How to Have the Perfect Weekend in Cork

Turns out the craic is everywhere you look in Cork.

“Pure Cork” is a phrase you’ll hear a lot if you travel to Ireland’s second-largest city, a friendly enclave in the south-western corner of the country. Kerry, my guide on the Cork Culinary Tour through the historic English Market – founded in 1788 when the city was a key trading outpost and selling Irish produce to all and sundry – is pure Cork. She’s a tiny brunette, with almost comically green eyes and a wicked sense of humour, born and bred in the place she still calls home. For three hours, she marches our group along the easy, walkable city streets, taking us down alleys where you can almost smell the hops coming from the Beamish & Crawford brewery (try its Genuine Irish Stout from a pub the locals love, such as The Long Valley Bar).

Inside the bustling covered market, which Kerry remembers coming to as a child (“when it was still blood and sawdust on the floors”), we work through trays of seeded soda bread and thick pork sausages from local providores. “Keep tucking in, lads!” she declares encouragingly. Like many natives – others you might have heard of include Graham Norton and Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy – Kerry is immensely proud of her city, which straddles what is believed to be the second-deepest natural harbour in the world. (The deepest, by the way, is said to be Sydney Harbour.)

Cork’s position on the water has made it a seafood mecca, as evidenced at restaurants such as The Glass Curtain in the centre of town, where an expertly seared West Cork monkfish with stewed fennel prompts one diner to rush over to the pass and demand to know when the chef will receive his Michelin star. Or at Goldie, a cosy spot that proudly displays Aussie chef Josh Niland’s seafood bible, Take One Fish, in the window. Here, you’ll find sweet Rossmore oysters grown in a sheltered part of Cork Harbour – “I’m biased but they’re the best in the world,” the chef, who looks remarkably like actor Paul Mescal, tells me – and an enormous colcannon, which is basically a large dish of mashed potato mixed with cabbage. Really, it’s all just a vehicle for butter.

Speaking of butter, Cork is also proudly home to The Butter Museum, housed in an original factory in the shadow of the Shandon Bells church tower. The whole place is devoted to the stuff, especially its fascinating role in the local economy, where once upon a time 3000 barrels of salty Cork butter were sent to the Americas each week.

Cork’s rich history – buttered and otherwise – explains its role connecting Ireland with the world. Nearby Cobh, 20 minutes away by train, was the site where the Titanic set sail and today a popular museum pays homage to the event.

In a lush garden at Nano Nagle Place, a restored convent and museum precinct that’s 10 minutes by foot from the CBD, a guide named Agnes shares the moving story of a local woman who dedicated her life to educating the poor. It’s a peaceful, sacred space, even in the torrential downpour of a crisp, late September afternoon. Wandering through the garden, I spot a sign that reads “Kia orana” at the entrance to Good Day Deli. It’s no mirage: the café is owned by Clare – another pure Cork character – and her husband, Kristin (aka Mack), who hails from the Cook Islands. Together they’ve crafted the ideal lunch spot, surrounded by greenery and serving dishes that highlight the simple, honest flavours of the region’s produce. A starter of whipped Macroom ricotta with broccoli followed by fresh fish tacos practically finishes me off.

Clare stops for a chat when delivering each dish, nattering away about everything from Irish chocolate bars and local characters to her time living in Melbourne. It’s a perfect snapshot of what makes this place so special: friendly, generous hospitality and fantastic food. Pure Cork.

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