Cork – Saint Finbar's monastery and the Viking port on the Lee
Cork began as a monastic settlement, reputedly founded by Saint Finbar in the 6th century on the marshy banks of the River Lee – its Irish name, Corcaigh, means marsh. Between 915 and 922 Norse settlers founded a trading port beside it, and the monastery and the Viking harbour grew side by side, linked into the wide Scandinavian trade network.
In 1185 Prince John, as Lord of Ireland, granted the city its charter. Cork was once fully walled, and some wall sections and gates can still be seen. Today it is Ireland's second-largest city, its centre set on an island between two channels of the Lee. Have a Cork memory or family story? Share it with the community!