Cork

Cork is sometimes called the real capital of Ireland by its own residents, and the riverfront city has the personality to back up the claim. The English Market, trading since the eighteenth century, sits at the heart of a place that balances Georgian streets with a genuinely contemporary food and drink scene. Snug pubs with live music running into the small hours are as much a part of Cork as its architecture. It makes an excellent, less-visited alternative base to Dublin.