The 19th century also witnessed a decline in the great provision trade of Cork. In 1837 the adverse influences at work had reduced the provision trade to second place, the grain trade now taking the lead. So important was this latter trade to Cork that a new Corn Market had been erected to facilitate it in 1833. 1853 mainly confined the provision trade of Cork to the curing of bacon for the home and English markets. With the advent of rapid transport, the cattle trade with England and Wales began to develop, thus affording some compensation for the decay in the provision trade.

The trade in butter, due to the organisation of the Cork Butter Market, emerged successfully from the trials of the first half of the 19th century. In 1834-5, nearly 280,000 firkins passed through this market, a large quantity destined for export. The brewing and distilling trades had a rather chequered career during the 19th century. Prior to the Famine the distilleries of the locality produced nearly 2,000,000 gallons of whiskey annually, and afforded employment to 1,000 men.

The abatement in the duty between 1823 and 1840 had encouraged the development of the trade. However, the temperance movement of the forties, as well as the Famine, hit these industries heavily, especially the whiskey industry. In 1853, while several firms were engaged in brewing ale and porter, there were in Cork only two big distilleries. These industries then began slowly to recover, and in 1893 there were three whiskey distilleries and six breweries in the city and county, with a flourishing trade.