and for the best in Comedy shows, Opera, Theatre, Pantomine for the kid in all of us and Dance check out the Opera House and the Half Moon Theatre. Comedy is also played in various venues and pubs around Cork and the Everyman Palace is a well known theatre in Cork city.

5.Art and Culture:

UCC and Glucksman Gallery. The influence of UCC and it’s properties is felt throughout Cork city with a thriving youth scene which gives Cork it’s modern edge. If you want a sense of history and art visit the UCC university grounds (Corks answer to Oxford) and the Glucksmans Gallery on site. Or if you want to sit down and relax and take in the scenery one can stroll though Fitzgeralds Park not too far from UCC and visit the Cork Public Museum situated on its grounds. As well as the Glucksman in UCC ground Cork city has a vibrant arts scene with various art museums such as the renowned Crawford Art Gallery Corks main art gallery in the city centre with a mixture of old and new, while Cork Vision Centre, Triskel Arts Centre and Fenton Art Gallery are others to take note.
6. Corks various Museums and landmarks:

For some history why not visit Blarney located 8km north of the city and kiss the Blarney Stone which will,in theory, give you the ‘the gift of the gab’ or in layman’s terms, eloquence. Checkout the historic quarter of Shandon and ring the Shandon Bells in Church of Saint Anne, in the distinctive red and white brick colour of Cork, the oldest cathedral in Cork. Whereas St Anne’s Cathedral in Shandon may be the oldest, the picturesque gothic St Finbarrs Cathedral is the most famous. The Cork public museum in Fitzgeralds Park, the Butter Museum and Cork City Jail are other interesting landmarks of Cork city to visit but they are just a few of many iconic Cork landmarks.

7. Great home of Sport

Be it Cork’s dominance of GAA, being the most successful dual sporting county (dominant in Hurling and Camogie, a main contender in Football and the only county to win the double this last century in 1990), it’s two great exports in that other football game (soccer) ( Roy Keane and Steve Irwin of Manchester Utd fame) and of course Munster Rugby to name just a few of it’s sporting accomplishments, Cork is renowned for it’s sport. For a chance to soak up the sporting atmosphere why not visit some of the numerous pubs around Cork. Or if one wants to see Cork GAA stars in action visit GAA grounds at Parc Ui Chaoimh, see Munster play half their home matches in Musgrave Park in Ballyphehane or check out the local soccer club Cork City in Turners Cross play a soccer match. If however one wants a different sporting night out, availing of food and drink, why not try greyhound racing at Curraheen Park or on the other hand head to Cork racecourse for the equine equivalent.
8. Shopping:

As opposed to the compact and winding streets of Galway and the metropolis that is Dublin by comparison shopping in Cork city is straightforward with all the main high street brands one expects from a major city all located on one street, the main thoroughfare St Patricks street saving you time so you can enjoy all the hidden delights of Cork. And shopping in Cork has never been better with the redevelopment on Opera lane just off St Patricks Street adding highstreet leaders such as Topshop, H&M, New Look, River Island to the already established high street stores.

9. Food:

English Market : As Cork county is one of the finest food producers in Ireland it is no wonder that Cork city has a historic indoor market to sell all it’s wares. The emphasis is on local produce, with cheeses, ham, buttered eggs, sausages, bread and smoked salmon on offer, and for those with a strong stomach try the uniquely Irish produce Tripe and Drisheen. As well as local produce  there are some imports such as olives, chocolates and wine and the market has both a national and international gourmet feel. Other than browsing and taking in the atmosphere of this historic and unique market why not try a few things there. If you are a cook at heart and want fresh cooking tips the fresh-food sellers will help you to decide exactly what to buy and how to cook it. Or if you want to take advantage of all the latest gourmet choice on offer check out the markets restaurant, the Farmgate Café, on the second floor of the market while you take a breather and take in the view of the goings on in the market below.

10. Drink

While Dublin is famous for Guiness known worldwide Cork has it’s unique alternative Murphy’s and Beamish only found in Cork city. And for further proof of it’s delight in fine stout and lager visit the Franciscan Well which was voted the best Microbrewery in Ireland by Food and Wine Magazine (May edition 2008). The Franciscan Well is a bar that actually brews it’s own beer. One can enjoy the taste of some of it’s specialities such as Shandon Stout, Blarney Blonde, Rebel Red and Friar Weisse in the enormous beer garden at the back. Around Easter and October they host an international beerfest with beers from all over the world. And as mentioned earlier Cork has a vibrant nightscene with many distinct and welcoming bars.

And these are just some of the reasons to look at residential houses for sales in Cork or residential property rentals in Cork . There’s also the Lough, the Peace Park, the Blackrock Castle Observatory and the Lifetime Lab, the library, the people, the scenery, the history and then there’s cork county a whole other area indeed ……..

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