University College Cork is one of Ireland’s foremost research universities, with ~18,000 students and 3,000 staff. The Department of Physics has a long established reputation for excellence in teaching and research, and has close ties with UCC’s Tyndall Institute, Ireland’s largest research centre. Current strengths include optics and photonics, condensed matter theory, laser spectroscopy, astrophysics and plasma physics.

Cork is a dynamic and engaging city of ~200,000, recently rated by Lonely Planet as one of the top ten cities to visit. The city centre area has many good restaurants; here are some suggestions for places to eat. There are also numerous pubs, some of which feature live traditional music in the evening. 

The surrounding area in Cork County has beautiful countryside, scenic coastal areas and beaches, as well as many interesting historic sites to visit. These range from stone circle, ogham stones and other ancient sites several thousand years old to, ring forts and old monasteries from medieval times. More information about tourist attractions and things to do in the Cork area can be found at the following sites:

https://purecork.ie/

https://www.cork-guide.ie/cork_city/corkcityattractions.html

https://www.discoverireland.ie/Activities-Adventure/cork-tourist-information-centre/48282