Family Favorites - Cork City

As my parents’ and brother’s visit is now a month in the past, perhaps it is finally time to properly document it on my blog. Because it was a two-week Odyssey, it seems very inefficient to write a play-by-play of the entire time. Instead I will highlight my favorite experiences in each city and direct you to my Youtube vlog for a more thorough account of every stop we made!

After my parents flew into Dublin, we made our way to Cork City so they could see where I had lived and studied from August-December. I showed them my favorite spots and gave them the best two-day tour of Cork that I could! These were our favorite parts:

Gabriel House B&B- Having never had to stay in a hotel in Cork, I was not very useful in selecting one for me and my parents. Based on TripAdvisor and pricing, we selected the Gabriel House B&B, which had a decent location and looked very cute. This was a wonderful choice and remained our favorite hotel for the rest of the trip. We were on the top floor of the 4-story building and had a roof deck (that we were probably not supposed to go onto but did anyway). I think we had the best view of the city that I had ever experienced and this happiness was complimented by an included made-to-order breakfast of your choice.

Cork City Gaol and Sightseeing Tour- The most interesting tourist attraction in Cork City (in my opinion) is Cork City Gaol. This is a former jail that has been wonderfully preserved and turned into a tour and radio museum. To get up to the Gaol we took the Cork Sightseeing Tour and hopped-off as we passed. My parents were both very impressed with the self-guided tour and we enjoyed learning about history, architecture, and significance of the jail that was open until the late 1920s.The rest of the sightseeing tour gave them a very good overview of my former home and let me see areas of the city that I had never seen before. I would highly recommend it!

Elizabeth Fort- This is an old fort near where I used to live that I never visited during my time in Cork! I took my parents here as it was along the walk to my former apartment and I was amazed by its beautiful views of the city. There was a man standing at the entrance of the free landmark that was willing to answer questions about the fort, and it was a nice stop on my city tour.

Fellini’s Café and Tea Room- During my time in Cork, there was one restaurant and one meal that was my favorite - in fact I dedicated an entire blog post to it (found here). The chicken, cranberry, and Brie wrap from Fellini’s is literally life-changing and the best deal in the city at 6 euro. My mom was excited to try it and I was glad to show my parents where I had gone for many-a-meal. It was just as delicious as I remembered it and I was ecstatic to have it and savor it one final time.

University College Cork- Getting to walk around my old campus was emotional and brought back a lot of memories. Student elections were running so there was a buzz about the campus with people campaigning, music playing, and happy students everywhere. My parents instantly fell in love with the place and were happy that I got to spend time there. I was able to show them some of the buildings where I had class and take them on the daily walk I made to and from class.

Blarney Castle Hotel Trad Session- This was the part of our Cork City trip that I was most excited for. As you know if you have read my blogs before, I went to this music session every Tuesday night during my semester in Cork and danced, sang, and played music every time I went. This is also where I met two of my closest Irish friends - Mags, my dance teacher, who hosted the students at the session, and her friend Martin, a taxi driver, that would drive us to Blarney every week. My parents loved our nice meal at the hotel, meeting two people that were so important to me during my time at UCC, and experiencing authentic Irish Traditional music. They also got to see me dance with Mags and sing with her at the end of the evening.

Mok’s Pub and the Irish Grandpas - My roommates and I befriended two older men in the bar right next to our apartment and would visit them on the occasional Wednesday throughout the semester. They two guys, Michael and Frank, became affectionately known as our “Irish Grandpas” and my parents couldn’t wait to meet them when they visited. After stopping in the famous music joint "Oliver Plunkett" in the city, we walked to Mok’s on Wednesday and had a wonderful time talking about America, Ireland, trains, and Classical music for about 3.5 hours in the cozy pub. My parents loved the Grandpas, they loved my parents, and I loved the situation on the whole. We even concluded the night (at 1pm) by walking across the street to the famous fish and chips spot, Jackie Lennox, for some post-pub dinner! This was one of the craziest experiences that I have ever had with my parents, as two of my worlds so seamlessly fit together.

Until Next Time,

The Opinionated Lassie