THE CITY OF CORK has been torn a new one, as it were, in the comment section of a Guardian article published earlier this week in the UK.
The Irish city was described as "s**t", "very grim" and an "absolute dump" by a number of commenters who read the article entitled 'A local's guide to Cork, Ireland: top 10 tips', which examined ten reasons why those in the UK should make the trip to Ireland's southern capital.
The comment section was full of people slamming the city, claiming Cork wasn't worth the fuss.
Nearly 150 comments have been left so far, with the key discussion among readers being how supposedly awful the city is.
One user wrote: "No idea why anyone thinks Cork is anything special, let alone the "real capital".
"It lacks any infrastructure, planning (it's constantly traffic jammed anytime of the day), amenities or things to do entertainment wise that a city would, let alone one in a country with such high living costs as Ireland.
"Terrible transport links, run down, grey buildings all through the city centre.
"Theres nothing to do, unless your idea of fun is walking or looking at fields. Even the really interesting historic sights get tiresome after a few visits, but everything here is about living in the past and it's living off an old stereotype of Irish hospitality, charm and friendliness that Cork just doesn't have like the west of the country (Kerry, Galway etc)."
*Sorry? You're complaining about history and great walks? What is this guy expecting Cork to be? Flippin' Dubai?
Another said: "A lot of the city is totally sh*t and very grim. The people are a pain in the arse they never shut up about how great Cork is and how crap everywhere else is, its okay for a day or two but over a few weeks it's very tiresome."
"My ex mrs is from Cork. Dreaded the times I had to fly over to the in-laws. Absolute dump," said another. Although considering the 'ex' part of this, we'll take that comment with a pinch of salt.
"I spent a year in Cork. That's a year I will never get back," another wrote.
"It is a scuzzy little place - but you would not expect the people who contributed to the article to agree. They have more than a bit of a vested interest. The people of Cork spend so much time bitching about Dublin, it is a wonder they have time for anything else."
There were, it must be said, a number of posts defending the city, but the overwhelming majority were uncomplimentary.
We're not sure which Cork these people have visited, but it surely can't be the Irish one, can it?