Cork is an exciting and inspirational city eager to extend a warm welcome to delegates from across the globe. The biggest county in Ireland, Cork is part of both the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East, with a bustling, cosmopolitan city to explore and over 1000km of coastline to discover. It is no wonder it has been nicknamed the Maritime Haven!

Cork delivers in its own inimitable way, a breath of fresh air, a truly unique city that’s steeped in tradition yet young at heart. In the historic, compact city centre there is a lot to see and do including one of the oldest covered markets in the world, the English Market, the oldest caged clock in Europe at Shandon Bells and the second largest natural harbour in the world after Sydney Harbour.

In 2018 Cork was voted the third friendliest city in the world by Condé Nast Traveler’s annual reader survey, ranking just behind San Miguel de Allende in Mexico and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Every year, Condé Nast Traveler asks its readers to decide on their favourite cities around the world, in its Readers’ Choice Awards Survey and Cork stormed its way to the top of the list paving the way for Europe.

Cork is widely regarded as being the Food Capital of Ireland. Graced with a coastline teeming with an array of fish, as well as possessing some of the best farmlands in the country provides the talented chefs and consumers of Cork with truly remarkable, high quality fresh ingredients with which to indulge their culinary talents and tastes.

Cork is a UNESCO Learning City. The Award was presented to Cork City at the Second International Conference on Learning Cities in Mexico in 2015. Cork City has a vibrant, inclusive, quality infrastructure of education from basic to higher education and is home to enthusiastic, involved and committed learning communities. Through Corks Lifelong Learning Festival, our Learning Neighborhoods and other Learning Events we are committed to developing Cork as a Learning City for all its citizens – all ways and for all.