Cork, city, county town of Co. Cork,
S Republic of Ireland, on the Lee River near its mouth on Cork Harbour. The
oldest part of the town rests on an island between the north and south
branches of the Lee, which is crossed by numerous bridges. Exports are
largely farm produce (dairy products, grain, livestock), cloth, and fish.
Imports include coal, raw materials, fertilizers, grain, machinery, and
automobile parts. Machinery, chemicals, processed foods, whiskey, and
rubber, leather, cotton, and woolen products are manufactured. There are
also oil storage depots, a power station, and an international airport. In
the 9th cent. the Danes occupied Cork and walled it. Dermot MacCarthy ousted
the Danes and in 1172 swore allegiance to Henry II of England. Oliver
Cromwell
occupied Cork in 1649, and the duke of Marlborough in 1690. Many public
buildings were destroyed in the nationalist disturbances of 1920, and the
Sinn Féin
lord mayor was murdered by the British constabulary. Terence MacSwiney
succeeded him and died in jail in London after a hunger strike. Educational
institutions include University College (constituent college of the National
Univ. of Ireland) and a school of art. The Protestant St. Finbarr's
Cathedral, the Roman Catholic cathedral, the Church of St. Ann, and the
Carnegie Library are noteworthy.
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