My First Weekend Trip: Cork!

This weekend I ventured out of Dublin for the first time and into Cork. I went on a trip with UCD's International Student Society and absolutely loved it! Some friends and I signed up to go together, and while I knew I would have a good time and was excited to see more of Ireland, I had no idea that we would get to see and do so much and that the Irish countryside would be even more beautiful than I expected it would be.

Cork is about 3 hours south of Dublin, and on the way down we stopped at Cahir Castle (pronounced "care"). Cahir Castle was built in 1142 and is one of the largest castles in Ireland. For over 600 years, Cahir Castle was in the hands of the powerful Butler family, and it played an important role in the Irish Confederate Wars.

Cahir Castle

After our visit to Cahir Castle, we got back on the bus and drove into Cork City for a walking tour. Our tour guide was a member of city council, and his self-proclaimed life calling is being a tour guide. He said that his favorite part about Cork is its "higgly-piggly-ness," and although it sounds weird, I can't think of a better way to describe this city. A port city built on a bog, Cork is very different from Dublin. The houses and buildings are all different shapes, sizes, and colors; the streets are windy and hilly; and the people have thick and distinct accents. To me, Cork felt like a mixture between a bustling city and a quaint, small town, and after the walking tour, I felt like I could have spent hours wandering around and looking at all of the "higgly-piggly" buildings.

Higgly-piggly buildings on the River Lee

That night we stayed at the Kinlay Hostel, which was a short walk from the downtown area. My first hostel experience was pretty much what I thought it would be; it was kind of like a cross between a cheap hotel and cabins at summer camp, and I probably slept for about four hours. I got to become good friends with my roommates though, and we're already talking about planning more weekend trips together!

Miniature houses in the Clonakilty Railway Museum

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early to go to Clonakilty and see the Model Railway Village, which is an outdoor train museum that's set up as a model of the town. We got a tour of the town too, but instead of a walking tour like everywhere else I've been, this was a tour on a small train. It took about 20 minutes to drive around Clonakilty, and the "conductor" served as our tour guide.

After the visit to Clonakilty, we got back on the bus for another long drive to Mizen Head. The drive down was gorgeous and exactly what the Irish countryside is portrayed to be like. Endless fields of green, rolling hills with small stone cottages and the occasional sheep lined the windy roads down to the southernmost point of Ireland. Just when I thought the trip couldn't get any more beautiful, we arrived at this:

I know this sounds so cliche, but I honestly can't describe how amazing Mizen Head was. The sky was clear, the air was crisp, and the water seemed so much cleaner and purer than the water at all of the other beaches I've seen. The air didn't smell salty at all like most other beaches do, and the waves didn't seem to be as loud either. These pictures don't even begin to do Mizen Head justice, but here are some of my favorites:

I want to move into this house!

On Sunday, we started the day in Kinsale with a stop at Fort Charles, which is the largest star-shaped fort in Europe. We couldn't go inside or get a formal tour, but we did get a tour of the town, which, like everything else I saw this weekend, was absolutely adorable. Apparently George Clooney and Julia Roberts have houses here, and I can see why! Kinsale is very "higgly-piggly" like Cork, but it feels much smaller and even more quaint (if that's possible!) It's also "the gourmet capital" of Ireland, and if the dessert crepes we had are any indication of the rest of the food in this town, I'm sure that's true too.

Boats in Kinsale Harbour

Friends from BC at Blarney Castle

The final stop on our trip was to Blarney Castle. The castle itself is awesome, and the gardens surrounding it seem like one giant labyrinth. One of the gardens is full of poisonous plants, and another is said to be haunted. Legend has it that a witch comes into that garden every night to collect firewood, and if you walk up her staircase with your eyes closed, she will grant you one wish. Another legend of the Blarney Castle is that if you kiss the Blarney Stone, you will be granted "the gift of gab," or eloquence in all that you say. As un-sanitary as that seems, I couldn't not kiss the stone while I was there (especially since I had to pay 10 euro to get in!) 

As much as I love the fast-paced city life in Dublin, it was great to get away for the weekend and see more of the southeastern part of Ireland. From the castles to the cliffs to the crepes, I loved every part of Cork, and this trip definitely gave me a deeper appreciation for the coastal Irish culture and the history behind it.