Joey’s Visit! Part 1: Cork

Joey made the long journey across the ocean to come visit me for a little bit and I was over the moon. A major pick me up half way through the semester. I got to show him all of my favorite spots around Cork.

Tuesday: Joey arrived and I picked him up from the bus stop. We went to Jackie Lennox chip shop for dinner and his first fish and chips here in Ireland.

Wednesday: I had my immigration registration appointment so I brought him in to town with me for the morning. (Officially allowed to stay until December 30th, 2020!) After the appointment we picked up some coffee and walked around Cork, following one the walks outlined in a book I picked up about Corks architecture.

First we saw Holy Trinity Church, designed in the 1820’s but not finished until 1891 because of the Great Famine in the 1840’s delaying construction.

We saw St. Finn Barr’s South and a sculpture The Dead Christ sculpted by one of Irelands most well known sculptor, John Hogan. We saw the Red Abbey, only a bell tower now stands after Cromwell got rid of the monastery originally living there and the building burned down later. We saw Nano Nagle’s Place, St. Nicholas, a neo classical church, as well as the Elizabeth Fort. I walk passed the fort every time I walk to and from town and I have yet to go inside. It’s tucked away, hidden behind pubs and businesses but it was definitely a gem. Lots of information and we got to walk around the top of the fort which gave us beautiful views of the city. It was another star shaped fort, like the many I’ve visited here in Ireland.

Finally we saw St. Finn Barre’s Cathedral. This Cathedral is tucked behind the fort, and I see its awe inspiring spires everyday and lit up every night on my way home from town. St. Finn Barre is Cork’s patron saint and founded a school and monastery here in the city in the early seventh century. St. Finn Barre’s organ is located under the chancel floor, making it the only underground church organ in the world!

We finished off the day back in town, walking around city center, seeing the English Market, and enjoying some pints at my two favorite breweries in town, Rising Sons Brewery and Franciscan Wells. As a surprise I took Joey to a board game cafe like one we visited in St. Louis when we drove across the country to move to Alabama.

Thursday: Thursday was a little less busy than Wednesday because I had to go back to classes. Joey wandered the city for a while, while I was in classes. Then on my long break in the day, we wandered around UCC campus and went on another walk from my Cork walking book. We saw the UCC campus, Fitzgerald Park, County Hall, the former Cork city gaol, and St. Vincent’s. I took Joey for a pint of Murphy’s at my favorite pub near the house, and then we went and got some sushi and food at a local Japanese restaurant.

Friday: Our last day in Cork! My class today was canceled which means we got to go to breakfast at a really nice breakfast/brunch place in town and have Friday morning breakfast together, one of our early traditions we used to do back in Colorado. Then we packed our bags and headed for the station to grab a train to Dublin!