Cork
Dublin to Cork.
Sunday 20 January.
Up this morning to catch the bus to Cork at 10am. What an interesting trip. As usual, grass is very green, lots of pooled water and rushing rivers and streams, only a few sheep and half a dozen cattle and a few bedraggled horses too out in the paddocks. One very unique and brilliant modern thing – the buses are fitted with cameras at front which project onto the normally-used-for-movie screen at the front of the bus exactly what the driver sees. So even if one sits at the back of the bus or their view is interrupted by a tall person, one can see what\’s happening in front – brilliant. I first saw this on the way from Belfast.
The driver was pleasant, played decent 70s-80s music, buses not equipped with wcs so we had a pit stop after 2 hours, the trip was 4 hours. But the few stops in these little and not so little towns – pretty and wonderful places – and into Cork in the rain – so again, what\’s new. I found the hostel easily enough, very clean, friendly etc. and got info on what to do in the very limited time available to me. Was off to kiss the blarney stone today but the bus back from there was too late so will go tomorrow arvo and stay another night in Cork. Tuesday morn off early in bus to Galway. I find to go to a place in the dark doesn\’t pay as one has to get up and spend the morning anyhow finding out where one is! Went looking for a few things I must buy and spent a few hours doing that – not impressed when I have to go looking in shops and malls etc. But I found a very much cheaper inet cafe – the hostels charge €1 per 15 or 20 mins and the inet cafes €1 per hour.
Place Names.
Went through a place called Fermoy (interesting and unusual name – did Fermoy Avenue in Lismore come from this?) and a few kms from LISMORE! And what\’s more, there\’s a place on way to Lismore called Tallow! Shan\’t have time to visit this area but am intending to go through BALLINA after I leave Galway or is it on the way to Galway? Other place names are Belgooly, and the Irish for Cork Corcaigh, Clonakilty and Oifigan Phoist Irish for Post Office, and Ringsaskiddy – what great names. Then there\’s the surnames Dwyer, O\’Flaherty, Murphy, Callaghan, Dooley, O\’Shea etc.
Cork to Kinsale
Monday 21 January
Did I mention it is wet here?? One bus driver told me the wet season in Ireland starts on 1 Sept and ends 31 August. There doesn\’t look to be the damaging run-off from the amount of rain that we have even the local flooding looks organised.
Kinsale
is about 25 kms from Cork in County Cork Ireland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinsale. And one disadvantage of travelling in the winter lots of places of interest, castles, museums, houses of interest, even cafes are not open and if they are then limited times. Even applies to bus routes. So consequently I miss opportunities to see but my timing is limited anyhow – a couple of nights in a town means about 4 hours at least travel, then booking in, then getting my bearings and finding out what\’s to see etc. And of cours finding internet connection generally away from the hostels which are four times more expensive than town places – generally.
I saw the old Desmond Castle which is in town and now used as a wine museum and for drinking lots of. It is about 1600s and varied uses including a prison. The streets are narrow as are the buildings and it is quite pretty with hills around and a bay which when I arrived was at low tide – not so pretty as not sand – and then at high a different and more attractive picture. Walked about a bit, got wet as it was raining, so what\’s different about that? Saw a fellow going from the bank to his hotel with bags of coins in hand! I approached him and spoke of my surprise to which he added it can only be done in Kinsale. No security and no one accompanying him. After a good coffee in that sit-down hotel I caught the bus back to Cork.
Cork to Castle Blarney
Yes, the blarney stone! Whereas Kinsale was about 50 mins away, with many stops, Blarney was about 30 mins. Managed to pick up a v cheap umbrella (which is useless when it is windy) because it generally rains a lot. Today it rained then stopped then rained, then sun came out, then rain, stop, little more sun, more rain etc. Got off the bus at Blarney and walked about 5 minutes to the castle, that\’s where the stone is. This castle http://www.iol.ie/~discover/blarney.htm is privately owned, great to climb in but one has to watch one\’s step and hang on as it could be disastrous to fall, and to be able to climb in such an old structure, so well preserved, is a gift. The stairs were all stone, limestone, very steep and for little feet, circular and off these went lots of small rooms even the room for the king was small as far as today\’s expectations for one so important but the view he had was almost 360 degrees. The Blarney river flows through the grounds and was certainly fast-flowing today and crossed by a few bridges – a beautiful park surrounds the castle. I managed to get right up to the top where is the stone and kiss it – now I could be blessed with eloquence.
BLARNEY STONE
before it began to rain heavily and so have photos. One has to sit down with back to the wall, up in amongst the turrets, a person holds on, and lean over backwards so one is upside down-what a feat for me. Then the rain became pretty heavy and I headed back to the bus stop and back into Cork very wet. I went to the hostel and changed clothes and then came to internet to tell the story.
Cork to Galway
Tuesday 22 January 2008. And booked to fly from Belfast on Thursday 24 to Glasgow and then either train or bus to Oban. But more later…bye