The largest county of the Republic of Ireland, Cork covers an area of 2,880 square miles and has a population of 420,000.

Found in the province of Munster it is agricultural but there is also some copper and manganese mining, marble quarrying and river and deep sea fishing. Off the southern coast at Kinsale natural gas and oilfields are located.

The famous Blarney stone is resident of the county of Cork with it's supposed powers of making anyone who kisses it to speak with a gifted eloquence, 'A Touch Of The Blarney'.

The city of Cork is the administration centre of the county with the towns of Cobh, Bantry, Youghal, Fermoy and Mallow being the other major population centres.