Gay west cork

Cork (Corcaigh) is the Republic of Ireland's second largest city, situated on the banks of the River Lee in the south of County Cork. This was originally a port town built on canals and river channels, but those have long since been filled in. The city is more laid-back than Dublin, and has a large artistic community, with music, dance, theater, and visual arts in abundance.

The petite gay scene has contracted even more in the past several years, with the closing of both gay saunas and a fire at The Other Place community resources center and pleasant cafe, closing them down. Only one specifically gay/lesbian bar/club remains.  But the divisions and cliques of larger cities are absent here, and ages and genders mix more freely in this more old-fashioned, less "out" community with its underground, tucked-out-of-sight feel.

Cork Gay Pride still thrives, spanning a week as July slides into August each year. The Cork Film Festival is an annual showcase of world cinema as well as Irish films, for ten days in November.

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