CORK, a county of Ireland in the province of Munster, bounded on the south by the Atlantic ocean, east by the counties Waterford and Tipperary, north by Limerick, and west by Kerry. It is the largest county in Ireland, having an area of 1,843,590 acres. Pop. (1926), 287,254.
The physical structure is closely related to the "Hercynian" folds. In the north the Old Red sandstone may be seen in the Bally Loura hills, and in the western spur of the Knockmealdown mountains. To the south of this line occur carboniferous lime stone, millstone grit and coal-measures, now forming the valley of the Blackwater. Between this river and the Lee the Old Red sandstone reappears, the chief heights being the Boggeragh moun tains (Musheramore, 2,118 feet). In the lower Lee valley, and extending to the east beyond Midleton, are carboniferous lime stone and limestone shales. Some of the limestone here has be come crystalline, veined and brecciated, while a fine red staining, especially at Little Island, adds to its value as a marble. After another anticlinal of the Old Red sandstone, the Carboniferous slate occupies most of the country southward, with occasional appearances of the basal Coomhola grits and of the underlying Old Red sandstone along anticlinals. The rivers, especially the Blackwater, provide excellent examples of river capture.
There are several Ogham stones scattered throughout the county and also two round towers, one opposite Cloyne cathedral, the other at Kinneigh. The remains of the old ecclesiastical build ings, of which the chief are Kilcrea, Timoleague church and Butte vant abbey, are, on the whole, in a very ruinous condition. Many of the vantage points have castles in varying degrees of preserva tion. At Kilcolman castle, near Doneraile, the "Faerie Queene" was written by Spenser.
Cork is one of the counties which is generally considered to have been instituted by King John. Its existing boundaries include part of the ancient territory of Desmond (q.v.), which, in the latter half of the i6th century, ranked as a separate county. In 1598, however, there were two sheriffs in the county Cork, one especially for Desmond, which was then included in Cork, but was afterwards amalgamated with the county Kerry. In the same period lands in the county were given to settlers under the Crown, and among these were Sir Walter Raleigh and Edmund Spenser the poet. Richard Boyle, ist earl of Cork, had large areas colo nized with English settlers; and by founding or rebuilding the towns of Bandon, Clonakilty, Baltimore, Youghal, and afterwards those of Midleton, Castlemartyr, Charleville and Doneraile, which were incorporated and made parliamentary boroughs, the family of Boyle became possessed of nearly the entire political power of the county.
The soils vary from sandy loams, usually on the higher ground, to stiff clays along the limestone hollows. Agriculture is important in the river valleys and on the coastal plains; oats, potatoes and turnips being the principal crops.
The county has been famous for its copper-mines, notably at Allihies in the extreme west. The region south-west of Bantry has been mined in several places. Both gold and silver have been found in the copper-ores of this latter area. Barytes has been mined near Bantry, Schull and Clonakilty, and manganese-ore at Glandore. Anthracite has been raised from time to time in the band of coal measures south-west of Kanturk. The marble of Little Island near Cork is quarried under the name of "Cork Red," and the veined pink and grey marble of Midleton is also much esteemed.
Dairies are numerous, and Cork butter and farmyard produce are noted for their quality. Youghal, Kinsale, Queenstown, Castle town and Bearhaven are the deep-sea and coast fishing district centres of the county; while the salmon fishing is distributed among the districts of Cork, Bandon, Skibbereen and Bantry. The mackerel fishery is especially productive from mid-March to mid-June. The Blackwater, Lee and Bandon, apart from the net ting industry, afford good rod-fishing for salmon and trout.
Blackrock, Passage, Monkstown, Queenstown, and other water side villages in the vicinity of Cork, together with Bantry, Balti more, Kinsale, Glengarrif and Youghal are much frequented dur ing the summer months.
The county is served by lines of the Great Southern railway radiating from Cork. A gap to the north of that city has facili tated communications with central Ireland, whilst the valleys of the Bride, a tributary of the Lee and the Bandon have been uti lized for western routes. To the east the coastal plain is followed by the line to Midleton and Youghal. Branch lines serve the towns of the south coast.
There are three electoral areas—North Cork, West Cork and East Cork. The first-named returns three members to Dail Eireann and the others five members each.