Blogs from Cork, County Cork, Ireland, Europe

Today was a long drive day with 4 hours of driving and 5 sights to see. First of all, we started at Dunguaire Castle , built in 1520, and mostly as it was originally. The 4 different floors were staged as it would have been for a different century with the ground representing the 20th century, first level representing the 19th and 18th centuries, the third floor the 17th century and the top floor the 16th century. The castle sits on the picturesque shores of Galway bay. Our next stop was Limerick where most of the stores where closed on Sunday as the whole town was attending a Gaelic Football match between Limerick and Tipperary, given their proximity to each other, it may have been a grudge match. Having now completed most of the driving we ... read more

First full day in Ireland! Did a long, enjoyable walking tour of the city of Cork that ended with a great dinner out. Started our walk on the University College Cork campus, right next to the neighborhood where we are staying in a B&B. Beautiful and historic place, including the Main Quad, the student chapel, and a museum of ancient stones etched with the first records of the Irish language. Walked toward the city center and saw St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral, the River Lee that runs through Cork and around the island that’s the old town area, and the famous English Market. Wonderful place! Especially the fish market part! Heavenly aromas! Many of the good restaurants in Cork source their foods, especially the fish and seafood, from the market. Browsed a great bookstore for an hour, ... read more

We spent the day with Kevin, Olivia and family in Wintergrasshill which included a visit to the neighbouring Farmhouse Restaurant for lunch with Kevin‘s mother Bridget, her brother Robert and grandson Conner. A grand time was had by all around the lunch table as we indulged in an organic feast as all food prepared in the restaurant (meats and vegetables) are grown on the property. We then took a walk around the farm checking out the diverse array of animals from Emu’s to Shetland Pony’s to Deer which culminated in a walk through the fairy forest, home to a number of fairies who have carved their homes into the tree trunks. Sounds like Port Adelaide you may say but its not. Bridget, Robert and Conner then returned with us to Kevin and Olivia’s house where we ... read more

What a day of contrasts; from the cleanliness, orderliness and busyness of Killarney, to the ruggedness, wildness and coldness of the Gap of Dunloe on the edge of the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks (Ireland’s highest mountain range) with its fast flowing streams, numerous crags, lakes, waterfalls and zig-zagging narrow roads to Kenmare and its environmental and town beauty, Skibbereen on the banks of the river Ilen and surrou...nded by numerous small farms, Glengariff, tucked away in a thickly wooded slope right down to its inlet; Leap, a small fishing village, Clonakilty with its cheerfully painted buildings and with its numerous pubs through to Brandon and onto the old city of Cork on the River Lee, and sadly, its down-and-outs and rushing from here to there; the constant throughout the day … drizzle, low cloud and mist. The photos ... read more

Raheny is a small village about 15 miles north of Dublin. It has a population of about 3000 but its location to Dublin via train, which is about 3 mins from our B&B, and the village of Howth could provide some advantages such as reasonable rent and access to hiking along the coast. Yesterday, Kathy and I hiked around Raheny including the coastal area along North Bull Island. Between North Bull Island and St Annes park, we were able to get in about 15 miles. St Annes park was simply amazing for a small village. It is about half the size of Central Park in NYC yet borders the coast making it a simply wonderful place to hike. My dogs were howling. After a tour around the village to check out the amenities, we had dinner ... read more