The Real Capital of Ireland
A long weekend in and around Cork
One of the tips we receive as a foreign service family is to do a weekend trip a few weeks after our arrival at post. That way, we would have the feeling of coming back “home” to our new home, with beneficial effects on our mood and sense of belonging. In Abu Dhabi, that was a memorable trip to Dubai, which in retrospect maybe we did too soon as we were still sort of shell-shocked by the drastic change in lifestyle. Still, we think the notion has value, so on the long weekend we set our sights on Cork - the Rebel County!
You can get to Cork in 2h45 from Dublin using the motorway. We decided to take the more scenic route there, mainly following the coast of the Irish and Celtic Seas. Unfortunately, torrential rain and strong wind made for shortened vistas and white-knuckle driving! We stopped for lunch on the way in a pub (where else?) in Waterford, which we intend to return to as it seemed quite charming.
The sun came back out as we were making our way to Cobh (pronounced like “Cove”) and its vibrantly coloured houses. Having seen the candy-hued façades of St. John’s, Newfoundland, the connection immediately sprang to mind, though it’s not clear yet whether it’s merely a common inspiration or sensibility, or if Cobh directly affected St. John’s. More research to be done there.
After a quick look around the town centre - including a fun run down the steep hill between the church and the seaside attractions - we made our way to the Titanic Experience. It’s an interactive guided tour held in the old Cobh ticket office of the White Star Line, the Titanic’s last port of call before its infamous crossing of the Atlantic. Although we hear that Belfast’s Titanic museum is bigger, this little one was still pretty great and we learned a lot about the many Irish passengers and crew on ships of the era. Over a century after the ship’s sinking, it’s now our kids’ turn to be fascinated by this tragedy. They now want to watch the movie, but if we do, we’ll skip some of the scenes. (Also, there was plenty of space on that door #Justice4JackDawson.)
Cobh is only 30 minutes away Cork so we arrived at our hotel just before supper. Our original dinner plan didn’t pan out, unfortunately; the brewery in question didn’t take bookings, it was packed, and the kids were not going to be patient after a day spent largely in a car. So we headed toward the centre of town and unfortunately picked a dodgy street to walk up… Luckily a few minutes into “the armpit of Cork”, we nabbed the last table at a taqueria filled with younger and cooler people, playing 90s alternative rock and serving local Rising Sun beer, very nice.
The next morning, we started our day with a self-guided walking tour that led us through historic Shandon, the immaculate grounds of University College Cork, and several historic churches, ending at the famed English Market.
We walked around and even spotted the fish stall visited by HM Queen Elizabeth on her historic visit to the Republic in 2011. We had lunched perched above the stalls at the Farmgate Cafe and could see that it was still a very lively public market, still frequented by locals, even though you could spot some tourists walking around snapping pictures (guilty here too).
We hopped into our car in the afternoon to drive 15 minutes north to Blarney Castle. The grounds around the castle are beautiful, with different types of gardens (including a poisonous plants garden). The castle has not been inhabited since the 18th century and is in a classic state of ruin. The rooms are small and dark, and the stairs are narrow and difficult to climb. But that’s not why one climbs to the top of the castle…
Like many others who followed the legend, the adults in the group twisted into the most uncomfortable body position in order to flip upside down and kiss the Blarney Stone, hoping that the “Gift of Gab” be bestowed upon them. Of course, Eleanor and Jack do not need any help in that department and were forbidden to kiss the Stone.
We left Cork mid-morning after breakfast the following day. On our way back home we made a stop in Middleton, the outer suburb of Cork where Jameson and Powers whiskies are distilled. We toured the original distillery, which was used from the early 19th century up until 1975, when production moved to a modern, industrial facility nearby.
The copper stills were very impressive, the largest ones ever built. The storage room was our favourite though, even though at 800 casks it is tiny compared to their warehouse which contains two million! So interesting to hear how the sherry casks from Spain create a fruity whisky, the American whiskey casks a smoother one, and how they are used like ingredients and blended into unique products.
After a wee dram of Jameson and tasty toasties, we left Midleton on winding country roads, eventually joining a motorway that brought us back to Dublin. It was a fun weekend away but we were all happy to be home.
Want to follow our trail in the Historic East? Check out this map with our recommendations.
Discovering Ireland
BROWSE 🖥 / The Mannion Collection was recently launched. It’s a comprehensive database retracing settlements of Nfld and contains the digitalizes emigration records of those who settled on the island (mostly from 🇮🇪) between 1750 to 1850.
LISTEN 🎧 / Garth Brooks (yes, that Garth Brooks) is a cultural phenomenon in Ireland. In mid-September, he played five sold-out shows in Dublin attracting 400,000 fans (out of a population of 4.9 millions) and generating 35 millions in revenues for Dublin businesses. The Irish Times’ In the News’s podcast weighted in.
EAT 🌭 / A new favourite weekend lunch are sausage rolls. You can get them pretty much everywhere in Ireland, from the grocery store, the fancy food stall or the gas station. The best one we had was in Wicklow at a cafeteria at a public park. If you want to try it at home, this recipe from The Great British Bake-Off judge Mary Berry would be a good starting point.
DRINK 🥃 / Jameson, what else?
Très intéressant. J'ai hâte de lire et voir la suite.