When Irish Eyes Are Smiling...

"all that is gold does not glitter; not all those who wander are lost." - j.r.r. tolkien

We will be traveling on our own for the first 9 days of our trip and that will include stops in Dublin, Galway, Cork as well as Barcelona. When I went on a tour of Ireland two summers ago I visited Dublin and Galway for a brief time so I’m excited to go back and see more of those cities on a more individual independent basis. But I’m really excited to explore Barcelona and Cork because they will be completely new and I have no idea what to expect. I have been looking into the city of Cork to get a better idea of what the city is like, what they have to offer, and what we will be seeing. Originally I thought we would be passing through Cork around the time of Cork’s Midsummer Festival but unfortunately because of some switching in our itinerary we will not be there around that time but I’m sure it’ll still be just as fun. I’m sure we will end up going along St. Patrick’s Street as well as passing by the old bank buildings and homes built in Georgian style along the Grand Parade and South Mall. And we will be definitely be heading over to the church tower of Shandon:

“Cork's most famous building is the church tower of Shandon, which dominates the North side of the city. The North and East sides are faced in red sandstone, and the West and South sides are clad in the predominant stone of the region, white limestone. At the top sits a weather vane in the shape of an eleven-foot salmon. The clock tower on the church is known by locals as The Four-faced Liar, as from the base of the building, each clock face appears to show a different time. Shandon is accessible to the public, and the bells may be rung by visitors.” (Cork – Places of Interest)

One thing I can safely say I will not be trying is the local food traditions because as much as I want to immerse myself in the culture the idea of eating pig’s feet (Crubeens), “black” pudding (Drisheen) which is a mixture of cow's, pig's and/or sheep's blood, milk, salt, fat and breadcrumbs which is boiled and served and then cooked as a sausage, or cow stomach (Tripe), really doesn’t sit well with me.

Apparently the accent in the city of Cork differs greatly not only from the neighboring cities and counties but also differs amongst the people living on the opposite sides of the River Lee. I think it’ll be really interesting to listen to various dialects and see how they differ in the various sections of the city and in the various areas of the country.


VQUZESHUF till the next entry.