Southern Ireland

Cork considers itself the "true capital of Ireland" — and the Corkonians mean it only half-jokingly. Ireland's second-largest city (approx. 210,000 inhabitants) has its own pride, its own accent (which even Dubliners can hardly understand), and a culinary scene that rivals Dublin. The city is located on an island in the River Lee and has a compact, hilly city center that is excellent for exploring on foot.

The culinary heart of Cork is the English Market — a Victorian market hall from 1788, where butchers, fishmongers, cheesemakers, and bakers offer their goods. Here you buy Gubbeen cheese, Clonakilty black pudding, fresh oysters from Kenmare, and the famous spiced beef, a Christmas tradition in Cork. Upstairs, the Farmgate Café serves dishes from market ingredients — the best lunch in town (main courses €14–20).

Around Cork, one of Ireland's liveliest craft beer scenes has developed: The Franciscan Well Brewery (North Mall) has a popular beer garden and brews excellent IPA, Rising Sons on Cornmarket Street offers tastings, and Eight Degrees Brewing in Mitchelstown is one of Ireland's best breweries.

Culturally, Cork offers the excellent Crawford Art Gallery (free), the St. Fin Barre's Cathedral (neo-Gothic masterpiece, €6), and the Cork City Gaol (prison museum, €10) — the latter gives a depressing insight into 19th-century living conditions. The Shandon Bells in St. Anne's Church (€8) you can ring yourself — a clanging highlight with panoramic views over the city.

Cobh (pronounced "Kow") is a picturesque harbor town on an island in Cork Harbour — and a place full of emotional history. From here, over 2.5 million Irish left their homeland for America between 1848 and 1950. And from here, on April 11, 1912, the RMS Titanic set sail on its final voyage.

The Titanic Experience Cobh (in the former White Star Line ticket office, €11) is excellently designed: You receive a boarding card with the name of a real passenger, experience the journey, and learn at the end whether "your" passenger survived. The building is the original location where the last 123 passengers boarded — the atmosphere is palpable.

The Cobh Heritage Centre — The Queenstown Story (€10) tells the broader story of Irish emigration — famine, ship passages under inhumane conditions (the "Coffin Ships"), and the desperate hope for a better life. The exhibition is emotional and informative.

Cobh's skyline is dominated by St. Colman's Cathedral, a neo-Gothic cathedral with its 100-meter-high tower and 49-bell carillon towering over the harbor. The view from the cathedral over the harbor, where the Titanic anchored, is iconic and one of the most photographed scenes in Ireland. The colorful terraced houses (the famous "Deck of Cards") below are Instagram gold.

Blarney Castle is one of Ireland's most touristy attractions — and yet it's worth the visit. The medieval castle from the 15th century, surrounded by 60 hectares of beautiful gardens, houses the famous Blarney Stone: Whoever kisses this stone (upside down, leaning backward over a parapet, held by a helper) supposedly receives the "gift of eloquence" — the ability to charm anyone with words. The Irish call it "Blarney" — skillful speaking bordering on flattery.

The legend traces back to Cormac MacCarthy, the Lord of Blarney, who kept Queen Elizabeth I at bay with evasive speeches for so long that she exclaimed: "This is all Blarney — what he says he never means!" The true origin of the stone is disputed — some claim it is a piece of the Stone of Scone from Scotland.

Apart from the stone, the gardens are the real highlight: The Poison Garden (poisonous plants behind bars!), the Fern Garden, the Rock Close with its mystical druid stones, and the Wishing Steps — stone steps you must descend backward with closed eyes to have a wish granted. The castle ruin itself is impressive, with narrow spiral staircases and views over the green countryside.

The Killarney National Park is Ireland's oldest and most beautiful national park — 10,000 hectares of untouched nature with three lakes (Lough Leane, Muckross Lake, Upper Lake), ancient oak forests, mountains, and wildlife that includes Ireland's only free-ranging red deer herd and the rare white-tailed eagle. The park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and free to access.

The heart of the park is Muckross House — a Victorian mansion (1843) with magnificent gardens, offering insight into the life of the Irish landed gentry (guided tour €9.50). The Muckross Traditional Farms next door showcase rural Ireland of the 1930s with working farms — particularly fascinating for children.

The Torc Waterfall (20-minute walk from the parking lot) is one of Ireland's most beautiful waterfalls — 18 meters high, nestled in lush oak forest. After rain (so almost always!), the waterfall is particularly impressive. From the bridge at the top, there is a wonderful view.

The most popular way to explore the park is a jaunting car ride — horse-drawn carriages with chatty drivers (Jarveys) who tell entertaining stories while driving you through the park (from €30 per person for the classic tour). Alternatively: Rent a bike in Killarney Town (from €15/day) and circle the lakes on your own. The Gap of Dunloe (a dramatic mountain gorge west of the park) is best experienced on foot or by bike — the road is closed to cars and offers spectacular scenery.

Kinsale is the prettiest town in Southern Ireland and Ireland's self-proclaimed culinary capital — a title it deserves. The picturesque harbor town 30 km south of Cork attracts gourmets, sailors, and bon vivants and has a restaurant density that is astonishing for its size (just under 5,000 inhabitants).

The colorful houses by the harbor, the narrow streets with boutiques and galleries, and the historic fortresses make Kinsale a place where you immediately feel at home. Culinary highlights: Fishy Fishy (the most famous fish restaurant in the area, main courses €18–30), The Black Pig (wine bar with excellent small dishes), and Jim Edwards (traditional Irish cuisine at a high level).

Historically, Kinsale is significant: Here, in 1601, the Battle of Kinsale took place — the decisive defeat of the Gaelic lords against the English, heralding the end of the old Irish order. The Charles Fort (€5), a star-shaped fortress from the 17th century at the harbor, is excellently preserved and offers a fantastic view over the bay.

The Rock of Cashel (Carraig Phádraig) is one of Ireland's most dramatic historical sites — a medieval fortress on a 60-meter-high limestone rock that juts like a fist from the golden-green plain of Tipperary. The silhouette of round tower, cathedral, chapel, and high crosses against the vast sky is iconic and looks like the set for a historical film.

The rock was the seat of the Kings of Munster, the most powerful dynasty in Southern Ireland, for over 1,000 years. According to legend, it was here that Saint Patrick converted the Irish King Aengus in the 5th century — accidentally driving his bishop's staff through the king's foot in the process. Aengus held still, thinking it was part of the baptism.

Cormac's Chapel (1127–1134) is Ireland's oldest Romanesque church building and an architectural gem with intricate stone carvings, a sarcophagus, and remnants of medieval frescoes. The adjacent cathedral (13th century) is an impressive Gothic ruin, whose cloister and tower are accessible. The round tower (28 m) is the oldest part of the complex, dating from the 11th or 12th century.

From the rock, there is a wide view over the Golden Vale, Ireland's most fertile farmland — a sea of green fields bordered by the Galtee Mountains. At the foot of the rock stands the ruin of Hore Abbey (free), a 13th-century Cistercian abbey that offers a wonderful vantage point of the Rock.

The Ring of Beara is the lesser-known, rougher, and less tourist-developed brother of the Ring of Kerry — and that's exactly why Ireland connoisseurs love it. The 137-kilometer coastal road circles the Beara Peninsula between Kenmare and Glengarriff and offers similarly dramatic landscapes, but without the tour buses and crowds.

The highlights: The Healy Pass is one of Ireland's most spectacular mountain roads — a narrow road winding over the Caha Mountains, offering breathtaking views. Allihies is a sleepy village with a wonderful sandy beach and the ruins of historic copper mines. Dursey Island at the westernmost point of the peninsula is accessible via Ireland's only cable car — which you occasionally share with sheep and cattle!

The town of Glengarriff at the eastern end is the gateway to Garnish Island (Ilnacullin) — a subtropical garden on a small island in Bantry Bay, accessible by ferry (return €15). The garden is a botanical wonder, and the crossing includes seal watching.