Diving into the Medieval Feel of Cork City

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When speak of Ireland, we think of a place where happiness is always emanating. It is one of the few countries in Europe that have been vigilant in creating an environment where feasts are of huge importance, where smiles are usual scenery on public places and camaraderie had been a natural human trait.

Travellers revel not just on the magnificent architectures, the modernized shopping malls and the convenient local travel, they also take into consideration the ambience of the place they will visit. It is no wonder why in Europe, Ireland is one of the most visited and the best considered. And Ireland, while not a gargantuan country, has little subdivision of cities that will surely capture the very essence of joy living in Ireland. We got Dublin already covered, but have you heard of Cork City? And no, the name is not an Irish joke, it really is existing.

Location

Cork, also an ambiguation of the word ‘marsh’, is a city in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and in the province of Munster. With a population of 119,230, it is the second largest city in the state and the third most populous on the island of Ireland. In 2005, it was selected as the European Capital of Culture.

The Greater Cork area consists of Cork metropolitan area plus ring towns with a population of 400,000 covering 5,950 square kilometers.

The city is built on the River Lee which divides into two channels at the western end of the city. The city center is located on the island created by the channels. At the eastern end of the city center where the channels re-converge, quays and docks along the river banks lead to Lough Mahon and Cork Harbor, which is one of the world’s largest natural harbors.

Climate

Ireland’s climate is influenced by the relatively warm waters of the Gulf Stream and by the prevailing southwestern winds from the Atlantic. This combination results in an equable climate with temperatures fairly uniform across the whole country.

Coldest months: January and February with mean daily air temperatures of 4 to 7 degrees Celsius. Warmest months: July and August with mean temperatures of 14 16 degrees Celsius. Sunniest months: May and June, averaging five to seven hours of sunshine per day.

The climate of Cork, like the rest of Ireland, is mild and changeable with abundant rainfall and a lack of temperature extremes. Cork lies in plant Hardiness zone 9b. Met Eireann maintains a climatological weather station at Cork Airport, a few kilometers south of the city. It should be noted that the airport is at an altitude of 151 meters (495 ft) and temperatures can often differ by a few degrees between the airport and the city itself. There are also smaller synoptic weather stations at UCC and Clover Hill.

Transportation

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Cork International Airport is located off the Kinsale Road, on the N27 and less than 10 minute drive from Cork City center and if coming from Kinsale side it is located off the R600. Cork International Airport is Ireland’s second largest airport after Dublin Airport. The Airport in Cork has a large number of Long Term spaces and Short Term multi-story parking spaces.

Inside Cork Airport Terminal on the ground floor are the Check In desks, shop, coffee dock and Subway cafe along with the Airport Information desk, Banking and Bureau de Change Facilities, ATM, Postal Box, Internet Facilities and Cork Airport Car Hire Desks. Cork Airport has Wi-Fi throughout the Airport.

On the first floor is the Departures Lounge, Café and the Red Bar and having passed through security you can avail of the VIP Lounge, Lir Café, Shop and Sports Bar. Cork Airport has facilities for passengers of Limited Mobility or needing extra assistance.

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Cork Ringaskiddy Ferry Port is located in the village of Ringaskiddy, set in a large natural harbor just 12 miles from Cork City, 30-40 minute drive. Ringaskiddy Ferry Terminal has car ferry services to and from Britain and Europe. The Ferry Port Terminal in Ringaskiddy has a cafeteria, information desk, disabled facilities for people with limited mobility, and free car parking spaces.

Cork Kent Railway Station is located on the Lower Glanmire Road just a 10 minute walk from Cork City Centre and also Cork Bus Station at Parnell Place. The Railway Station services Dublin Heuston, Mallow, Fota, Glounthoune, Midleton and Cobh and also Tralee. Inside the station is a waiting area, customer service desk, ticket office, coffee dock, ATM and Shop. The Station area offers Free Wi-Fi and Internet Kiosks are also available. The Station has facilities for people with limited mobility.

There is a Taxi rank just outside the station and there are also Car Parking Facilities at Cork Train Station, which can cater for 500 cars, parking costs are roughly €8.00 per day or €1.50 per hour. Bicycle Parking Facility also available. If you need to get to Cork Airport there is a bus from Cork Bus Station on Parnell Place which goes directly to Cork Airport, a 35 minute journey.

Cork City Bus Station also known as Parnell Place Bus Station is located in Parnell Place on the banks of the River Lee between St Patrick’s Bridge and Brian Boru Bridge immediately behind Merchants Quay main Shopping Centre. Bus services operate from Cork Bus Station to all of Ireland’s major towns and cities.

What to See

The English Market

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It could just as easily be called the Victorian Market for its ornate vaulted ceilings and columns, but the English Market is a true gem, no matter what you name it. Scores of vendors sell some of the very best local produce, meats, cheeses and takeaway food in the region. On decent days, take your lunch to nearby Bishop Lucy Park, a popular al fresco eating spot.

Shandon

Perched on a hillside overlooking the city center from the north, Shandon is a great spot for the views alone, but you’ll also find galleries, antique shops and cafes along its old lanes and squares. Those tiny old row houses, where generations of workers raised huge families in very basic conditions, are now sought-after urban pieds-à-terre.

Shandon is dominated by the 1722 St Anne’s Church, aka the ‘Four-Faced Liar’, so called as each of the tower’s four clocks used to tell a different time. Wannabe campanologists can ring the bells on the 1st floor of the 1750 Italianate tower and continue the 132 steps up to the top for 360-degree views of the city.

St Fin Barre’s Cathedral

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Most of the ostentation is the result of an architectural competition held in 1863 and won by William Burges. Once victory was assured Burges promptly redrew his plans – with an extra choir bay and taller towers – and his £15,000 budget went out the window.

Luckily, the bishop appreciated such perfectionism and spent the rest of his life fundraising for the project. The cathedral sits about 500m south of the center, on the spot where Cork’s patron saint, Finbarre, founded his monastery in the 7th century.

Cork City Gaol

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This imposing former prison is well worth a visit, if only to get a sense of how life was for prisoners a century ago. An audio tour guides you around the restored cells, which feature models of suffering prisoners and sadistic-looking guards. It’s very moving, bringing home the harshness of the 19th-century penal system. The most common crime was that of poverty; many of the inmates were sentenced to hard labour for stealing loaves of bread.

The prison closed in 1923, reopening in 1927 as a radio station, so the Governor’s House has been converted into the Radio Museum Experience. Alongside collections of beautiful old radios you can hear the story of Guglielmo Marconi’s conquest of the airwaves.

Cork Public Museum

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Located in a pleasant Georgian house in Fitzgerald Park, this museum recounts Cork’s history from the Stone Age right up to local football legend Roy Keane with a diverse collection of local artifacts. There’s a cafe next door.

Red Abbey Tower

Red Abbey Tower, the only medieval building left in Cork, is all that remains of a 14th-century Augustinian priory. Its location is fairly anonymous, but a bit of imagination will help create a stirring sense of antiquity.

Images:

(1) www.mydiscoverireland.com
(2) www.blog.myhome.ie
(3) www.pana-vision.org
(4) www.corkpastandpresent.ie
(5) www.tripadvisor.ie
(6) www.groupon.ie
(7) www.irisharchitectureawards.ie

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