hold a small hill against us! At the top of this hill, you arrive downhill into Turners Cross. Turners Cross is best known for the football ground of the same name on your righthand side. It’s home to Cork City FC. Visiting Turners Cross is a rite of passage for most Cork people. The club boasts a proud tradition, with Hall of Famers Dave Barry, John Caulfield and Pat Morley household names for their exploits at ‘The Cross’. Another stadium on the 18-mile mark. This time it’s Munster Rugby’s second ground, Irish Independent Park (formerly Musgrave Park) on the righthand side. Rugby has a proud tradition in Cork with international household names such as Donal Linehan, Ralph Keyes, Ronan O’Gara, Peter Stringer and Donncha O’Callaghan adorning the rugby fields of Cork, Munster, Ireland and the World! We haven’t spoken about hills much because quite frankly they have been few and far between. However, we’ve got one here on the 18.5- mile mark. We are now in Ballyphehane, one of the early suburbs of Cork. Many of the main roads through Ballyphehane are named after the executed leaders of the 1916 Rising. Our hill is on Connolly Road, named after James Connolly. The climb itself could be described as a flat lead-up to a medium distance, medium gradient climb. It flattens out as you reach the 19 mile Mark. The compensation is that this is a truly Cork suburb, with fantastic local supporters who’ll cheer you up that hill! After roughly 19.5 miles you approach The Lough to your right. There aren’t many bodies of water identified simply by their geographical description but this is one. Everyone in Cork knows where The Lough is! It defines the area, and rightly so. It’s a shallow freshwater lake that’s one of the oldest official wildlife habitats in Ireland. Designated in 1881, it’s the protected home for numerous
Munster Rugby
Ballyphehane
The Lough
29 Cork City Marathon 2026
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