Cork folk take a lot of flak for being absolutely weak for our home county.
But now an international travel publication has confirmed our suspicions that Leesiders are inherently more personable than people who live in the capital.
According to Condé Nast, Cork is one of the most friendly cities in Europe, narrowly missing out on the top spot, which was claimed by Siena in Italy.
The magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards for 2023 placed Cork second in its top ten Friendliest Cities – one place above Dublin.
“Although Cork might be the Republic of Ireland’s second-largest city, the port town is even more friendly than the capital, according to our readers,” it said.
“This place has a big personality, an exciting culinary scene, plenty of coffee shops, galleries, museums, and an iconic food market.”
Europe’s top 10 friendliest cities 2023 are:
- Siena, Italy
- Cork, Ireland
- Dublin, Ireland
- Helsinki, Finland
- Belgrade, Serbia
- Malaga, Spain
- San Sebastian, Spain
- Dubrovnik, Croatia
- Bucharest, Romania
- Ljubljana, Slovenia
Welcoming the news, Siobhan McManamy, Tourism Ireland’s Director of Markets, said: “I am delighted that Cork has been named second friendliest city in Europe, in this year’s prestigious Condé Nast Traveller readers’ survey.”
“Again and again, our research shows us that the friendliness of our people is one of our unique selling points. It is the warm welcome and the ‘craic’ here that resonates with our overseas visitors and makes our cities and Ireland such a great choice for a short break or holiday.
“These accolades by the readers of Condé Nast Traveller magazine give Tourism Ireland another great platform to continue to promote Cork and Ireland around the world as a ‘must see’ destination.”
