A leading travel publication has placed the Rebel County just behind San Miguel de Allende in Mexico and Santo Domingo in Dominican Republic in the list of the friendliest cities in the world.
The Condé Nast Traveler survey cited the "friendly locals" and the "cozy pubs" and the "picturesque, riverfront location"
The Top Ten were:
1. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
2. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
3. Cork, Ireland
4. Queenstown, New Zealand
5. Galway, Ireland
6. Puebla, Mexico
7. Adelaide, Australia
8. Dublin, Ireland
9. Victoria, BC, Canada
10. Chiang Mai, Thailand
Three Irish cities in total made Top Ten with Galway in fifth and Dublin in 8th.
We are obviously the soundest country in the world (nobody else has three), so we should ALL be celebrating... but there has to be a reason why Cork is the top.
Here are some reasons why we think the Rebel County wins (written by a Corkman like myself):
Blarney Castle
One of the most famous sites to visit offers a FREE SHIFT. Come on like, what other historical monuments in the country offer that kind of service?
Hilllbillys
It has the finest restaurants in the world. You can keep your Michelin Stars when you have the world's most famous breast in a bun.
If it's good enough for Cha and Cam then it's good enough for everyone.
Best Pubs
De Barra’s, The Old Oak, O’ Flaherty’s, Brú Bar, Sin É, Mutton Lane, Crane Lane...Jesus the list goes on and on.
Apparently, at the last count there is 955 pubs in Cork.
That's a LOT of pints.
The Chat
Come on, when have you ever met a Cork person that complained? *winky face*
And it is this kind of laid-back attitude to life and being able to easily brush off any criticism of the County from outsiders that makes it so chilled.
Roy Keane
As anybody who's ever worked in sport journalism knows that Cork's famous soccer son is by far the MOST approachable man in the business.
Actually, Roy would be perfect as the city's Ambassador Of Friendliness. *double winky face*
