Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Cork

Cork, cap. of co., mun. and parl. bor., seaport, and bar., on the river Lee, 11 miles above its influx into Cork Harbour, 166 miles SW. of Dublin by rail, the port being 88 miles from Waterford, 187 from Dublin, 400 from Glasgow, 284 from Liverpool, 255 from Bristol, 260 from Plymouth, and 610 from London -- bar., 43,813 ac., pop. 24,372; parl. bor., 46,086 ac., pop. 104,496; mun. bor., 2266 ac., pop. 80,124; 5 Banks, 4 newspapers. Market daily. The greater portion of the city, which is the third largest in Ireland, stands on an island formed by two channels of the river Lee. C. is a city of spacious streets and handsome public buildings; it has 9 bridges, a public park, a fine cemetery, after the plan of Pere-la-Chaise, a splendid promenade, the Mardyke, 1 mile long, and shaded by a double row of noble elms, and a famous peal of bells in the lofty steeple of the church of St Ann Shandon. It has also several eminent scientific and literary institutions, among which are Queen's College; the Royal Cork Institution; and the Cork Agricultural School, which has a farm of 180 ac. attached to it. The commerce of Cork has long been of great importance; the export trade in grain, cattle, dairy produce, and provisions is very extensive. There is regular steam communication with Liverpool, Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, London, Milford, and Bristol. (For shipping statistics, see Appendix.) The principal articles of mfr. are leather, woollen goods, gloves, and agricultural implements. Flax-spinning, iron-founding, coach-building, tanning, brewing, &C., are also carried on. There are 2 distilleries. The diocese of Cork extends W. from Cork to Bantry Bay. The bor. returns 2 members to Parl.


(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "capital of county, municipal and parliamentary borough, seaport, and barony"   (ADL Feature Type: "capitals")
Administrative units: Cork IrlC
Place: Cork

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