Set in the south-west of Ireland, Cork is the largest of the Irish counties bordered by Limerick and Kerry and offers travellers a wealth of little towns and villages to explore.

An impressive coastline boasts great bays and secret coves, strewn with rocky headlands and long soft golden sands and inland you will find river valleys, rich farmland and wild sandstone hills in the west.

A good place to start to investigate the country is in the namesake city, one of the largest cities in the republic of Ireland with the deepest natural harbour in Ireland. Statio Bene Fide Carinis is the motto on the coat of arms of this vibrant port city, meaning 'a safe harbour for ships'. The river Lee flows through Cork City in two channels spanned by numerous bridges.

To the south of the town is Alihies where visitors may stumble upon 'fool's gold' glittering in their pathway, created by the workings of a rich copper-mining district. And driving from the north coast to Eyeries and Ardgroom (called the 'Ring of Beara' drive) offers travelers superb views of the coast and the mountains of Iveragh, the peninsula across Kenmare Bay and contains the 'Ring of Kerry' tourist route.

Further up in Glengarriff – rugged beautiful mountains and wooded valleys surround the village. Blarney is countryside not to be missed and visitors can take part in the tradition of the famous Blarney Stone located in the castle which tells that 'those who kiss the stone will be endowed with the gift of eloquence' or the 'gift of the gab' as the locals like to call it.

Mitchelstown in the north is the ideal base from which to explore a wealth of activities available within the 'Three Counties' region of Cork, Limerick and Tipperary at the confluence of which the town lies.

Other villages worth a mention are Baltimore - a lively port and popular sailing centre, the picturesque Rosscarbery with safe bathing and golden sands overlooking the dramatic coastline and Oysterhaven set on the coast offering scenery or watersports depending on your desire.

Cork is most famous for its festivals and you are guaranteed to come upon one no matter what time of year you choose to visit from choral festivals to film and folk. The city played host to the Tall Ships festival in 1991, the Naval Review and the Maritime Festival in 1996 and part of the Tour de France crossed through Cork in 1998.

The first weekend of September is set aside for the folk festival – known as the 'friendly festival' and October brings the four day annual jazz festival attracting thousands of fans to live music and pubs, closely followed by an arts festival in November.

Other attractions include galleries, museums, the National Sculpture Factory, dance theatres, artist workshops and Cork's Opera House on Emmett Place – the largest performing arts venue in the region - all helping Cork to earn the title of European Capital of Culture 2005.

One museum not to be missed is the Cork Butter Museum which tells the tale of the triumphant trade in Ireland including the modern success of the Kerrygold brand.

Cork is also crammed full of pretty churches including St Anne's Shandon - known locally as the four-faced liar because clocks never quite match and St.Nicholas, and if you are looking for a trace of the medieval city you can find it in the Tower of Red Abbey.

Hungry travellers should sample some of Cork's traditional dishes which include tripe, meat and blood puddings and sausages. Tripe is boiled in peppered milk with onions until tender and served with a local pudding called 'drisheen'.

Crubeens or pigs' trotters can be found on many upmarket restaurant menus and traditional potato pancakes called Boxtys are also highly worth a taste.

Visitors can also opt for more familiar seafood dishes and tasty farm produce or the very traditional Irish soda bread, griddle bread and pancakes cooked over an open fire - definitely a delicious treat.

Cork is easily accessible either through its International Airport or by direct ferry crossings both offering direct access to the UK and Europe all year round.