Come early to grab the seats by the crackling open fire, but even if you’re not lucky this time round, it’s still a great place to park for a few hours with the perfect pint of stout, enjoying the buzzing atmosphere or an in-depth chat with drinking companions. It’s been serving locals for more than 250 years; long may it continue.
©AnneMarie McCarthy/Lonely Planet
The Oval
Cork City
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.97 MILES
This imposing former prison is well worth a visit, if only to get a sense of how awful life was for prisoners a century ago. An audio tour (€2 extra)…
13.88 MILES
One of Europe's best-preserved star-shaped artillery forts, this vast 17th-century fortification would be worth a visit for its spectacular views alone…
0.11 MILES
The English Market – so called because it was set up in 1788 by the Protestant or ‘English’ corporation that then controlled the city (there was once an…
9.31 MILES
This low-lying green island in Cork Harbour was once an important part of the port's defences, topped by an 18th-century artillery fort. In the second…
28.58 MILES
Although Lismore Castle itself is not open to the public, the 3 hectares of ornate and manicured gardens are well worth a visit. Thought to be the oldest…
0.25 MILES
Cork's public gallery houses a small but excellent permanent collection covering the 17th century through to the modern day, though the works on display…
4.61 MILES
If you need proof of the power of a good yarn, then join the queue to get into this 15th-century castle, one of Ireland's most popular tourist attractions…
0.23 MILES
Spiky spires, gurning gargoyles and elaborate sculpture adorn the exterior of Cork's Protestant cathedral, an attention-grabbing mixture of French Gothic…
Nearby Cork City attractions
0.11 MILES
The English Market – so called because it was set up in 1788 by the Protestant or ‘English’ corporation that then controlled the city (there was once an…
0.18 MILES
Originally built in the 1620s, and serving as a garda (police) station from 1929 to 2013, this small star-shaped artillery fort once formed an important…
0.22 MILES
Housed in an old church, this cultural centre and gallery space houses a heritage display charting the history of Cork as well as changing exhibitions of…
0.23 MILES
Spiky spires, gurning gargoyles and elaborate sculpture adorn the exterior of Cork's Protestant cathedral, an attention-grabbing mixture of French Gothic…
0.25 MILES
Cork's public gallery houses a small but excellent permanent collection covering the 17th century through to the modern day, though the works on display…
0.26 MILES
The Holy Trinity Church was designed by the Pain brothers in 1834 in the honour of Father Theobald Mathew, whose statue sits just south of the River Lee…
0.27 MILES
Overlooking a small public square, Red Abbey Tower is Cork's only surviving medieval building, and all that remains of a 14th-century Augustinian priory.
0.36 MILES
The imposing statue on St Patrick's St, just south of the River Lee North Channel, is of Father Theobald Mathew, the 'Apostle of Temperance', who crusaded…