Short Breaks in Cork
Cork has a great selection of hotels and guesthouses ranging from small family owned properties to the five star Hayfield Manor Hotel a pleasant ten minutes stroll from the city centre. You can get great priced flights from Newcastle with Jet2 and make your own short break on direct flights from Newcastle to Cork.
Cork is the 2nd largest city in the Irish Republic and is also the capital city of County Cork. The city got its name from the Irish word corcach, which translated means marshy place. The river Lee flows through Cork into Lough Mahon and creates on of the largest natural harbours in the world. It is hardly surprising that Cork has a major seaport and has lots of quays and docks
Cork was first founded in the sixth century by St Finbarr and became a city much later when it received its royal charter by King John in 1185. Having a large natural harbour meant that Cork became a major trading port and particularly with the merchants from the Scandinavian regions. However this also attracted attention from the less friendly visitors and Cork was attacked by Vikings and Norsemen.
Its not got a temperature like a holiday resort in Tenerife but Cork does average nearly four hours of sunshine a day in the Summer months and is the sunniest city in Ireland. The climate of Cork is generally mild, moist and changeable however it does not suffer from any weather extremes such as storms or extreme cold in the winter
Attractions to see in Cork include Blarney Castle and Charles Fort or even a visit to the Greyhound Stadium. Should you wish to explore the surrounding countryside and beautiful coastline then it would be a good idea to hire a car. One of the more famous buildings in Cork is the Church Tower of Shandon, which is in the northern part of the city. There are some great historic walks you can do in and around the city as well as some interesting ones a short drive away.
There are lots of different shops from boutiques to markets offering a range of products to cater for all budgets. There are a few large shopping centres and the main shopping street is St Patrick’s street. There are lots of different restaurants catering for the more refined palate to the fast food restaurants seen in most cities around the world.