Updated: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 4:04 pm

Ireland may be known for its tin whistles and folk music, but every year, more than 40,000 visitors flock to Cork during the October Bank Holiday weekend for the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. This lineup for the four-day festival, from October 28 to October 31 2011, has some of the jazz scene’s biggest names, including the Bobby Watson All-Stars and Stanley Jordan.

The nightly concerts aren’t all the festival has to offer. Visitors can attend the Fringe Festival, which features exhibitions, workshops, lectures and classes. Cork Jazz Camp offers free classes, lectures and workshops to student band and ensembles, as well as music fans and educators. Attendees also can go head-to-head in musical competitions.

In downtime before or after the festival, visitors shouldn’t miss out on a chance to kiss the famous Blarney Stone in the Blarney Castle. In the past 200 years, millions have kissed the stone, which is said to grant the “gift of gab.”

History fans can head to the nearby village of Cobh and walk the Titanic Trail, which tells of historic events the day the Titanic left Cobh - its last stop before sinking. The village says its streets, buildings and piers haven’t changed since the ship sank in 1912.