The city of Cork is a place of tradition, continuity, change and legacy. It is a place of direction and experiment by people of ambition and determination, experiences and learning, of ingenuity and innovation, and of nostalgia and memory. Its extraordinary history is embodied in the buildings that have shaped Ireland's southern capital.

Cork in 50 Buildings explores the history of this venerable old city through a selection of its greatest architectural treasures - from the Church of St Anne, Shandon, regarded as a symbol of the city, to more recent additions such as the tower of the County Hall, once the tallest building in Ireland. Local author and historian Kieran McCarthy celebrates Cork's architectural heritage in a new and accessible way as he guides the reader around the city's historic and modern buildings.