Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [198]
The grandeur continues inside, with marble floor mosaics, a colourful chancel ceiling and a huge pulpit and bishop’s throne. Quirky items on display include a cannonball blasted into an earlier medieval spire during the Siege of Cork (1690).
Most of the ostentation is the result of a competition, held in 1863, to choose an architect for the building. William Burges was the hands-down winner, and once victory was assured he promptly redrew all his plans – with an extra choir bay and taller towers – and his £15,000 budget went out the window. Luckily, the bishop understood such perfectionism and spent the rest of his life fundraising for the project.
The cathedral sits at an aloof distance south of the centre, on the spot where Cork’s patron saint, Finbarre, founded his monastery in the 7th century.
Lewis Glucksman Gallery
The Glucksman ( 021-490 2760; www.glucksman.org; University College Cork; admission free; 10am-5pm Tue, Wed, Fri & Sat, 10am-8pm Thu, noon-5pm Sun), a startling limestone, steel and timber construction, is a visible symbol of Corkonian optimism. Opened in 2004, the award-winning building has three huge display areas, which host ever-changing art exhibitions and installations. If you’re in town, don’t miss the free fortnightly curatorial tours; the website has details. The gallery’s situation in the grounds of the UCC means it’s always buzzing with people coming to attend lectures, view the artwork or procrastinate in the basement cafe (Click here).
Cork Public Museum
Located in a pleasant Georgian house in Fitzgerald Park, this museum ( 021-427 0679; www.corkcitycouncil.ie/amenities; Fitzgerald Park; admission free; 11am-1pm & 2.15-5pm Mon-Fri, 11am-1pm & 2.15-4pm Sat year-round, 3-5pm Sun Apr-Sep) recounts Cork’s history from the Stone Age right up to local football legend Roy Keane with a diverse collection of local artefacts. There’s a cafe next door.
Take bus 8 to the main gates of the UCC and follow the signs.
Cork City Gaol
Faint-hearted souls may find Cork City Gaol ( 021-430 5022; www.corkcitygaol.com; Convent Ave; adult/child €7/3.50; 9.30am-5pm Mar-Oct, 10am-4.30pm Nov-Feb, last admission 1hr before closing) a little grim, but it’s certainly a highly unusual and worthwhile attraction. An audio tour guides you around the restored cells, which feature models of suffering prisoners and sadistic-looking guards. It’s very moving, bringing home the harshness of the 19th-century penal system. The most common crime was that of poverty; many of the inmates were sentenced to hard labour for stealing loaves of bread.
The prison closed in 1923, reopening in 1927 as a radio station. The change of use is reflected in the upstairs National Radio Museum (adult/child €7/3.50; 9.30am-5pm Mar-Oct, 10am-4.30pm Nov-Feb, last admission 1hr before closing) where, alongside collections of beautiful old radios, you can hear the story of Guglielmo Marconi’s conquest of the airwaves.
To get there, walk from the city centre, or take bus 8 from the bus station to the University College Cork (UCC); walk north across Fitzgerald Park, over Mardyke Bridge, along the Banks of the River Lee Walkway and follow the signs up the hill.
Cork Vision Centre
There’s a model exhibition at the Cork Vision Centre ( 021-427 9925; www.corkvisioncentre.com; St Peter’s Church, North Main St; admission free; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat) – literally. A huge and intriguing model of the city and its surrounds dominates the centre of this old church. Special exhibits include local art and engaging historical photographs.
Shandon
Galleries, antique shops and cafes along the old lanes and squares of Shandon make it a good stroll. Perched on a hillside overlooking the city centre, it’s a great spot for the views alone. Those tiny old row houses, where