Colours and crests

Cork's traditional colours are red and white, however, it was not always this way. In the early days the county wore a blue-coloured jersey with a saffron-coloured 'C' emblazoned on the chest. All this changed in 1919 when Cork were preparing to play Dublin in the All-Ireland Hurling Final. In the week leading up to the game, British forces broke into the county board offices on Maylor Street in the city centre and seized all of Cork's jerseys. Because of this the county board borrowed jerseys from the now-defunct Father O'Leary Temperance Association team. Cork went on to win the game, ending a sixteen-year barren spell. Because of this win Cork decided to wear the 'lucky' red jerseys in all future games.

The red and white colour scheme that has been worn since has carried a psychological impact for opposing teams. This has led to the Cork strip being nicknamed the blood and bandage. A colour clash with Louth in the 1957 All-Ireland Football Final saw Cork wear the blue jerseys once again, however, on this occasion it was the blue jersey of the province of Munster. In 1976 Cork's footballers became involved in an incident known as 'the three stripes affair.' Before the Munster football final Cork were offered a set of Adidas jerseys. The use of these jerseys caused controversy as it seemed to undermine the promotion of Irish manufacturers.

Cork's alternative colours are traditionally white jerseys and white shorts. These were most famously worn in the 1973 All-Ireland Football Final when Cork defeated Galway to take their fourth title. They were worn again during the 1990s when Cork faced Down in the All-Ireland series. Since then, Cork have generally worn their traditional red jerseys on all occasions.

The current Cork GAA badge is based around the traditional coat of arms of Cork city. It features the King's old castle and the Queen's old castle with the Shandon Steeple in between. The badge also features a hurley and a football.