Cork has been named Ireland’s 'most Irish city' in a new study released for St Patrick’s Day, beating off competition from Galway and Waterford to take the top spot.
The research, carried out by HelloFresh Ireland, examined a range of cultural indicators including attendance at St Patrick’s Day parades, the number of GAA clubs, the proportion of Irish speakers, and the density of pubs and restaurants serving traditional Irish dishes. It also analysed online searches for classic meals such as colcannon, boxty and Irish stew.
Cork emerged as the clear winner with an overall score of 51. The city stood out in particular for its strong GAA presence, boasting the highest number of clubs in the country at 166. It also recorded one of the highest proportions of Irish speakers, at 44.8%, reinforcing its reputation as a stronghold of Irish culture.
Galway followed closely behind in second place with a score of 49. The western city was found to have the highest number of Irish speakers nationwide at 50%, alongside a solid ranking for GAA club concentration and Irish restaurants per capita. Waterford claimed third place, performing strongly in both Irish language usage and interest in traditional Irish cuisine, as measured by search trends.
Despite being the country’s largest city, Dublin ranked near the bottom of the list in second-last place with a score of 32. The capital’s lower ranking was attributed to a relatively smaller number of Irish speakers and fewer pubs and restaurants per person when adjusted for its population size.
At the bottom of the table was Drogheda, which recorded the lowest percentage of Irish speakers at 31.8% and one of the lowest number of hospitality venues per capita. However, the town did stand out in one category — it had the highest number of searches for traditional Irish dishes per person, suggesting a strong appetite for home-cooked classics.
Commenting on the findings, HelloFresh Ireland’s Brand and Marketing Communications Manager Annita Forte said the study aimed to celebrate Irish identity closer to home.
“In 2024, we analysed the most Irish cities outside of Ireland, with Boston coming out on top, and thought it was only fair to turn our attention closer to home,” she said. “We wanted to see how our own cities compare and ultimately crown Ireland’s most Irish city.”
