cork
Cork
Cork (county, Ireland), largest and southernmost county of Ireland, in Munster Province. The Atlantic coastline of the county is broken by numerous bays and inlets, including Cork Harbour, on which is situated the county borough, Cork; Kinsale harbour; and Bantry, Clonakilty, Dunmanus, and Long Island bays. The Blackwater, Lee, and Bandon are the chief rivers of Cork. The western part of the county is mountainous, with much boggy land; the eastern and southern parts are fertile. Agricultural products include potatoes, turnips, and oats; other industries in Cork include dairying, salmon and mackerel fishing, and mining of coal, copper, manganese, barites, sandstone, and limestone. Area, 7459 sq km (2880 sq mi); population (1991) 410,369.
Cork (city, Ireland), county borough and seat of the county of Cork, located on the Lee River, at the head of Cork Harbour inlet. It is the second largest city in the Ireland after Dublin. Located in the southern part of the island, Cork is an important distribution center for the surrounding agricultural region, and it exports cattle and other products. Industrial establishments include breweries, distilleries, and factories for the production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Among the notable buildings of the city are the 19th-century Roman Catholic and Anglican cathedrals, Saint Mary's (1808) and Saint Finbar (1880), respectively; and Queen's College, Cork (1849), which has been part of the National University of Ireland since 1908
The city dates from a religious settlement founded in AD622 by Saint Finbar.
During the 11th century the Danes made it a trading station encircled with walls. In 1172 Cork was taken by King Henry II of England, and in 1649, during the English Civil War, it fell to Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England during the Commonwealth. 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. Population (1996) 180,000..
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