Cork is all Greek to me!

I have finally found time to blog about my most recent adventure to the City of Cork. Last Friday, my flatmate George and I caught a bus to Cork to visit one of his acquaintances who is working on a PhD at the University of County Cork (UCC).  I had sort of unintentionally invited myself, but am glad I went because I did have quite a fun experience.  Let's just say it wasn't really the experience I was expecting!

Let me go back and clarify a few points.  My flatmate George is really named Georgios and he is from Greece.  The friend we visited in Cork is also Greek, and he has several Greek friends... Can you see where I'm heading with this?  My weekend in Cork was much more an exploration into Greek culture than Irish as I met over a dozen Greek people. 

Now I don't want to mislead you about the city.  I don't believe that Cork has a substantial Greek population, and in fact I'm assuming that I probably met most of the Greek people living there in one weekend.  They simply all know each other.  With a population of 120,000, Cork has a great variety of people, shopping and scenery.  It is not really considered a tourist hot-spot, but as the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland it is worth a visit.

My Greek weekend included several trips to pubs, cafes, house parties, tourist stops and a lot of walking!  After arriving on Friday evening, we ordered some traditional Italian pizza and carried it to a pub on Douglas Street, where we washed it down with the locally brewed Beamish Stout. Later we visited the larger bar Crane Lane for some dancing.

On Saturday, we headed to the famous English market for some breakfast at The Farm Gate, a local food restaurant.  The market is a wonderful permanent venue where you can find an amazing selection of fresh foods.  Our host had to go to the office in the afternoon so George and I set out on our own to explore the city.

Our main stop was the City Gaol (jail).  The Gaol opened in 1824 and held its first execution in 1828.  It was converted into an all-women prison in 1887, and eventually closed in 1923.  The Gaol was a worthwhile visit because the grounds and architecture have a hauntingly beautiful quality.

The Gaol's display mannequins were surprisingly realistic, making their presentation very effective.  One of the saddest aspects of the Gaol was the types of crimes for which people were incarcerated.  During the great Famine, many of the inmates were charged with petty theft or drunken disorderly because starving peasants would purposefully commit a crime in order to receive shelter, warmth and food in prison. Not all the prisoners were poor though. There were also periods of time when several political prisoners were held, often without trial.

 The Governor of the Gaol working at his desk.

I met a new friend at the prison... he looks a bit Greek, right??  This is by far my favourite picture of the weekend.

I don't believe that the conditions in the prison were much worse than others of its time.  There was often disease and vermin present, as well as punishment not used in common society.  As a form of solitary confinement jailers were encouraged to prevent prisoners from interacting.  Here is a picture of the circular path prisoners used to walk for exercise, evenly spaced from each other and forbidden to talk. Not fun!

After the gloomy experience in the prison, George and I walked through the UCC campus. The River Lee intersects its grounds, which nicely emphasizes nature. In one of my earliest blog posts I mentioned the tendency for massive Irish trees to grow in random places. Well I found another on the UCC campus.

I was the lone Canadian at a couple Greek get-togethers over the weekend, and thankfully they spoke English... most of the time.  I experienced several firsts on Saturday night when we visited a house-party where a Greek radio show was being aired.  I got to be on radio!!  I introduced myself as "Shannon from Canada" and shared the Canadian tune "Brother Down" by Sam Roberts.  It was broadcast to 12 people! I'm famous!

I also ate some great Greek food and tried their staple alcoholic drink Raki.  It has surprising strength, so is best sipped while eating to cleanse your palette.  The evening ended with a Greek folk song sing-a-long, complete with improvised piano accompaniment.  Sadly, I couldn't really participate because I didn't speak the language, but a few kind people translated for me.

By far my favourite part of the weekend was my unexpected look into Greek culture.  Luckily though I did also see a fair bit of downtown.  Here are a few of my favourite photos.

 City Hall at night, looking over the River Lee.

 Walking along Mardyke path, while the massive buildings of St. Vincent loom on Strawberry Hill.

 A church near the City Gaol.

Great way to top off the weekend; Irish coffee in a wine glass. Who knew the Irish were so classy?  I was expecting Baileys and got whiskey instead, but it was a nice way to combat the rainy weather.

Thank you for being a great audience in all my adventures.  I have over 1000 views on my blog, which is incredibly exciting!  Hope I persuaded you to visit Cork (or perhaps Greece)!

Until Next Time,

Shannon