As snugs make a comeback, we tour Cork's favourite pub corners

As the Metropole Hotel unveils its own new snug, Donal O’Keeffe takes a leisurely stroll around Cork and visits some of the city’s cosiest pub corners.

On a wintry night in Cork, as locals tramp in with snow on their coats, four young women sit by the stove in the snug of Reidy’s Vault Bar on Lancaster Quay. The snug – all dark timber, frosted glass and mirrored cabinets – is a place of warmth and refuge.