Cork

About

Founded as a monastic settlement in the 6th century, Cork prides itself as the “real capital” for its opposition to the Anglo-Irish treaty in the Irish Civil War. Their pride is well placed as Cork has everything you’d want from a capital, from hip coffee shops to centuries-old monuments. The Neo-Gothic St Fin Barre’s Cathedral isn’t just notable for its beautiful stained glass, prodigious pipe organ, and well-preserved medieval carvings - it also marks the site of the monastery that spawned the city. The clocks of the beloved St Anne's Church each tell a different time, and unlike almost any other church, visitors can ring the bells in the belfry! Even more than their monuments, what Corkonians really love is food, as is apparent from their Michelin star restaurants, English Market (hailed as the “best in the UK and Ireland”), and Butter Museum honoring its role as the historic center of Europe’s butter trade.