Ever wonder where the story of kissing the Blarney Stone came from? We have all heard when you kiss the Blarney Stone, you get the gift of the gab, but where did it originate? Learning about the many stories behind kissing the Blarney Stone is just one of the different things to experience when you pay a visit to the splendid Blarney Castle.

Name: Mervyn Horgan
Occupation; Manager, Lifetime Lab
Location:Old Waterworks, Lee Road, Cork
Favourite thing about Cork: The diversity of amenities and natural resources throughout the County

For some it's a dream job - going to work everyday in a place that the rest of us visit for fun on the weekend or during the holidays - but for Sean McKeown, Director of Fota Wildlife Park, it's a reality. Born in Monaghan, the Director of Ireland's sixth favourite tourist attraction (according to Failte Ireland) has had a circuitous and a self-confessed "accidental" route to Fota Wildlife Park.

The month of August brings with it many varying images: The beginning of the end of summer, kids getting ready to go back to school, builders' holidays and of course, the Rose of Tralee. This year's Cork Rose, Laura Mitchell, is busying herself with preparations for the 51st running of the festival.

When Ireland's Jason Smyth competed in and reached the semi-final of the 200 metres in the European Athletic Championships, despite being visually impaired, the world took notice. The 2008 double gold winning paralympian showed that despite having a so-called disability he was still up there with Europe's best.

When Korean-born French citizen, Denis Carre, first came to Cork ten years ago, he was not impressed. He arrived at Parnell Place bus station and was shocked by how dingy and lifeless the place was, and he would not return for five years. In the meantime, Denis set up residence at Castletroy in Limerick, haunted by what had greeted him in Cork.

Meet Anne Dowling, Cork's first Medical Detective. We all know of people who have had an unpleasant experience in hospital or with medical treatment but just don't know how to go about making a complaint. What often happens in the complex complaints system overwhelms you and these errors are never addressed and rectified.

If ever you see someone in Cork, giggling to herself and taking a notebook out of her bag, oblivious to what's going on around her, then the likelihood is, it's Annette Dunlea. She isn't mad. As a novelist, short story writer and journalist, Annette draws her inspiration from everyday life.

Standing ovations from Chinese audiences on a play about hurling is something we thought would never happen, but for Conal Creedon nothing is impossible. Anyone involved in the Cork theatre scene will know Conal as one of the best playwrights of his generation, his plays have lit up Cork over the last decade.

Newly elected lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Mick O'Connell tells a great story of how he first became involved in politics. For a profession requiring drive, determination and no little desire, it is amazing that so many elected representatives stumble into politics. Mick is no different and his political life started, as he describes it, "by accident".