Today is the feast day of St Finbar, patron saint of Cork in Ireland. Here are 10 things you might not know about Cork.
The first settlement in the area was a monastery which was founded by the aforementioned Saint Finbar in the sixth century. It was expanded by Viking invaders around 915 and its charter was granted by Prince John in 1185.
The name of the city means “marsh”. It used to be called Corcach Mor na Mumhan, which translates to The Great Marsh of Munster.
It’s also known by the nickname "The Rebel County" because the city has a long history of standing up to authority, dating back to the 15th century. This includes the first successful slave revolt in the world which happened in 1762, when some Irish indentured servants joined forces with some African slaves, and overthrew their captors on a ship in Cork Harbour.
It’s the third largest city on the island of Ireland and the county town of County Cork.
Cork has two cathedrals. St. Mary's Cathedral (often referred to as the North Cathedral, the Catholic cathedral) and Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral (serves the protestant Church of Ireland). Another famous church is Shandon Church, also known by the nickname the "Four-Faced Liar." It has a four faced Clock tower and it’s not unusual for each of the clocks to display a different time. This is because of the strong winds in the city affecting the hands on the clocks differently.
It could be argued that Cork is the birthplace of modern computing, because it’s the birthplace of George Boole, a 19th century mathematician who created Boolean Algebra which turned out to be the foundation of computing. Today, the city is home to a supercomputer called Eureka, which can perform calculations in a day which would take a regular PC over 500 years to do. It’s busy working on new medicines and models of climate change. What’s more, it’s not only “thinking” about climate change, but isn’t contributing as much to it as other supercomputers. It has a unique cooling system that takes advantage of Ireland’s cool climate and is one of the most energy-efficient supercomputers on the planet.
Cork is home to the oldest yacht club in the world, founded in 1720. Its membership today is around 1,800 and counts among its past members Prince Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria, later Emperor of Mexico, and Sir Thomas Lipton, the guy who made Lipton Tea.
It also has the narrowest Bridge in Europe which is still in use. The Glanworth Bridge, built in the mid-15th century, spans the River Funcheon and is just 2.9 meters wide.
Cork Harbour was the last port of call for the Titanic. On April 11, 1912, the ship docked at Queenstown (now Cobh) in Cork Harbour and took on the final 123 passengers.
Famous people from Cork include Jack Gleeson, the actor who played Joffrey in Game of Thrones; female impersonator Danny La Rue, OBE; and actor Cillian Murphy. Cork is twinned with Cologne, Coventry, Rennes, San Francisco, Swansea and Shanghai.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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