This will be a very quick post since we leave for home tomorrow. But Ireland isn't to be passed over, so I feel compelled to get out a few words and pictures about this lovely green land. By tomorrow we will have been here for about 8 days, mostly in Cork, and then a couple of days in Dublin. We had hoped to stay in Galway, since so many Portland folks of Irish descent came from that western Ireland city and it's reputed to be beautiful. Alas, it was horse race week in Galway and not a room to be had there. As a fellow in Dublin remarked yesterday in giving us directions back to our hotel (located next to the Royal Dublin Horse Show site), "all roads in Ireland lead to horse races!". So, we opted instead for Cork, second largest city in Ireland, where Gay Pride weekend was about to be celebrated rather than horse races! And, as we've found so often before, the city and surrounding areas had a lot to offer.
Cork, second largest city of Ireland, on the River Lee.
Church of Ireland tower with rainbow flag for Pride weekend
Probably the two most interesting things about Cork were the place that we stayed and the nearby city of Cobh. We stayed with a young couple, Denise and Ben, who have a spare bedroom which they offer through AirBnB at a very reasonable rate, with a great breakfast thrown in. Denise, as it turns out, manages a shelter for immigrants, housing nearly 300 refugees. Ben works for a mobile phone company. Of course I was very interested in Denise's work and how the Irish government handles their refugees. So, on our last day, Denise took me to see the shelter. I'm a bit familiar with the Canadian approach and with the US approach, which encourages independence fairly quickly. It was fascinating to compare them with the Irish way, with its very benevolent services, including housing, meals, educational classes, recreation, health services, day care, and employment support.
It was such a travel plus to stay with ordinary folks and to learn about their lives. Watching the Olympics together on their big screen tv and using their kitchen to cook up a simple meal and exchanging travel stories felt a lot like staying with friends. Neat experience.
Our AirBnB, Denise and Ben's home in Cork
Cobh, formerly known as Queenstown and before that as Cove (Cobh is the Gaelic spelling of Cove), is the coastal city from where 250,000 Irish left their country on the "famine ships" to look for a better life elsewhere in the 1800's. It's also where the Titanic last stopped to pick up passengers in 1912. Three years later the Lusitania survivors and bodies were brought there after the ship was torpedoed by the Germans in World War I. And, it was one of the cities on the New York, Cherbourg, Queenstown circuit for big ocean liners, too. Lots of history there that we learned about in a heritage museum. The tourism guy shared an interesting tidbit: When Ireland got its independence, it rid itself of anything British, including the name of Queenstown (named for Queen Victoria) and several statues of Victoria, which they sent to Australia and Victoria, British Columbia. A third statue was buried but recently unearthed in these more enlightened times. In mentioning the name of the hated English statesman, Cromwell, he gave a little spit out of the side of his mouth! Makes you realize how relatively recently the war of independence took place, not quite one hundred years ago.
This is a photo of a photo - but doesn't it almost feel like you're on board the Titanic?
Our brief stay in Dublin has gone quickly with Bruce needing to spend time on his new on-line class that he's teaching. We've walked downtown a couple of times and enjoyed the cool air and the beautiful Georgian architecture, the lovely parks and gardens, and the old pubs.
Our Dublin hotel where Bruce was hard at work on his on-line class
Georgian house in Dublin
Garden, park, church - a little bit of everything here!
Ireland was a good choice for our last stop. We certainly felt closer to home here. The US-Irish connection was everywhere: lots of American (and Canadian) flags; lots of businesses and products with American names, such as Manhattan popcorn and Long Island Bar; lots of people with relatives in the US or who had traveled there themselves. Everyone seemed to know where Maine is. I could feel an invisible thread pulling us homeward to those we love!
Probably the two most interesting things about Cork were the place that we stayed and the nearby city of Cobh. We stayed with a young couple, Denise and Ben, who have a spare bedroom which they offer through AirBnB at a very reasonable rate, with a great breakfast thrown in. Denise, as it turns out, manages a shelter for immigrants, housing nearly 300 refugees. Ben works for a mobile phone company. Of course I was very interested in Denise's work and how the Irish government handles their refugees. So, on our last day, Denise took me to see the shelter. I'm a bit familiar with the Canadian approach and with the US approach, which encourages independence fairly quickly. It was fascinating to compare them with the Irish way, with its very benevolent services, including housing, meals, educational classes, recreation, health services, day care, and employment support.
It was such a travel plus to stay with ordinary folks and to learn about their lives. Watching the Olympics together on their big screen tv and using their kitchen to cook up a simple meal and exchanging travel stories felt a lot like staying with friends. Neat experience.
Cobh, formerly known as Queenstown and before that as Cove (Cobh is the Gaelic spelling of Cove), is the coastal city from where 250,000 Irish left their country on the "famine ships" to look for a better life elsewhere in the 1800's. It's also where the Titanic last stopped to pick up passengers in 1912. Three years later the Lusitania survivors and bodies were brought there after the ship was torpedoed by the Germans in World War I. And, it was one of the cities on the New York, Cherbourg, Queenstown circuit for big ocean liners, too. Lots of history there that we learned about in a heritage museum. The tourism guy shared an interesting tidbit: When Ireland got its independence, it rid itself of anything British, including the name of Queenstown (named for Queen Victoria) and several statues of Victoria, which they sent to Australia and Victoria, British Columbia. A third statue was buried but recently unearthed in these more enlightened times. In mentioning the name of the hated English statesman, Cromwell, he gave a little spit out of the side of his mouth! Makes you realize how relatively recently the war of independence took place, not quite one hundred years ago.
Our brief stay in Dublin has gone quickly with Bruce needing to spend time on his new on-line class that he's teaching. We've walked downtown a couple of times and enjoyed the cool air and the beautiful Georgian architecture, the lovely parks and gardens, and the old pubs.
Ireland was a good choice for our last stop. We certainly felt closer to home here. The US-Irish connection was everywhere: lots of American (and Canadian) flags; lots of businesses and products with American names, such as Manhattan popcorn and Long Island Bar; lots of people with relatives in the US or who had traveled there themselves. Everyone seemed to know where Maine is. I could feel an invisible thread pulling us homeward to those we love!
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