From its fierce resistance to the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland back in 1172 to its modern-day status as the home of bad-boy football players, Cork has long been seen as a free and rebellious city.

While the days of the local tribal violence sea-faring pirates have long gone, Ireland's third largest city, after Dublin and Belfast nevertheless offers visitors a unique and memorable experience.

As befits a place that was first built up by the Vikings, water has played a major role in the city's development over the centuries.

The city began as an island on the swamps created by the River Lee, with settlers gradually building outwards and up the steep banks of either side of the city so that now the historic centre is effectively cut in half, with the main streets crossing over the winding river at several points.

However, though the history of Cork is sufficiently rich to compete with any other European city - and certainly St Finn Barre's Cathedral which dominates the skyline and commemorates the city's founder and patron saint is well worth a visit – today it has established itself as a shopping and partying destination quickly catching up with Dublin in terms of popularity among knowledgeable European travellers.

The main thoroughfare of South Mall is perhaps the best example of how well the old and the new have blended together in Cork.

Here the former boathouses of the local merchants have been spruced up and transformed into independently-run boutiques offering locally-produced arts and crafts, while the larger merchants houses lining the steep, winding streets going up from the harbour are now smart and fashionable guest houses.

Likewise, the majestic St Patrick's Street and the County Hall, which is still the tallest building in the whole of the Republic of Ireland, both showcase the city's fine Georgian architecture and showcase the riches it built up over the years as a major trading hub.

Aside from the dozens of chic bars sitting comfortably alongside the much-loved traditional Irish pubs and the numerous restaurants serving up fish caught that day by the local fleet, one of the major advantages of Cork is that it currently remains relatively affordable and, in comparison to Dublin's Temple Bar district, an absolute bargain.

This, after all, was one of the starting points for the Europe-wide cheap flights revolution, with several flights a day from regional airports across the UK usually costing far less than a return train ticket to London.
The prices even remain affordable as the visitor numbers soar during any of the numerous festivals Cork now regularly hosts after its deserved stint as the European Capital of Culture back in 2005, though, just as Dublin benefitted from a resurgent tourism industry in the early 90s, so too does it look likely that Cork won't remain a well-kept secret for long.