Cork is the second largest city of Ireland and largest county in Ireland and has produced many noted artists, entertainers, politicians and business people.

Historical and/or political figures

  • John Anderson – businessman
  • Sir John Arnott – businessman, newspaper owner
  • Anthony Barry – politician, photographer
  • James Barry - surgeon, possibly born in Cork
  • Katty Barry – restaurateur
  • Mick Barry – Teachta Dála and Socialist politician.
  • Peter Barry – Tánaiste
  • Tadhg Barry – journalist, trade unionist and nationalist
  • Tom Barry – guerilla leader during war of independence, author of the book Guerilla Days in Ireland
  • Olive Beamish – suffragette activist
  • Joseph Brennan – civil servant
  • Sir George Callaghan – Admiral of the Fleet
  • Patrick Cleburne – Major General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War
  • Hugh Coveney – government minister
  • Simon Coveney – Tánaiste
  • Thomas Croke – Archbishop of Cashel
  • Donal Creed (1924 – 2017): Fine Gael politician; MEP, Teachta Dála, Minister of State under Garret FitzGerald
  • Michael Creed (b. 1963): Former Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine
  • Eileen Desmond – government minister, Senator, MEP
  • Orla Egan – LGBTQ+ activist
  • Mary Elmes – aid worker honoured as 'Righteous Among the Nations' for saving 200 Jewish children during WWII
  • Gerald Goldberg – first Jewish lord mayor
  • T. C. Hammond – Church of Ireland clergyman
  • William Baylor Hartland – plant breeder, seedsman
  • John Pope Hennessy – author, governor of Hong Kong and Mauritius
  • Ellen Hutchins – botanist
  • Mary Harris "Mother" Jones – labour organiser, born near Cork
  • Jim Lane – Irish Republican Socialist
  • Arthur Leahy - LGBT activist
  • Cornelius Lucey – Bishop of Cork and Ross
  • Jack Lynch – Taoiseach and hurler
  • Thomas Mac Curtain – Lord Mayor of Cork
  • Terence MacSwiney – Lord Mayor and hunger striker
  • Daniel Mannix – Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne
  • Micheál Martin – Taoiseach
  • Sake Dean Mahomed (1759–1851) – Bengali traveller, surgeon, entrepreneur, and one of the most notable early non-European immigrants to the Western World
  • Stephen Moylan – Quartermaster General of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War
  • Michael Murphy – first Irish president of the European Court of Auditors
  • Nano Nagle – educator who founded the Presentation Sisters
  • William O'Brien – nationalist politician and MP; founder of All-for-Ireland League
  • Fergus O'Connor – Irish nationalist and publisher
  • Dáithí Ó Conaill – Irish republican
  • Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa – nationalist
  • Batt O'Keeffe – government minister
  • Michael O'Riordan – socialist politician
  • John Cyril Porte – pioneer aviator
  • John Roach – major shipbuilder in postbellum United States
  • Adi Roche – humanitarian campaigner
  • Brendan Ryan – Senator and lecturer at CIT
  • William Henry John Seffern – printer, newspaper editor, journalist and historian
  • D. D. Sheehan – nationalist politician and first Labour MP
  • Canon Patrick Augustine Sheehan – Catholic priest, author, political activist
  • Kathy Sinnott – MEP
  • Robert Spence – Roman Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide
  • William Thompson – political and philosophical writer
  • Sir Robert Torrens – Premier of South Australia; pioneer of Land Registration system
  • Thady Quill – historical rake
  • The Wallace sisters – IRA Intelligence officers

Scientists

  • Vincent Barry - chemist
  • Susan Bullman - immunologist and oncologist
  • Amy Warren - marine biologist and conchologist
  • Robert Warren - ornithologist

Military

  • James Adams – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Francisco Burdett O'Connor – officer in the Irish Legion of Simón Bolívar's army
  • Josephine Carr – Women's Royal Naval Service woman; first Wren killed in action.
  • Michael Collins – revolutionary leader, and Chairman of Provisional Government
  • John Dunlay – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • William English – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Michael Fitzgerald – member of the Irish Republican Army who died on hunger strike
  • Richard Fitzgerald – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Thomas Kent – Irish nationalist
  • Thomas Lane – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Samuel Lawrence – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • David Lord – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Ambrose Madden – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Mick Mannock – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Joe Murphy – Irish republican who died on hunger strike
  • James Murray – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Timothy O'Hea – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Daniel Florence O'Leary – Irish-born Venezuelan brigadier general of Simón Bolívar's army
  • Michael O'Leary – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Gerald O'Sullivan – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • John Sullivan – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • James Travers – recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Joseph Ward – recipient of the Victoria Cross

Sports

  • John Allen – former Irish hurler and Gaelic footballer
  • Hugh T. Baker – cricketer
  • Mick Barry – road bowler
  • James Brophy – cricketer
  • Alan Browne – footballer
  • Noel Cantwell – international footballer
  • Steven Cairns - boxer
  • Graham Canty – footballer and international rules captain
  • Brian Carney – rugby league, and rugby union footballer of the 1990s and 2000s
  • Mark Carroll – long-distance athlete
  • Joe Cleary – major league baseball player
  • Mark Cohen – cricketer
  • Megan Connolly – footballer
  • Joe Deane – hurler
  • Damien Delaney – international footballer
  • Patrick Dineen – cricketer
  • Jack Doyle – boxer
  • Eddie Dunbar – cyclist
  • John Egan – association footballer
  • Joe English (sailor), round the world sailor and international yachtsman.
  • Percy Exham – cricketer
  • James Foley – cricketer
  • William Harman – cricketer
  • Ryan Hartslief – footballer and rugby player
  • Colin Healy – international footballer
  • Marian Heffernan – Olympian
  • Robert Heffernan – Olympic bronze medalist
  • Tom Horan – cricketer (Australia)
  • Denis Irwin – international footballer
  • Roy Keane – international footballer
  • Caoimhín Kelleher – footballer
  • Alan Lewis – cricketer, rugby union referee
  • Jack McAuliffe – boxer
  • Teddy McCarthy – GAA sportsman, played on both Cork hurling and football double winning teams
  • Darren McNamara – professional drift driver
  • Sam Maguire – GAA sportsman
  • David Meyler – international footballer
  • Liam Miller – international footballer
  • Tony Mullane – major league baseball player
  • Saoirse Noonan – international footballer
  • Donncha O'Callaghan – rugby union player
  • Dr. Pat O'Callaghan – twice Olympic gold medalist
  • Frank O'Farrell – international footballer and manager
  • Ronan O'Gara – rugby union player
  • Seán Óg Ó hAilpín – hurler
  • Ciarán Ó Lionáird – international middle-distance athlete
  • John O'Shea – darts player
  • Derval O'Rourke – world indoor champion hurdler and European outdoor silver medalist 2006
  • Bríd Stack - ladies Gaelic and Australian rules footballer
  • Denise O'Sullivan – international footballer
  • Marcus O'Sullivan – middle-distance athlete
  • Sonia O'Sullivan – Olympic silver medalist, world champion athlete and cross country runner
  • Christy Ring – hurler
  • Peter Stringer – rugby union player

Film, entertainment and media

  • Jack Gleeson – actor
  • Sarah Greene – actor
  • Eddie Hobbs – TV personality
  • George Hook – TV/radio personality
  • Fergal Keane, OBE – BBC journalist
  • Danny La Rue, OBE – female impersonator
  • James Leonard and Timmy Long of The Two Norries podcast
  • Joe Lynch – actor
  • Mark Mahon – film director
  • Pixie McKenna – TV personality, doctor
  • Siobhán McSweeney – actor
  • Edward Mulhare – TV actor
  • Cillian Murphy – actor
  • Graham Norton – TV personality
  • Bill O'Herlihy – TV personality
  • Eoin Reardon – TikToker and YouTuber
  • Jonathan Rhys-Meyers – actor
  • Tony Scannell – actor
  • Fiona Shaw, CBE – actor
  • Cailín Ní Toibín – beauty pageant titleholder
  • Niall Tóibín – comic actor
  • Nora Twomey – animator
  • Eileen Walsh – actor

Literature

  • Sara Baume – writer
  • Máire Bradshaw – poet and publisher
  • Daniel Corkery – writer
  • Patrick Galvin – poet, singer and playwright
  • Trevor Joyce – poet
  • Helmut Kollars – writer and illustrator
  • Danielle McLaughlin – writer
  • Doireann Ní Ghríofa – poet and writer
  • Frank O'Connor – author
  • Seán Ó Faoláin – writer
  • Joseph O'Neill – writer
  • Tim O'Reilly – author, publisher, and founder of O'Reilly Media
  • Seán Ó Ríordáin – poet
  • P. A. Ó Síocháin – journalist, author, lawyer and Irish language activist
  • James O'Sullivan – writer and academic
  • Eimear Ryan – writer
  • William Trevor – writer
  • William Wall – author

Music and arts

  • Abraham Abell – antiquarian
  • James Barry – neoclassical painter
  • Kim Carroll – composer and guitarist
  • Cathal Coughlan – singer/songwriter
  • Dorothy Cross – artist
  • Robert Day – antiquarian, photographer
  • Ricky Dineen – musician
  • Daniel Maclise – artist
  • Jimmy McCarthy – singer/songwriter
  • Lyra McNamara – singer/songwriter
  • Paul McSwiney – composer and dramatist
  • Sean O'Hagan – musician
  • Una Palliser – violinist, violist, singer
  • Allie Sherlock - singer/songwriter
  • Brian Smyth – painter
  • John Spillane – singer/songwriter
  • Henry Jones Thaddeus – painter
  • Bambie Thug – singer/songwriter
  • Finbar Wright – singer/songwriter

Bands

  • Five Go Down to the Sea?
  • The Frank and Walters
  • Microdisney
  • Rubyhorse
  • Stump
  • The Sultans of Ping FC