Corcaigh, Bhlarna, & Luimneach

We arrived in Cork (Corcaigh) by way of Enniscorthy (Inis Córthaidh), New Ross (Ros Mhic Thriúin), and Waterford (Port Láirge) where we had a little lunch, then Dungarvan (Dún Garbhán), Youghal (Eochaill), and Midleton (Mainistir na Corann).

We settled in at Auburn House Guesthouse on Wellington Road, a short walk to the downtown area, crossing the River Lee at St. Patrick’s Street. Our guest master Olive shared with us places to listen to Irish music, where we can even join in (the musicians teach and share their instruments), and where the good cheap eats are to be found.

My friend Seth shared with me a place he and his wife had dinner in Cork while on their honeymoon a few years back, the Cornstore in the Cornmarket Centre. So I thought we’d give it a try. And on our way to dinner, we passed by the Everyman Theatre on McCurtain Street, where a production of “Lovers–Winners & Losers” was playing. We bought tickets for the 8PM show and headed across the bridge in the softly falling rain. Fr. Kerry says this is what the locals call a “soft” day, kinda wet though. But okay, I see how that is. Still.

Dinner at the Cornstore was great. It’s a place for aged steak and seafood. We both had aged beef medallions with green beans and mash. And for dessert I had some summer fruit with raspberry sorbet, while Fr. Kerry had the Creme Brûlée. All in all, a tasty reasonably-priced meal, followed by what we were hoping would be an entertaining play … well. It had its moments, but “Lovers–Winners & Losers” was not easy to follow. The brogue was heavy at times. And we couldn’t figure out the timeline of the story. But that could have just been us, with our inability to get past the accent. But we came back to the guesthouse the long way. The short way was steep, hard on the calves. And it was a quiet, cool evening.

The next day after breakfast, we headed out of Cork and saw signs to Blarney Castle. So we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Not that either of us was going to kiss the Blarney Stone. I was thinking Salmonela, Listeria, E. Coli … sorry. I was happy to kiss anything else.

After a lunch of soup and a sandwich, we hit the road once again for Limerick (Luimneach). The hotel was a nice find, the Maldron, a short drive south of the city. We drove into town for dinner at the Cornstore, same as yesterday’s restaurant in Cork. They only seem to have two places, so we hit them both. I had a Stonewell Mild Dry Cider (5.5% alcohol by volume). Fr. Kerry had the Dungarvan Helvic Gold Blonde Ale (4.9%). Mine was slightly less sweet than a ginger ale. Fr. Kerry said he should have had a glass of wine instead. After dinner we walked the quiet streets of the city. Not much going on tonight it seems.