A walk around Cork

Well today I was inspired to go for a walk around my hometown and take a few photos. I drove into University College Cork and parked the car. I have been a student here for the past four years, and my spell here is now coming to an end! UCC is a must-see if you're visiting Cork, and it's also a nice place to sit out and relax on a warm summer's day. I'll write more information about UCC in a review later, but I took some photos of the Quad, some of the buildings and the Lewis Glucksman Gallery. I also snapped some photos of a nice walk adjacent to the University.

From UCC I walked to St. Finbarr's Cathedral, a place that has always amazed me. I remember walking from town up to college (before I got a car) and every morning just standing in awe looking at this. It is simply amazing, and is very underappreciated in Cork. If it was in any other country, there would be masses of tourists flocking to see it, but for some reason it is quiet and unnoticed, despite its enormous size! It truly is magnificent, and I would like to see more work go into preventing it from rotting away.

After this, I took a trip into the city centre, where I was like a man on a mission, snapping everything I thought may be of interest to visitors. My first stop was the Old English Market. I haven't been in this place in a while, but it's certainly a lot less "old" than it used to be. While this is probably a good thing for the hygiene of people who buy food here, for me it has also taken some of the character out of it. That said, the Old English Market is still the place to get good quality sauces and meat in Cork.

I exited on a sidestreet between Oliver Plunkett Street and onto Patrick Street. I've heard a rumour that this street has the highest rent for retail premises of all streets in Ireland. Apparently it's something to do with the fact that it is really the only shopping street in Cork, and all the major retail chains are here. Patrick Street went under a renovation in 2004/2005, in order to modernise the city in time for its famed status as "European Capital of Culture 2005". This title was something that was treated with great importance by Corkonians, but unfortunately its start was marred by massive delays on a drainage renewal scheme, which is still going on today. That said, there were many a good festival and plenty of good concerts that year, and tourism in the city was certainly boosted by its newfound status.

I then walked down Winthrop Street and back onto Oliver Plunkett Street where I took a photo of the General Post Office (GPO). I've never really taken much notice of this building, despite being inside many, many times, but according to TripAdvisor it is an attraction! I then walked down to the bottom of the street and out to the top of the South Mall, where I could snap some photos of City Hall. City Hall is a beautiful building, and has been kept very well. I also took some photos of the Clarion Hotel, a new hotel in Cork, which along with Jury's is about the nicest hotel in Cork (Yes, you could stay in the 5 star Hayfield Manor if you wanted, but I'm guessing you don't!)

From here I walked up to get a shot of the Bus Station, which has also recently been renovated, and some nice photos of the River Lee, which runs right through the centre of the city. From here I strolled down Merchant's Quay and took some photos of Patrick Street from Patricks Bridge, in particular of the Father Mathew Statue. I then took a long distance picture of Shandon tower from the Opera House, before getting a shot of the Opera House itself. Next stop was the Crawford Gallery and the Half Moon Theatre.

From here I strolled down Paul Street, a place that up until recently, would usually be filled with goths and hippies. They usually gather around in the winter, as in the summer the Peace Park is their favourite haunt. I later walked to the Peace Park (Bishop Lucey Park) and took a quick snap there. After this I walked past St. Peter and Pauls Church, and up Castle Street to St Francis Church. Next was the Courthouse, which is quite impressive, despite looking like a typical courthouse!

I then returned to the University area, but unfortunately my camera battery died before I could snap some pictures of Fitzgeralds Park and the Mardyke Arena! A fair bit of walking was done today, and I tried to get as much of the college and city centre done! Of course, I didn't go into any galleries or anything like that, but it was a fine day so I wanted to make the most of the weather!

While I saw a lot today, there is still so much to see in Cork. From Fota Wildlife Park to Cork City Gaol, from Blarney Castle to the Titanic Trail in Cobh, there is a hell of a lot more for me to see before I can say I really know my own city/county! Hopefully I'll take the opportunity to see these soon, but as we'd say in Ireland: Is maith an ni an aimsir (pronounced issss maaah on nee on eye-mm-sher), translation: Time will tell!