Our original plan after our experience at Guinness was to rent a car and head out for the Irish county side using the city of Cork as our base. Travel is fun but getting up each morning to pack and move on to another hotel does become wearisome. I believe that the main attraction for cruises is you only need to unpack once. As I researched our travel plans, I found that the bus and train systems in Ireland are all encompassing, there are very few places you cannot get to with public transportation. Trains it is.
Ireland is a small country, just over 70,000 square miles. Canada is 142 times bigger. Its small size makes it easier to provide public transportation. You can cross the whole country in a day by train while it can take almost 6 days to get across Canada. Booking travel takes a little practice. I found a website named “The Man in Seat Sixty-one” when I was looking to book a trip on the Mongolian and Siberian Express. The site has become my go to for everything trains around the world. With its help I was able to book my Irish tickets along with a hack to turn my cheap tickets into inexpensive first class tickets.
Left Dublin on a mid-morning train (first class) which had us arriving in Cork just after lunch. Cork is the second largest city in Ireland. Established by the Vikings in the early 10th Century it grew into an important port city. Cork is a working city and a little rough around the edges. A lot less cutesy tourist things than can be found in Dublin. Our hotel for the next five days was located just on the edge of the downtown next to the River Lee so we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the area.
The downtown is in transition much like many of the world’s downtowns. Once a Mecca of shopping malls, they have either closed or look like they are closing. It is an entertainment area with plenty of small shops catering to tourists and of course the ubiquitous pubs. It was news to us but Cork has two arms of the River Lee running through it. We got a little confused and lost for a while. A quick pop into a pub with wifi, a Guinness and a peek at Google Earth found us on the way back to the hotel on the bank of the right River Lee. Or was that the left bank.
Next morning, it was back to the train station for a 25 minute ride to the city of Cobh. (Pronounced Cove) While Cobh is scenic, it is better known as the last port of call of the Titanic before it headed across the Atlantic. It is home to a museum and a memorial garden dedicated to the 123 locals who boarded the Titanic in Cobh. As we pulled into the station, I sensed a shift in the force. The station was located along the waterfront. As we pulled in, we found our little train dwarfed by the shadow of a cruise ship, Celebrity’s Silhouette, home to 2,886 passengers.
Crap!
Long story short, the museum was already fully booked for the day and getting a seat in a pub or café was near impossible. I should also mention that it was a bank holiday in Ireland which may have added to the crowd. We headed up a steep side street and away from the crowded main street where things were less congested.
The memorial garden was a 2 kilometre walk from the downtown so we were gifted with a quiet and serene place which provided information on some of the people who boarded the Titanic in Cobh. Who they were and why they were leaving. Amazingly, many of them survived the sinking.
Back to downtown and it was even busier. The trains from Cork run every 40 minutes all day so they too can deliver a ton of tourists. Our plan for a late lunch in Cobh was dumped and it was back on the train for an early supper in Cork.
The Titanic sailed under the White Star Line. The Cunard Line was a competitor at the time. During the Depression both lines were having difficulties so they became the Cunard-White Star Line and later just the Cunard Line with any sign of White Star in Cobh disappearing. The Cunard Line still exists today under the umbrella of the Carnival Corporation.
A new day, and a new journey, we are off to Limerick. Beside my desire to write a limerick in Limerick, we were here to visit Prince/King John’s castle. Didn’t read the fine print so it should be noted the John only paid for the place but never visited and yes he is that Prince John used as the model for the book “The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood” as well as the 1973 Disney film Robin Hood.. He was also the king who signed the Magna Carta then refused to abide by it leading to a revolt by his barons and his death from dysentery during the revolt.
Reaching Limerick involved a 2 hour train ride with one change of trains. The castle was located on the other side of Limerick from the station so we enjoyed a lovely walk through the modern city. Not as old as Dublin or Cork but a nice vibe. Arriving at the front door, it seems that we were not being allowed in.
Entering the grounds, we discovered that the site had been used for a concert the previous night and the grounds were filled with a huge stage, chairs, a huge sound system and a roving forklift completely spoiling our visit. It was lucky they had taken my sword at the door or I would have gone medieval . Instead I closed my eyes, counted to ten and pictured what it would look like. It is a nicely maintained castle well worth a visit.
The tour took us to most of the places we wanted to see but only just touched them. It really needs several days. From the highest mountains on the Island to the miles of sandy beaches. A feast for the eyes around every corner.
First stop Killarney. A pretty place totally set up for tourists and they were everywhere.
A drive by of Dingle Bay on the Iveragh Peninsula. The peninsula marks the western most point of mainland Ireland.
Lunch in Waterville. A pretty little village but more famously known as a place where Charlie Chaplin spent his summer vacations for 10 years.
A much appreciated Guinness stop in the cute little village of Sneem. Perhaps playing a little Russian roulette as there was no bathroom on the bus.
The name Sneem means "the knot" that ties together the Ring of Kerry". It is here that three main roads intersect all leading to Sneem.
A drive through Killarney National Park with a few stops for photo ops.
The park was the first national park declared in Ireland. The park is one of the few places in Ireland that has been continuously covered by woodland since the end of the most recent glacial period, approximately 10,000 years ago.
Wikipedia
It was of course a breezy day.
The island of Ireland produces over 5500 megawatts of power generating 36% of Irelands electrical demand.
Wikipedia
The park is hilly though the tour guide insisted on calling them mountains. The highest point in the park is 850 metres about the same height as Munson Mountain in Penticton.
A short hike to the 18 metre high Torc waterfall. We found the falls a little underwhelming but most of the other passengers seemed impressed.
Killarney Park is gorgeous and our kind of place. It definitely deserved more time.
Back to Cork for a late supper and to hear some traditional Irish music and perhaps some clogging that had been advertised at a pub near our hotel. Couldn’t get into the pub for dinner, it was packed but we returned later as you didn't need to have a table to order a drink. Arrived to the pub in time to hear the band finishing a cover of Adele before jumping into to a cover of Neil Diamond and no cloggers in sight. It was to be another early night.
Tomorrow is our last day in Cork and our day will be dedicated to a kinky little castle that I am sure you all have heard of.
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