The organisers of the Cork City Marathon have announced that the finish line for the 2026 event will move from Patricks Street to the Grand Parade.
The full marathon will now start on the Grand Parade and finish by the city library on the Grand Parade.
The half-marathon will still start on Monahan Road which is about 500m from the city hall and it will finish on the Grand Parade.
The 10k will start somewhere on the South Mall and will finish on the Grand Parade.
According to the organisers.... "Exciting News! We have new start and finish lines this year, designed to improve safety, increase capacity, and create a stronger city-centre experience for runners and spectators!". They also put out a press release which was a masterclass in a public relations word salad.
What it means... 1) It makes no difference to the runners or spectators experience, it's just a different finish line.
2) They had about 20-metres in width available for a finish line on Patricks Street. It's about 30-metres on the Grand Parade so it's easier for the organisers.
3) Patricks Street is one of the main retail areas of Cork City. By moving the finish line to the Grand Parade, it means a lot less disruption for retailers and shoppers on Patricks Street.
Slí Cumann na mBan... This is the name of the riverside walk which went from the Mardyke Walk to the Irish Distillers plant by the North Mall. The Marathon, Half-Marathon & 10k will no longer use this section and instead, it will take a more direct route towards Washington Street and the finish line on the Grand Parade.
This walkway was useful from an organisers point of view in the past as it meant that fewer roads would need to be closed. It is however quite narrow and was a real bottleneck when the number of runners was high.
By keeping the runners on public roads, it should mean that the numbers can be increased in the future.
In summary... The reality is that the Cork Marathon event is starting to fall behind and wasn't living up to its full potential. Cork City is the 3rd largest city in Ireland and in 2024, the Cork Half-Marathon was the 3rd largest half-marathon in Ireland. In 2025, it dropped down to 7th place because it wasn't able to cater for the demand.
Moving the finish to the Grand Parade means that it is moving from a retail area to a more suitable location for a sporting event. Removing the riverside walk will enable larger numbers in future allow the event to live up to its true potential.
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