Cork (city)

Cork (city), (in Gaelic, Corcaigh), city in the Republic of Ireland, county borough and seat of County Cork, on the River Lee at the head of Cork Harbour inlet. Cork has been a major trading centre since Viking occupation in the 11th century and is today an important distribution hub for the surrounding agricultural region, exporting cattle and other products. Industrial establishments include two breweries, distilleries, and factories for the production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Cork has an international airport, and the port has ferry services to Roscoff, Cherbourg, and Le Havre in France, and Swansea in Wales. Among the notable buildings of the city are the 19th-century Roman Catholic and Anglican cathedrals, St Mary's and St Finbarr's, respectively; and University College, Cork (1845), part of the National University of Ireland.

The city dates from a religious settlement founded in ad 622 by St Finbarr. During the 11th century the Danes enlarged it into a fortified trading station. In 1172 Cork was taken by Henry II of England, and in 1649, during the English Civil War, it fell to Oliver Cromwell. The town changed hands once more in 1689 when it was captured by John Churchill, 1st duke of Marlborough, for the English crown. In 1920 parts of Cork were burned down by British forces after Irish nationalists raided a British military convoy. Cork is the second-largest city in the Republic of Ireland. Population 123,062 (2002).