24 Facts About County Cork

County Cork is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, Ireland's second-largest city.

Cork County Council is the local authority for the county, while Cork City Council governs the city of Cork and its environs.

The south-west region, including West County Cork, is one of Ireland's main tourist destinations, known for its rugged coast and megalithic monuments and as the starting point for the Wild Atlantic Way.

County Cork is known as the "rebel county", a name given to it by King Henry VII of England for its support, in a futile attempt at a rebellion in 1491, of Perkin Warbeck, who claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York.

County Cork is located in the province of Munster, bordering Kerry to the west, Limerick to the north, Tipperary to the north-east and Waterford to the east.

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The coastline of County Cork is sometimes associated with whale watching, with some sightings of fin whales, basking sharks, pilot whales, minke whales, and other species.

County Cork has a mountainous and flat landscape with many beaches and sea cliffs along its coast.

The southwest of Ireland is known for its peninsulas and some in County Cork include the Beara Peninsula, Sheep's Head, Mizen Head, and Brow Head.

Many notable islands lie off County Cork, including Bere, Great Island, Sherkin, and Cape Clear.

County Cork is one of just three counties to border two bodies of water - the Celtic Sea to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

Much of what is county Cork was once part of the Kingdom of Deas Mumhan, anglicised as the "Desmond", ruled by the MacCarthy Mor dynasty.

The north and east of County Cork were taken by the Hiberno-Norman FitzGerald dynasty, who became the Earls of Desmond.

County Cork City was given an English Royal Charter in 1318 and for many centuries was an outpost for Old English culture.

Much of county Cork was devastated in the fighting, particularly in the Second Desmond Rebellion.

In 1491 County Cork played a part in the English Wars of the Roses when Perkin Warbeck, a pretender to the English throne spread the story that he was really Richard of Shrewsbury, landed in the city and tried to recruit support for a plot to overthrow King Henry VII of England.

The Cork people supported Warbeck because he was Flemish and not English; Cork was the only county in Ireland to join the fight.

In 1601 the decisive Battle of Kinsale took place in County Cork, which was to lead to English domination of Ireland for centuries.

County Cork was officially created by a division of the older County Desmond in 1606.

The activity of IRA flying columns, such as the one under Tom Barry in west County Cork, was popularised in the Ken Loach film The Wind That Shakes The Barley.

However, County Cork was taken by troops of the Irish Free State in August 1922 in the Irish Free State offensive, which included both overland and seaborne attacks.

County Cork has two Gaeltacht areas where the Irish language is the primary medium of everyday speech.

The port of Cobh in County Cork was the point of embarkation for many Irish emigrants travelling to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa or the United States.

West County Cork is known for its rugged natural environment, beaches and social atmosphere, and is a common destination for British, German, French and Dutch tourists.

County Cork is the third-most populous city on the island of Ireland.