As promised, here is the report on Cork and Kilkenny:
We took the bus from our accommodation into Cork, where we first caught a glimpse of the Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church (we didn't go inside).
We had prepared a small route, which I think is very good for a tour in Cork.
This route includes the following points:
Nano Nagle Place (
more information about Nano Nagle here)
Elizabeth Fort (
info)
Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral (
Saint Finbarr)
National Monument - Cork
English Market
Crawford Art Gallery (
website)
St. Peters (
website)
The Butter Museum (
website)
Shandon Bells & Tower St Anne (
info)
(can be expanded to include Cork City Gaol and Cork Public Museum)
The route can be easily walked in 3-4 hours and you get to see a lot.
I liked Cork much better than Dublin, and the sunshine certainly contributed to that. There are many small alleys and always something to discover.
In the evening, we first went to the Hi-B Bar (highly recommended), where we got into a conversation with Terry and Ber, who gave us some tips on what to see. Then we had Fish & Chips again, or finally Shepard's Pie, and finished off with a beer at the Franciscan Well Brewery & Brewpub (
yes, I want more info).
All in all, Cork is a cozy city with a lot of flair and history. Thumbs up from me.
On Saturday, we continued towards Kilkenny. Along the way, we stopped at Dungarven, where we had a very good breakfast, only to find out that there was a food festival there this weekend. It was already busy at noon, with many different stands offering delicious delicacies from various countries. Nice people and good coffee.
The next stop was Kilkenny for us, where we first visited the castle and garden. For €8 admission, they keep the site in really good condition. Everything is very neat and well-kept.
Then we went to the pedestrian zone of Kilkenny and visited the Smithwick's Experience brewery (
finally some info).
I skipped the whole thing and went straight to the bar to enjoy observing the funny people who had just finished the tour. Always worth an experience.
Then we drove to the accommodation, checked in and relaxed.
We enjoyed our last dinner at Kytler's Inn and then took a little evening stroll in Kilkenny and had a final pint at the Brewery Corner.
On Sunday, we made a little detour to Donabate Beach before heading to the airport and back home.
All in all, yes,
Ireland has beautiful spots, a lot of rain, and is definitely worth a visit.
A week is definitely not enough time to take in everything. Like everywhere, there are things that you might not like so much and things that are even better.
First and foremost, I find the incredible hospitality of the Irish and their very dry humor that we encountered over and over again.
If I have some spare change, I'll come back. Rumor has it that there are cliffs in Ireland. But so far, I think it's just a rumor, I haven't seen any, probably because of the rain.
In June, we will continue our journey, this time heading back to Italy.