Cork (county)

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Largest county of the Republic of Ireland, in the province of Munster; county town Cork; area 7,460 sq km/2,880 sq mi; population (2002) 447,800. Cork is mainly agricultural, but there is some copper and manganese mining, marble quarrying, salmon farming, and river and sea fishing; industries include chemical, and computer hardware and software. There are natural gas and oil fields off the south coast at Kinsale. Angling is a popular sport, and tourism is concentrated in Kinsale, Bantry, Glengarriff, and Youghal; one of the most popular visitor attractions is the 17th-century Charles Fort, Kinsale. Cork is rich in Christian and pre-Christian antiquities.

The coastline off County Cork in the west is composed of a number of rocky and mountainous peninsulas and deep bays; Sheep's Head, Mizen Head, and the Beara Peninsula (which forms the boundary with County Kerry) are particularly noted for their dramatic scenery. Cork's largest coastal inlet is Bantry Bay, where there was an important oil terminal (no longer in use), and its towns include Blarney, Cobh, Fermoy, Mallow, Youghal, Macroom, Bandon, Skibbereen, and Clonakilty. The west is mountainous, and there are also two mountain ranges running across the centre of the county, separating its two main rivers, the Blackwater and the Lee.

Red symbolizes the revolution of 1984. The five-pointed star is said to signify the revolution or freedom. Green stands for the country's natural resources. Effective date: 4 August 1984. >>