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Cork Hostels, Eurail Passes, and Backpacking Tips |
Cork (Corcaigh), the Irish Republic's second-largest city, is home to a major university and prides itself on its heady mix of pubs, cafes and restaurants, and its love of the arts. The Cork International Jazz Festival and the International Film Festival both take place in October.
The Black and Tans (demobilised British soldiers reunited to fight the IRA) were at their most brutal in Cork and much of the town was burnt down during the Anglo-Irish War. Cork was also a centre for the civil war that followed independence (Irish leader Michael Collins was ambushed and killed nearby).
Orientation
The city centre is an island between two channels of the River Lee. Oliver Plunkett St and the curve of St Patrick's St are the main areas to shop, eat and drink. The train station and several hostels are north of the river; MacCurtain St and Glanmire Rd Lower are the main thoroughfares there.
The less-than-helpful tourist office (427 3251) is on Grand Parade. It's open 9.15 am to 5.30 pm (closed 1 to 2.15 pm) Monday to Saturday; daily in July and August.
Internet access is available at i dot Cafe in the Gate Multiplex centre on North Main St. There is a laundrette at 14 MacCurtain St (across from Isaac's Hostel).
THINGS TO SEE AND DO
North of the river there's a fine view from the tower of the 18th-century St Anne's Church, Shandon (4505 906). The quirky salmon-shaped weathervane was apparently chosen because the local monks reserved for themselves the right to fish for salmon in the river. The church is open 10 am to 5 pm Monday to Saturday. It costs 5 € to climb the tower, ring the Shandon Bells and watch an audiovisual presentation about the area.
The ground floor of the small Cork Public Museum is mostly devoted to Cork's role in the fight for Irish independence, while the 1st floor has archaeological displays. Entry is free on weekdays and 1 € Sunday afternoons.
Cork City Gaol (430 5022) received its first prisoners in 1824 and its last in 1923. The taped tour around the restored cells and the audiovisual show on the prison's history are quite moving. The complex is off Sunday's Well Rd and is open 9.30 am to 6 pm daily, March to October (reduced hours at other times). Entry is IR 5 €.
Crawford Art Gallery (427 3377) is an impressive example of cutting-edge architecture melding into an existing 18th-century building. The permanent collection has works by Irish artists like Jack Yeats and Sean Keating as well as works of the British Newlyn and St Ives' schools (closed Sunday; free).
AROUND CORK
Blarney
Just north-west of Cork, Blarney (An Bhlama) is a village with one overwhelming draweard - the 15th-century Blarney Castle (438 5252). Even the most jaded visitor will feel compelled to kiss the Blarney Stone and get the 'gift of the gab'. It was Queen Elizabeth I, exasperated with Lord Blarney's ability to talk endlessly without ever actually agreeing to her demands, who invented the phrase. Bending over backwards to kiss the sacred rock requires a head for heights, though you're unlikely to fall since there's someone there to hold you in position.
The castle's opening hours are 9 am to 6.30 or 7 pm Monday to Saturday, or to sundown in winter, and 9.30 am to 5.30 pm Sunday (5 €).
There are many B&Bs surrounding the castle, plus an unaffiliated Blarney Tourist Hostel (438 5580). It is a few kilometres west of Blarney on the road to Killarney. Dorm beds are 9 €, doubles 18 €.
Buses run regularly from the Cork bus station (4 € return, 30 minutes).
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