Looking for sex in Cork?
Cork is Ireland’s second-largest city… a lively, no-nonsense spot with a big student population, a cracking pub scene, and just enough sleaze to keep things interesting. You won’t find an official red light district, but there’s a surprisingly active sex scene bubbling away. Albeit, quite an expensive one!
From escort services and erotic massage joints to strip clubs, swingers, and secretive dogging spots, Cork has more adult options than you might think. Let’s take a look at the city’s unspoken dirty side…
Cork’s Adult Entertainment
Sex and Prostitution In Cork
Since March 2017, paying for sexual services in Ireland has become fully criminalised, with the onus being on the customer and not the prostitute. In other words, buyers commit an offence, not the sellers.
All forms of third-party involvement in Cork (pimping, brothel-keeping, escort agencies) are outlawed.
Though prostitution was legal before the law change, the updated legislation effectively removes any implication of wrongdoing from sex workers themselves.
Following the Nordic model, Ireland joins only a handful of countries that are adopting these laws in a bid to prevent trafficking and protecting vulnerable sex workers.
As a result, most sex work in Cork has moved online, although street prostitution still exists in certain areas, like Union Quay or Copley Street.
These locations are known for low-cost accommodations, nightlife, and transient populations, making them hotspots for street-based sex work.
Culturally, Cork’s sex scene is still quite low-profile compared to more liberal European cities we’ve covered.
Ireland’s traditionally conservative attitudes, deeply influenced by Catholic values, mean there’s lingering stigma around the sex industry.
Escort Industry
You might think Irish culture (and prevailing laws) would prevent an escort industry from developing, but that is clearly not the case.
Cork’s sex industry is surprisingly diverse, with escorts from South America, Eastern Europe, and Africa.
While there are some local Irish providers, the majority are foreign nationals. The rising cost of living has also fuelled rumours that some foreign students are turning to sex work to cover expenses.
Though smaller than the market in Dublin, Cork still offers a range of decently priced sex services. At any given time, around 100 escorts, including a small number of ladyboys, are available across Cork City and surrounding towns.
The most famous escort directory in Cork is the suitably named Escort Ireland – it has 94 active call girl ads, second only to the capital Dublin (with 380+).
Other popular sources include Locanto, VivaStreet and EuroGirlsEscort (a more “premium” offering with a massive presence on the continent).
There are several punter boards where escorts are discussed on a daily basis – with clients leaving their ‘field reports’ for other keen readers.
Agencies aren’t really a thing in Cork.
Most of the local escorts operate independently, using the classifieds or escort sites, or… in some cases, social networks like Twitter/X, Snap, Insta and OnlyFans.
Cork Brothels
Nope.
Brothels are 100% illegal in Ireland,, so Cork has no ‘official’ venues for full service.
Occasionally, groups of sex workers (or their pimps) will have short-term setups in rented flats. These are all illegal.
Gardaí have busted many such instances in various parts of the city. In fact, Cork has seen “pop-up brothels” spread quite alarmingly since Covid.
Areas around the city centre – apartments on Pope’s Quay, Shandon Street, the North Mall – have all been targets of Garda raids in recent years (normally from local tip offs via the public).
If we go back a bit further, Cork’s last well-known brothel operator was Tony Linnane, who ran brothels on Grafton St and John Street in the mid-2000s.
He got busted in 2006 and the local police found hidden cameras streaming live feeds from the brothel rooms to his home (geez… creepshot alert!).
It’s said that in just one week, 190 men visited his Grafton St brothel and 74 visited John St, paying about €150 a visit. He was eventually convicted and sentenced to 15 months.
Bottom line: No legal brothels in Cork.
If you hear about one operating on the sly, we strongly advise you avoid using it.
Red Light Districts
Cork has no official red light district.
And whatever is left of the ‘unofficial’ RLD… is dying out fast.
Up until around 2017 or so, locals recall that certain areas by the South Mall and the docks had visible street prostitution at night… but that appears to have been cleaned up since Covid.
If we had to guess, walking around late at night, you’re far more likely to encounter drunk students and takeaway queues than sex workers.
That said, historic unofficial zones include:
- Behind Connolly Hall / Kent Station area – Locals on forums bang on about “street girls” around the train station area and nearby streets (like Railway Street). Any such activity is very sporadic now, if at all.
- The South Mall / Cork City Centre Docks – Formerly a hotbed for street activity. This is a mixed business area by day, but after dark in the early 2010s one could sometimes find women offering business there. No longer appears to be the case.
The Price of Sex in Cork
So, how much does a roll in the hay cost on Leeside?
At the time of writing, here’s the general going rate:
- Incall quickie (15–30 minutes): €80 to €120
- Incall full hour: €180 to €250
- Outcall (to hotel): Usually €50 extra
- Overnight or dinner dates: €500 to €2,000 (rare, but not unheard of)
Looking at the typical field reports that are available online, most punters pay around €200 an hour for a standard incall GFE. This has been fairly consistent over the past few years…even inflation hasn’t shifted the baseline too much, probably because the market is already quite expensive to begin with.
This is a typical “rate card” from a Cork-based courtesan on Escort-Ireland:
Want “extras”?
Well, those come at a price. A little OWO (oral without) might bump things up €30–€50. CIM or roleplay often tacks on another €50 depending on the escort.
To summarise, punters are looking at:
- Escorts: €200/hour is the benchmark.
- Streetwalkers (if you can find one): Historically €50–€70 per act, but street prostitution is basically extinct these days. And even if it wasn’t… please: don’t bother.
- Happy-ending massage parlours: Usually €40–€60 for the massage, plus €20–€50 tip for the HE. No sex on the menu at any shops we’ve read about. Just strictly manual extras.
Brothels don’t have fixed prices because, well, they don’t legally exist lol.
But in historical cases like the Tony Linnane bust, punters were paying €150 a session.
If we account for the inflation, since then, that does seem pretty high.
Maybe lunch was included? 😂
Erotic Massage Shops
So, do erotic massage venues exist in Cork?
Yes – kind of.
An investigation in 2012 found dozens of massage parlours around the city center quietly offering “massage with relief”… which is basically a normal massage plus a handjob finale for an extra €20.
Most are staffed by Thai, Chinese or Eastern European women, and while you’re technically paying for a back rub, regulars know that a few subtle signals — or an eyebrow raise during the towel flip — might get you a finish that’s more spurt than spa.
Here’s how the typical service structure looks:
- Standard massage (60 minutes): €40 to €60
- Happy ending (hand relief): €20 to €50 tip
- Oral or full service: Very rare, as far as we can tell
Most Cork parlours that are rumoured to provide erotic extras only go as far as what the locals lovingly call a “rub and tug.” Anything beyond that is almost never offered, even discreetly.
For obvious reasons, we can’t publish details of parlours in Cork, but they’re not hard to find: on Reddit, punter boards… or on the classifieds.
Locanto’s Cork section is rammo-jammo with erotic massage ads. It has a specific section for Massage, often used by the various shops that remain active throughout the city.
Sex Clubs In Cork
Cork falls short here.
There are no sex clubs or major swinger clubs in the city.
Brief Encounters
3 Connell St, Centre, Cork, T12 ANW5
The closest thing we can find is Brief Encounters, a 4000 sq ft lounge / adult play space with two private cinemas. It’s attached to a large adult shop, so more of a converted retail space than an actual sex club.
While it is technically an adult video store, it does have private booths that are allegedly used for male-male cruising (or the occasional brave bout of wife-sharing). The two viewing areas are showing gay/hetero/trans movies non stop, with a couple of glory holes conveniently located nearby.
This is about as kinky as Cork gets!
Cork Strip Clubs
The city has just a couple of proper lap dancing venue still standing… and a patchy history of rivals that have come and gone like stag night boners.
The main destination is…
Secrets
15 Leitrim St, Centre, Cork, T23 EF62
https://www.instagram.com/secretscork/
Voted Ireland’s No 1 gentleman’s club for stag parties, Secrets is a popular lap dance venue in Cork.
The club offers a free airport pick-up service for visitors keen to get straight off the plane and sample some Irish hospitality. We can’t imagine being that keen to hit the nudie bars, but it’s there if you need it!
You can book a VIP/Champagne room for private dances and enjoy the free bar that comes with this service – and some highly entertaining personal performances from the dancers.
The club itself is centrally located, clean-ish, and staffed by a rotating crew of local and Eastern European dancers. It also operates a casino on the premises (in an attempt to appeal to a broader range of clients). But let’s face it, most are here for the titties.
If you’re on a stag night, Secrets is your spot.
They regularly offer “humiliation shows” for grooms-to-be.
Angels Club
31 32 Leitrim St, Victorian Quarter, Cork
https://www.instagram.com/angelsclubcork/
This used to be Cork’s “other” strip club. Originally The Great Escape, rebranded as Angels a few years back. Reviews were… mixed… back then, but it seems to be doing much better these days.
It has an eclectic mix of international dancers… and very few of them are actually from Cork.
Angels has VIP rooms, live stage shows, and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8pm until ‘late’.
Local Sex Shops and Adult Stores
Cork has just two adult shops remaining, following the closure of PlayBlue and Utopia Adult Store.
Brief Encounters (Again!)
3 Connell St, Centre, Cork, T12 ANW5
Yes, it’s back. This one’s pulling double duty… part adult video store, part private cinema, and part sex shop.
Brief Encounters sells:
- Vibrators, lubes, toys and lingerie
- DVDs (yep, they still exist)
- Fetish gear and sex furniture (if you’re into swinging from hooks)
It’s probably the oldest surviving adult store in Cork, and honestly, it hasn’t changed much in two decades.
The atmosphere inside is… well, a little grimy, but what do you expect? It’s strapped to the back of a sex cinema!
Ann Summers
Apartment 5, Princes St, Centre, Cork, T12 N24V
https://www.annsummers.com/stores/cork
On the other end of the retail spectrum, and attracting a rather different crowd, we have the Ann Summers store over on Princes Street.
Lingerie, underwear, Fifty Shades bedroom toys… you know the deal. This is the PG-13 end of the adult market: tasteful lighting, professional staff, and a heavy lean on satin knickers and bachelorette party tiaras.
Still, it fills the gap left by PlayBlue’s closure.
While we’re covering Cork’s adult shop scene…
Check out this hilarious reaction to the opening of Utopia, Cork’s first adult store, back in 1995:
“The whole shagging lot… it’s filthy.”
😂😂😂
Other Notable Adult Attractions
Before we wrap up, a couple of other tidbits on getting laid around Cork…
Cork Dogging Hotspots
The adult swinging scene (dogging in particular) is popular in Ireland and there are plenty of community forums available online where you can find clubs and hot spots.
Swing4Ireland is one such example.
Their ‘location finder’ has 476 meets in Cork. Granted, these are not unique locations, but rather the number of encounters that have been posted on the site.
We won’t go into the details on the actual locations, but suffice to say, Cork locals are spoiled for choice. The city is second only to Dublin for dogging activity.
Top Hookup Hotspots
Not everyone wants to fork out €200 for an escort, fumble around a dodgy massage parlour, or sit in a damp car park hoping for a wink through the fog.
Am I right?!
Washington Street is the main drag for late night entertainment. We suggest you start with pints at Rearden’s (pure pull central), then bounce to An Bróg or The Old Oak if you’re feeling messy. Crane Lane brings a quirkier, artsy crowd and a solid dancefloor, while Cyprus Avenue heats up late for gig-goers.
Chambers is the go-to for LGBTQ+ fun… as in, drag, DJs, and loads of action on and off Grindr. On festival weekends, the whole city turns into a flirting frenzy.
If you can’t pull in Cork, it might be time to look inwards!
Or whip out that wallet.
Are there any great adult services or attractions in Cork that we’ve missed?
Drop us your thoughts and reviews.
