Coast and Ireland's Ancient East
Cork Harbour lies to the southwest of the county. This large natural harbour is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by the Mizen Head peninsula. The harbour is used for leisure activities such as sailing, fishing and yachting. There are several lakes in the county including Lough Hyne, Lough Currane, Lough Derg, Lough Sheelin, Lough Allen, Lough Beg, Lough Oughterard, Lough Swilly, Lough Fermoy and Lough Key West. Cork City, Midleton, and Bandon are situated on the coast. They are known collectively as the "Three Towns". Youghal is located inland and is surrounded by hilly countryside. It is a popular tourist destination because it offers beautiful scenery and historical sites. The name Cork derives from Corcaigh meaning 'rock' in Irish. In English, the name of the county became pronounced as 'Corkey'.are 24 baronies in Ireland. They were known as "baronships" in earlier times. Each barony had its own castle, court, bishop, sheriff, coroner, constable, and gaolers. In modern times, each barony is represented by one member of parliament. A barony is an old English term meaning "boundary area", or "borough". In Ireland it refers to a former administrative division of counties into hundreds, baronies, and later into civil parishes. The Irish word for a baron is "barróg", plural "barrógaí". In the Republic of Ireland, there are 24 baronies, while Northern Ireland has 23. Each barony has a chief executive appointed by the Government. The current Chief Executive of the Office of Public Works is John O'Donoghue. Barony is used as a surname by some people in Ireland and Britain.parishes and townlands[edit] Cork City Council has published a list of civil parishes and townlands within the city boundaries. This information includes the name of each parish/townland, population figures, area of land, and the location of the civil parish/townland boundary.