page_title: Cork Harbour
section_title: Islands
hierarchical_section_title: Cork Harbour / Geography / Islands
caption_attribution_description: English: [Cork Harbour]Single sheet, manuscript. Segmented and backed. Scale: 1:12,000. North at 270 degrees. The chart marks areas which dry at low water. The scale is in English miles, Irish miles, and feet. Additional Places: Cobh, Ireland. There is a note to the effect that the Men of War anchoring ground will not contain a large fleet. Gren2C/5 [Cork Harbour]
context_page_description: Cork Harbour is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area". Other contenders include Halifax Harbour in Canada, Trincomalee Harbour in Sri Lanka and Poole Harbour in England.
  The harbour has been a working port and a strategic defensive hub for centuries, and it has been one of Ireland's major employment hubs since the early 1900s. Traditional heavy industries have waned since the late 20th century, with the likes of the closure of Irish Steel in Haulbowline and shipbuilding at Verolme. It still has major and strategic significance in energy generation, shipping, refining and pharmaceuticals.
context_section_description: Cork Harbour contains a number of islands of various sizes, some of which are connected to the mainland by bridges. Islands which are or have been inhabited include:
  Great Island – The largest island in Cork Harbour, which includes the town of Cobh
  Fota Island – Containing Fota Wildlife Park, Fota Golf Course, Fota House and Arboretum and the Fota Island Resort Hotel
  Little Island – A residential and industrial area
  Haulbowline Island – Headquarters of the Irish Naval Service, and formerly the home of the Cork Water Club (1720) (the latter using a castle as their clubhouse).
  Spike Island – Former prison island
  Harper Island, County Cork
  Hop Island, County Cork – Site of an equestrian centre
  Weir Island, County Cork
  Brick Island, County Cork
  Corkbeg Island, County Cork  – Whitegate Oil Refinery
  Brown Island, County Cork
  Rocky Island – Once housed a magazine building for the Royal Navy. Used by Irish Steel for storage until 2002. Now home to The Island Crematorium, the first crematorium in Ireland outside Dublin.
caption: Detail of 1780s map showing lower harbour islands (Spike, Haulbowline) and defensive structures (at Cove Fort, Fort Carlisle, Spike, Rams Head, and Roches Tower)
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