Situated in the South West of Ireland, Cork is the largest of all the Irish counties. Its farmlands and river valleys contrast with the sandstone hills of the West, and its magnificent Atlantic coastline gives visitors a chance to discover fantastic coves, beaches and golden sands. West Cork is nearly a county onto itself, and the islands and peninsulas are full of life and interesting things to see.

Cork City, the second City of the Republic of Ireland, has a population of 140,000 people. Like Venice, Cork City is built upon the waters, and the city centre is built on an island in the River Lee just upstream of Cork Harbour. The two channels of the River Lee which embrace the City centre are spanned by no less than sixteen bridges and this gives the city a distinctive Continental air.