Cork Spend a weekend or longer

Cork

Days gone by

Cork is the second biggest city in Ireland with a population of almost 120 thousand people.  Natives often refer to it as the Republic of Cork and the pride they have for their city is admirable and in my opinion well placed.  Cork is a great city, compact, walkable, beautiful, great bars, restaurants, theatre’s, a very active arts community. Great clubs, Barry’s Tea, Murphy’s Irish Stout and driving distance to beautiful scenic towns and villages such as Kinsale, Clonakilty and many more. Surfing, sailing, swimming, great beaches, lovely people who sound like they’re singing when they talk, most sentences end with girl or boy and the voices go up at the end so it always sounds like a question.  ‘You big langer’ is both a compliment and an insult and so you just have to judge the situation so you can determine if you should be grateful or worried.

 

Cork

Cork today Cork

I decided to come here at the last minute so I couldn’t find a hotel.  An acquaintance suggested Sheila’s hostel, as hostels go this is great.  I don’t do hostels at all but by default I ended up here for a week.  Mid week was great, but Thursday and Friday night was terrible. The place was full of screaming lunatics making a terrible racket in the hallways etc so no I’ve never been back.  It is located in and area called “the Shandon Perched on a hillside overlooking the city centre from the north, Shandon is a great spot for the views alone, but you’ll also find galleries , antique shops and cafes along its old lanes and squares. Those tiny old row houses, where generations of workers raised huge families in very basic conditions, are now sought-after urban pieds-à-terre”. 

Where I drank and stayed in Cork

As I was staying in the Shandon of course I had to find a pub close by and luckily I discovered the pub Sin-e on Coburg St. I was taken here by friends for a few beers while I was in Cork doing a play.  Luckily we got to sit at the bar which is my favourite place to sit and apart from my friends girlfriend who was a pain in the ass as he wasn’t talking to her solely all night it was great (don’t you hate girls like this).  Sin-e means that’s it in Irish, live traditional music and the place gets busy.  The beer is good and the place itself is full of character.

What to do in Cork

Cork

queen Elizabeth at the Cork English Market

No trip to Cork would be complete without a little visit or 5 to the English Market. I used to stop here each morning for coffee on my way to the Triskel Theatre. The market is a trendy upscale kind of yuppy market now with a bit of everything including expensive coffee. I love the place so much I told the Queen of England to come visit. Imagine my surprise when she took my advice and came.

Another favourite is the Bodega. Its a really cool place to go and hang out and very hip at the moment. It really beautiful and the history of the market place makes it even cooler.  http://www.bodegacork.ie/

Do you want to go somewhere different for a beer? if yes then check out The Crane Lane Theatre.

A favourite place for coffee or lunch is the Triskel which used to be a church.  It also shows a lot of arty movies which you wont find in mainstream movie theatre’s.  Its great but I did watch an indi film which to be honest had a lot of sex in it and as an Irish girl I felt I needed to go into the confession box before leaving.  You sit in the church pews and the screen is on the alter and ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh I felt so, so, so, you get the picture.  I also attended a writers week In the Triskel. The space in general is great.  Its called TDC theatre development centre corcadorca.

The Cork arts scene is really active and the actors, writers etc are really welcoming.

Cork

Yep this is me again, on stage in Cork:)

Cork

On Stage in Cork

The Cork Arts Theatre is my favourite as I have preformed here so I might be a bit biased. http://www.corkartstheatre.com/

“Brimming full of life, character and history, spending time in the best pubs in Cork is the ideal way of enjoying a few days away from home. Corcaigh was born in the guise of a monastic settlement in the 6th Century before developing into a Viking trading port and vibrant merchant city over time.  A haven for anyone that loves to explore. Cork has a rich cultural history with writers, singers and songwriters roaming her streets to this very day. Sown into this lifestyle are the city’s Heritage Pubs – establishments that you need to enjoy and experience if you’re to truly know the region and its people”.  http://www.corkheritagepubs.com/

Cork is a really great place to hang out and spend time. I highly recommend it. Now on to Kinsale an absolutely fantastic place. I Cant wait, stay tuned.  Below was my show I wrote and performed in Cork with a great Cork actress from Kinsale.

Mr Fabulous final facebook poster


Related Posts:

About Sandra

Just a girl from Ireland who wants to live everywhere. Not a planner, a winger when it comes to travel. I don't even like people who plan too much. Without spontaneity there is no depth. A jack of all trades. A great friend, loyal and passionate and I expect the same in return. Always ready for the next adventure at a moments notice.
This entry was posted in Cork, Europe, Ireland and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.