Cork Races
Friday 11th May 2012.  Venue: Cork Racecourse, Mallow.  Evening meeting, Flat racing.
Friday 25th May 2012 Venue: Cork Racecourse, Mallow. Evening meeting, National Hunt.

Kinsale International Car Rally
11th – 14th May 2012
The Kinsale International Car Rally attracts numerous overseas visitors as well as locals. The main event is held on Saturday, May 12th.
Vintage and Classic Cars are on display until 11.30am when the first car leaves for a trip which lasts until 5pm. There is another run on Sunday and plenty of other social eventseach day.

Youghal Vintage Car & Bike Show
26th – 27th May 2012
Youghal Vintage Car & Bike Show displays a wide  array of cars and bikes. The vintage, veteran and classic cars and bikes on show make up one of the bess of thses types of show in the country. 

Many overseas clubs are represented.

Kinsale Point to Point Festival
02 – 03 June 2012 Venue: Farrangalway, Kinsale
Point to Point racing is an ancient sport and is less formal than National Hunt or Flat Racing . It is often where some of the best upcoming National Hunt hoorses get their experience of racing. Point to point is a great day out for all the family.
Kinsale Point to Point 2012 is an great sporting and social event.
The Sunday is a funday for all the family, with great entertainment for children, the Ladies’ Grand National, a Best Dressed competitionsand much more. There will be a Bar and live music on the course.

Cork is Ireland’s largest county, yet most visitors ignore its many dairy farms, with low mountains and evergreen plantations. Cork‘s main attraction lies in its coastline, spread over 170km, with much variety. The pleasant port of Kinsale still contains reminders of Cork’s prosperous seafaring past. Visitors will find much to get familiar with as they wander around the nooks and crannies of the Sheep’s Head peninsula.

The notoriously independent Cork city is famed for its cultural and social attractions. It also has a world reputation as a culinary centre, with popular restaurants, cafés and the famous English Market. The rest of the county easily manages to maintain this standard.  Its awareness of its reputation abroad gives it a vibrant energy and confidence. Previously known as the ‘Rebel City’, it is also known to many as the ‘People’s Republic of Cork’, and has long seen itself as equally deserving of the spotlight shone upon Dublin. Its arts and music scene is as capable of attracting visitors as that of the capital.

Visitors can find cheap Cork hotels or Bed and Breakfast in Cork at Stay in Cork. Read the rest of this entry »

Since 1994 the excellent Farmgate Restaurant has been selling delicious dishes fresh from the neighbouring English Market, served up with simplicity. Its well known owner, Kay Harte, insists on only the best of local ingredients, so the menu changes from day to day in this ever busy café. Today’s dozen fresh oysters could be tomorrow’s corned mutton with parsley sauce, making this an experience not to be missed and gaining it much praise from Lonely Planet.

Cork may have a wide range of restaurants to choose from, but Boqueria has now firmly established its place amongst them. The authentic and delicious Spanish tapas served here, in addition to its regular wine tasting sessions, have quickly made it a favourite. The usual Spanish offerings such as tortilla Espanola, patatas bravas and plates of artisan cured meats or smoked fish share menu space with smoked salmon, black pudding and Irish cheeses – their Irish variations. Its sweet red peppers stuffed with locally renowned Ardsallagh goat cheese, as well as its range of 40 superb Spanish wines, sherries and full bar, have earned it much praise from the New York Times. Read the rest of this entry »

The luxury Maryborough Hotel & Spa, dating from the 18th Century, provides all the facilities that guests could want, whether they’re here for business or pleasure. A resident bar and AA Rosette restaurant; eleven meeting rooms; gym and complimentary car park are all provided. The hotel’s luxurious leisure club is home to a 18-metre pool, hot tub bath and steam room. The spa provides a wide range of indulgent ESPA treatments and an ice fountain. Their very large yet modern bedrooms offer cotton duvets; slippers; bathrobes; magazines; designer toiletries; free bottled water; interactive TV and free Wi-Fi. Some rooms in the hotel, only 10 minutes by car from Cork city centre, also offer views of their picturesque gardens. There are many attractions to be explored in the area, including Blarney Castle amongst many others. Read the rest of this entry »

The many dairy farms of Ireland’s largest county, with low mountains and evergreen plantations, are often overlooked by visitors. The 170km long coastline also offers much variety, including the pretty port of Kinsale, full of reminders of Cork’s seafaring past, and the Sheep’s Head peninsula where one can wander and explore to their heart’s content.

Cork city, the capital of the self-styled “rebel county”, is well known for its independent spirit, with much to offer both culturally and socially in its compact, vibrant centre, located on an island in the Lee estuary. Its popular restaurants, cafés and the famous English Market ensure that Cork’s culinary reputation is recognised around the world, both inside and outside the city. It is well aware of this reputation too, giving it a particular energy and confidence. Inhabitants of the ‘Rebel City’ have long seen themselves as equally deserving of the attention given to Dublin, citing its arts and music scene as  being a worthy rival to that of the capital’s.

Narrow 17th century alleyways and modern landmarks such as the opera house sit beside each other in the centre of the city, which was given a new energy when it became the European Capital of Culture in 2005. More new buildings, bars and arts centres ensure that this new vigour continues apace. Despite this, the city has not forgotten its traditional roots, evident in the live music sessions held in snug pubs during the week, and the ready welcome givn by locals. Excellent local product is provided by the new restaurants which regularly spring up around the city.

In the 7th century St Finbarre founded a monastery on a corcach (marshy place), and hence began the foundations of a city which saw its fair share of turbulence throughout the following centuries. During this time it saw raids and sporadic settlement by the Vikings, eventually becoming the principal city of the Kingdom of South Munster. By 1185, however, the British had conquered Cork and it was subsequently won and lost over and again by both sides during Ireland’s continuing fight for independence from the Crown. Cromwell’s attempted raid was defeated, but it was no match for the mighty William of Orange, champion of  Protestantism.

Cork became an international exporter of butter, beef, beer and whiskey during the 18th century, but the potato famine ended this period of prosperity. Millions were forced to emigrate, as their choices were reduced to a new life abroad or starvation.

Cork was a key player in Ireland’s fight for Independence, due mainly to its patriotic ethos. It counts amongst its home grown heroes Mayor Thomas MacCurtain, killed by the Black and Tans in 1920 and his successor, Terence MacSwiney, who died in London’s Brixton prison after a hunger strike.

The British were at their most aggressive in Cork, and St Patrick’s St, the City Hall and the Public Library bore the brunt of this agression when they were torched. The Civil War of 1922-23 was fought mainly in the fields of Cork.

Visitors to Cork can stay at Cork Hotels or Cork B&B

Queen Elizabeth greeted by Crowds in Cork

Queen Elizabeth was “deeply moved” by the warm welcome she and Prince Philip received during their visit to Cork.In her letter to the Lord Mayor of Cork, Queen Elizabeth II asked that her special thanks be conveyed to the people of Cork for the welcome she received during her historic state visit to Ireland.
In an unexpected break from her schedule on the final day of her visit, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh shook hands with dozens of people who had lined the Grand Parade to witness the visit. 
The Queen described her visit to the English Market as a particularly “memorable occasion”.
“It was such a colourful and lively visit, as well as a wonderful opportunity for Her Majesty and His Royal Highness to meet members of the public,” wrote the Queen’s private secretary. 
”Please would you tell the people of Cork that the warmth of their welcome was deeply moving and greatly appreciated.”
The visit has sparked interest among tourists and internet searches for the terms ‘cork’, ‘queens visit to cork’, ‘english market cork’, ‘cork hotels’ etc have increased phenomenally, which is encouraging from a tourist industry point of view.
So far this month, searches on the Hotels.com website have risen by 69% for Dublin, 74% for Cork, 191% for Kildare and 80% for Tipperary compared with the year-ago period. These are the locations visited by the Queen during her Irish visit. 
Falling hotel rates and a general reduction in prices has also been beneficial.

Visitors to Cork can find Cork Hotels at Stay in Cork

Queen Elizabeth at The English Market in Cork

On the final day of her visit to Ireland Queen Elizabeth II went to Cork where she visited the university and The English Market  where she was warmly welcomed by traders and customers alike as she walked about asking about the produce at the various stalls.

There has been a market  at this location since 1788. Originally there were a number of different markets located beside each other. A nineteenth century map shows the English Market in the Princes Street area, with the remainder called the Grand Parade Market. In the nineteenth century also there are references to The English Market which was for more prosperous people and The Irish Market which was for the less well off. Even during the Irish Famine of the 1840s, the English Market had a supply of good quality food including potatoes but it was too expensive for the poor of the city.

After 1920 and the war of independence, the market fell into decline until the 1960s when it was revived and modernised and another major upgrade was done in 1977 but a fire destroyed large sections of it in 1980. there were further renovations in 1993 and the market began to gain popularity again. It changed from being associated with cheap cuts of meat, fish and basic foodstuffs to a much more diverse market selling al types of exotic foods and spices while retaining its traditional fish and meat markets. In this market you will also find some of Cork’s traditional specialities such as tripe, drisheen (a sheep’s blood pudding) and spiced beef.

The English market has received acclaim from numerous travel writers and food critics including Rick Stein who said of The English Market: “In my opinion this is the best covered market in the UK and Ireland” The Lonely Planet travel guide says: “The wonderful market is a self-caterer’s paradise with so many tasty delicacies to choose from it’s hard to show restraint.”

The visit of The Queen and Prince Philip which was broadcast worldwide is certain to make The English Market an even more popular visitor attraction in the coming years and Cork Hotels and Cork Bed and Breakfasts will hope to reap the benefits.

Watch HM The Queen’s visit to The Rock of Cashel and The English Market on Youtube

The Cork Jazz Festival is an annual music festival held in Cork City, Ireland over the October Bank Holiday weekend every year.  It is Ireland’s biggest jazz event and attracts numerous top class musicians and bands and thousands of music fans from all over the world to Cork city each year. In 2010 over 45,000 people visited the city for the event and listened to music played by over 1,000 musicians from more than 30 countries.

This jazz festival is considered to be among the best in the world and many of the top musicians have played there during its 34 years. Some of the big names include Ella Fitzgerald, Dave Brubeck, Cleo Laine, Chick Corea, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Oscar Peterson and many more. Every year brings its new stars and 2010 saw the appearance of the Esbjorn Svenson Trio, Mose Allison Quartet, Gary Burton – Richard Galliano Quartet and The Blin Boys of Alabama among others.

There are over 80 venues throughout the city including concert halls, theatres, lounges, bars and hotels as  well as on street music. The biggest venues are The Everyman Palace Theatre, The Cork Opera house, The Half Moon Theatre, The Granary, The Firkin Crane Theatre and The Metropole Hotel. These are the venues where the main events are held but many people prefer the smaller more intimate venues where the very interesting fringe events take place.

Although Jazz was considered mainstream, especially in America in the 1930s and 1940s it is very much a minority musical genre nowadays although it experienced a revival in the 60s and 70s with new experemintation and various mixtures of Jazz and Rock.

Cork is looking forward to another exciting Jazz Festival in 2011. The dates for this years festival are October 28th – 31st. Festival goers are advised to book accommodation early to avoid disappointment. Book Cork Hotels and Cork B&B at Stay in Cork