We lucked out weather wise as it was a beautiful day. There is a lot of driving to the cliffs and…read moresome narrow winding roads. Our driver was friendly and gave us a lot of information about the area and Irish history.

We had a great time with our bus driver DJ doing the Blarney Castle tour! He was funny,…read moreinformative, and gave us great tips for places to see at each stop.

SHANDON CHURCH St Anne's Church, high on a northside hill,…read moreis one of the most familiar landmarks in Cork City, visited by many tourists but generally ignored as a visit by the locals. I walked up there recently and enjoyed my stroll. The historic church has eight bells 8 which weigh 6 tons and first rang out over the city in 1752. The patients in the nearby (now closed) North Infirmary would often have been disturbed from their slumber by the bells' vibrations (lessened in modern times by improvements in placement). But it is the clocks on the sides of the church tower that have most engaged Corkonians over the years who jokingly called them the Four Liars as it was reckoned that the four clocks never agreed on the time! Not that I've heard that joke recently! The "Goldie Fish" mounted high on the church has entered the local literature and indeed Shandon comes up regularly in the songs and poems of the city. Fr Prout's nostalgic lines below are probably the most famous "With deep affection and recollection, I oft times think of those Shandon Bells" Nowadays, after your visit to the church, where you can get to ring the bells and enjoy the view over the city, you may take a rest on the seats in the adjoining St Anne's Park before walking back down to the city centre.

Playing "Fernando" and "Here comes the sun" while pulling on some heavy ropes is a very fun…read moreactivity. Living right under the bell tower for one year and half and having to endure the other false notes is a completely other story. The entrance is expensive and the climbing quite dangerous. The view is cool.

Cork City Tours. Took two different buses today, both had a combination of recorded commentary and…read morelive commentary. Drivers were very nice, and I felt they were very accommodating of foreigners. Also very funny! In addition, a cruise ship was in at Cobh, so the buses were SRO for a couple of hours, but everyone stayed cheerful and positive. Great day, great tour. Five Stars, Cork City Tours!

It was our first full day in Cork, and we had just finished having breakfast, and wanted to get a…read moresense as to what the area had to offer. As we had had general success with city tours in Dublin and Galway we figured why not, there are certainly worse ways to spend a couple of hours. That's probably technically true - we could have spent a couple of hours fighting off pickpockets or being strangled by an elephant. But at least with those activities the level of expectation would have been minimal (and hey, what stories we'd have to share!). We waited with a group of others near the foot of Oliver Plunkett Street on a surprisingly humid early Sunday afternoon (word to the wise - at the time we visited Ireland, the weather was more consistent with our experiences in Florida than our expectations for the British Isles, so one doesn't necessarily require heavy-layered clothing in the summertime). The bus arrived on time, and we were able to secure spots on the roof. In some limited ways the ride was informative - we did learn about tours we could take of nearby places, and we were informed about some freaky churches in the area. The close calls with foliage was also surprisingly entertaining. But unlike other rides, there was no personality from the driver. In fact, there was no interaction from the driver, apart from collecting our tolls, as the commentary was pre-recorded, and boring. So, my recommendation would be to consult one of the tourist shops to inquire about things to do in the area (i.e. Ring Of Kerry, Cobh, The Blarney Stone), and to simply walk around the River Lee island to take the city sights in yourself.

BLARNEY WALK Most of you will have heard of the Blarney talk…read more(the gift of the gab from kissing the famous stone) but do you know about the Blarney Walk? It goes through the Clogheenmilcon Sanctuary and is one of the most popular in the Cork region which, generally (particularly evenings and weekends) makes it really safe if you are out on your own. Two notes of caution re safety. If you use the car park nearest town, you will have to cross quite a busy road and there is no pedestrian crossing there of any kind. The walk also incorporates most of a 5km Sli Na Slainte (Path of Health) but if you start in the village be very careful walking to the sanctuary as there is no footpath for part of the way! The pleasant walk (you can also jog it) is fairly straightforward, running in a straight line for 2km or so (then you turn back), with the sanctuary on one side and the main road (fenced off, on the other side). You walk along past an unusual elevated sculpture, past a boggy area and small lakes where waterfowl are plentiful: ducks and swans, seagulls galore today. It is a refreshing walk on a tarmac path, popular with all kinds of humans and dogs (who are kept on their leads).

Excellent tour! Very fun way to see Cork and learn a lot of history of the town along the way. Kids…read morewere entertained the who way through. This was the highlight of our experience in Cork.

We were thoroughly entertained by Mr Damian Punch, a master storyteller who provided rich…read morehistorical and cultural insight to spins his ghoulish tales. Our tour began in the city centre near the Opera House and meandered along the river and through the Shandon historic district where the paranormal came to life. A family friendly outing that was great value. I would highly recommend it.

Great tour. Kate is really funny and happy to answer lots of questions. The tour was a lot of fun…read more Different from all the whisky and beer tours we've been doing. Completely recommend especially if you know nothing about mead.

Really great tour and tasting. Super friendly folks. Great honey and great meads. Pretty…read moreinformative on the whole process.