CorkCity – #GoGetterGals

We recently left Ireland, the land of amazing dairy (creating equally great lattes), and set off to the UK starting in Caernarfon, Wales. I still don’t completely know how to pronounce that city’s name- Welsh is proving very difficult. Take a look at this town’s name we saw as we passed on the train!

Literally did not even get the entire name in my photo it is SO long!

It was truly a unique time to be in Ireland because this year marks the 100th year since their fight for freedom during the Irish Revolution. We saw this anniversary, along with the excitement surrounding the Irish team’s (short lived) success in Euro 2016 celebrated through outpourings of Irish pride all over the south of the country, from larger towns like Dublin and Galway to more rural places like Kilkenny and Dingle.

The second half of our time in Ireland was my favorite; we spent it in more rural areas, soaking in the Irish countryside. Before visiting I imagined all of Ireland to be a crazy quilt of different green patches sewn together over rolling hills. Serine and breathtaking.

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Now that I’ve seen a bit of the country for myself, not Hollywood’s version, I realize there is a lot more to Ireland than that, but the “greenness” of everything still shocked me!

As I reflect on my visit here are a few quirky notes on Ireland of things that stood out to me as being different from the US. I broke them up, in no particular order, into “the good” which are the things I wish I could take back to the US with me and “the bad” which are things I’m happy to be leaving behind.

The Good:

Farm fresh dinner from McSwiggan’s, voted the best in Galway

Kind, generous, American loving people (this is, of course, a generalization but what I personally experienced). A big shout out of thanks to all the patient bus drivers who helped us find our way
Excellent access to wifi in most places- Cork even had city wide wifi
Restaurants having a list of their suppliers on the menu (this way you know exactly where your meal is sourced from- what a concept)
Delicious food fresh off the farm
How amazingly green everything is
The crafts and music of local artists

A loom of a local craftswoman

Musicians practicing at the pub
When you enter your hotel room, you place the key in a slot above the light switch for the lights to work (saving electricity by turning all lights off when you leave the room AND you never need to worry about loosing your keys)
How people were encouraged to pitch in to keep their city clean! Ireland even instituted a “Tidy Town” award that goes to the cleanest town

Clean up, clean up everybody do their share!

And the Tidy Town award goes to… Galway!
Tea everywhere at all times (with the best milk you’ll ever taste)
Tea time at Cupan Tae

The Bad:

Lots of smoking everywhere; we couldn’t really sit outside without being absorbed in a cloud of smoke
A downside to the charming windy streets is smelling the exhaust of cars just inches away from you
Few towels in hotels/b&bs, not a big deal, but a bummer if you have long hair to dry (aka no wash clothes or hand towels)
The bipolar weather- it’s not safe to go out without a raincoat and umbrella even if it’s sunny
Me hanging out with Fungi, Dingle’s resident dolphin
Old plumbing in most places had me questioning, will the toilet flush? Will there be enough water pressure to wash my hair?

I probably sound incredibly spoiled but this is so you all can be prepared when you visit and I can have a good laugh looking back at the thoughts of my younger self. Now I’m off to enjoy the beautiful Welsh seashore- expect more on Wales soon!

Since I last wrote in Dublin I’ve had the chance to explore 3 more Irish cities: Glendalough, Kilkenny and Cork. I want to share with you the highlight reel of my favorite moments in each of these places.

DUBLIN:

The Book of Kells at Trintiy College- before seeing this library turned museum I had no appreciation for the work that went into making a book; with the technology we have today it goes largely unnoticed having no direct effect on my everyday life. Four scribes and 6 artists contributed to the making of this book, dyes were used from countless plants and other natural sources, 185 calf skins were used to make soft durable pages, and every stitch of the book’s binding was sewn by hand.
Inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral before sung service
Attending a sung service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral- As the choir sang evening light poured through the stained glass windows, glowing vibrant colors onto the stone walls of the cathedral. Truly an breathtaking sight.
Attending the Riverdance 21 performance (and walking out after to witness the Irish locals after their Euro 2016 win). We bought tickets spur the moment when passing by the Gaiety Theatre off of Grafton Street earlier the same day. That night at the show, in a theater that wouldn’t have even fit half of one of my largest lectures at Berkeley, I was amazed by traditional Irish dance! I had never seen it performed in a professional group like this before (I’d seen it once at a 5th grade talent show and once by a friend of my parents). The dancer’s feet moved like lightning and the live music (fiddle, concertina, clarinet, drums, and more traditional Irish instruments) was flawless. Through different scenes the show contrast traditional Irish dance to Russian folk dance, Spanish flamenco, and American tap dance showing the similarities and differences of each unique style.
Speaking to an Irish woman at a vintage tea shop- I need you to picture a pink haired, pierced face, short, grandma like Irish woman. We ran into her at this amazing vintage shop at the bottom of Smithfield Square (which also, conveniently had a small tea room). She told us her life travels and asked us all about ourselves and pointed us in the direction of Capel Street, another fun area with lots of charity shops and authentic Irish culture.
Getting lost and wandering way farther up O’Connell Street then we meant to- We ran into this magical basin park where there were literally tiny fairy houses built into the sides of the walls and trees. We also stumbled into a cafe named the Music Shop and were greeted at our table by the owner, Johnathan, a friendly man in a red velvet jacket who also owned the candy store on the corner and the Castle Hotel above the cafe. He was born and raised in Dublin and the third generation to run his family’s business. He discussed his upcoming wedding and his pride that Ireland had legalized his marriage to his partner. He asked us our feeling about Trump and the upcoming election and my mother hid her face in embarrassment.

Fairy neighborhood

Fairy house in the basin park

Fairy house

Beautiful buttercups

GLENDALOUGH (located in Wicklow National Park popularly known as the setting for the movies Braveheart, P.S. I Love You, & Leap Year):

Seeing yellow buttercup flowers- this was the first town I witnessed after Dublin and was a refreshing change from the city. Everything was in full bloom and these tiny yellow flowers scattered across grassy meadows really stood out!
Mom & me at the lake in Glendalough!
Walking to the Upper Lake- Rain had been on and off all day but as soon as we reached the lake the wind and rain really picked up. Luckily equipped with rain coats and an umbrella (Yes we are tourists, but at least we are prepared tourists) we had a chance to watch the wind dramatically whipping the water before heading somewhere (ANYWHERE!) dry and warm.
The Round Tower in the sacred monastic grounds- for safety the monks would go into the 110-foot-tall tower when the Vikings attacked. The door was located 12 feet off the ground, to be accessed only by ladder for protection.

KILKENNY:

Climbing the tower at St. Canice’s Cathedral- after being amazed by the tower in Glendalough I was ecstatic to learn there was a similar tower in this town that had access to the top! Though this round tower was only 100-foot-tall it was still quite the climb. I entered the narrow tower door by a ladder taking me to the door 12+ feet off the ground (did I mention it was raining again?), climbed 8+ more flights of wooden ladders inside the tower before reaching one last stone set of stairs to the top. I crawled out into the open air to take in the view- it was totally worth it! See the grand view of the countryside below.

Round tower of St. Canice’s Cathedral

Rain in my face! Ah!!!

Round tower of St. Canice’s Cathedral
Tasting at Smithwicks (pronounced smid-icks, I think, still not 100% sure
Smithwicks

given the strong accents)- their original red is on point and their staff friendlier then ever.

CORK:

Witnessing everyone watching football (ie.soccer) in the streets- even the store keepers from across the way were standing at their doors peering to view the TV at the pub window. One man in his door kept frantically checking his watch as the game approached its end.
Visiting the English Market- opened in 1788 locals and tourists alike still enjoy this covered market and its variety of offerings- fresh vegetables, meats, herbs, breads, fruit, spices, and pastries. And (fun fact) apparently this was one of Queen Elizabeth II’s final stops on her most recent trip to Ireland.

Everyone drops what they’re doing when a match is on!

Entering the English Market
Dinner at the Gourmet (Burger) Bistro- this tiny restaurant off of Bridge Street was a delicious find! Their award winning dishes use organic, locally grown ingredients, and they don’t change extra for changing a side of fries to a salad- win, win, win! Take a leaf out of their book American burger joints.

Now that you’re all caught up, time for bed! Five nights of sharing a room with my mom and I haven’t gone crazy yet (only joking mom)! Off early tomorrow to Ring of Kerry and Dingle, fingers crossed for sunny skies.