Blogs from County Cork, Ireland, Europe - page 8

It's not a trip unless I get a light sunburn on the first day... and go figure, even in overcast Ireland I shall repeat the pattern. Despite that, it was a wonderful today - first off, slept like a brick which is perfect. Slept so well that I only woke up at 10am... an absolute rarity in a hostel thank you. But that's ok. I caught the next train out to Cobh (pronounced Cove). Since I arrived a little later than I wanted into Cobh, I headed straight to Spike Island. (Think Alcatraz of Ireland... ish) The boat ride was nice, but in full bloody sunlight which is where I think I got my burn. The walking tour was well worth it - I don't think I've ever gone on one with that amount of detailed ... read more

May 10 - It rained overnight. The temperature is fine but once again it is cloudy and windy. I took my time and didn't go for breakfast until 9:00. I walked through a different part of St. Stephen's Green to the "Little Museum of Dublin". The museum is located in an old Georgian house with creaky wooden stairs. The main level display is about Christy Brown (of My Left Foot fame) and the 1st floor was everyday and cultural items from the 1930's through to the 1990's all relating to the lives of ordinary Dubliners. The top floor was divided in half - one room devoted to the history of the Irish Times (newspaper) and another room devoted to U2. I wandered over to Merrion Square where there are a number of Georgian houses with different ... read more

Geo: 51.8979, -8.47111After a relatively quick stop in Killarney and a wander through Ross Castle we headed to the south of Ireland. DH was starting to zero in on the land of her people. With both of her parents immigrating to Canada from Liverpool, DH grew up thinking she was a product of the country that gave us fish and chips, and the Beatles. It was only in later life that she discovered that her grandparents had actually come from Ireland, and the Cork area specifically. Given the relative secrecy around her genealogy, I helpfully suggested that perhaps our start point for the shady family tree should be the nearest gaol (prison), and sure enough, Cork had one of the more infamous ones. The Cork City Gaol (although it's not common knowledge, it was often referred ... read more

I had been to Ireland on business before, but I had forgotten just how green and lush everything is. Our arrival in Cork was delayed a little and we had some gray clouds and rain when we arrived. But after we arrived in downtown Cork, the skies cleared and we thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon there. The old architecture is beautiful, but what we really loved was the beautiful people. There's a quiet, gentle happiness in the Irish, and they want to share it with every visitor. We met folks of all ages and stages, but they welcomed us with open arms and encouraged us to enjoy their country. Bowen and I actually some DNA testing done a while back to determine if we had genetic markers for some specific illnesses. Fortunately, those tests were negative. And ... read more

Here are the pictures that I took during our weekend in Cork and Kinsale. The first few though are from a park in Waterford, I am just uploading them as well. Enjoy!... read more