Cork: Fitzgerald's Park

I was beginning to think I had allocated too many days to Cork. Perhaps 1½ would have been sufficient. I had thought there might be civic events connected with the gastronomical aspects of the city. Cork turned out to be a little scruffy, not in an unpleasant way, but I could see that some inhabitants were just getting by and many businesses were shuttered.

Anyway, my accommodation was booked so I just had to amuse myself before moving on by bus the next day. So I betook myself to Fitzgerald's Park for this day. Cork Public Museum is on the grounds.

The weather was fine so I decided to get some exercise by walking the 2 km to the park. The section along the north branch of the River Lee was pleasant. For some silly reason, I thought the museum was up the hill. So I crossed the river using Daly's Bridge (that has the nickname Shakey Bridge) and started up the hill. When I reached the putative location I realised it was the Cork City Gaol there, which didn't interest me. So I retraced my steps. I had actually passed the museum on my way in.

There are some intriguing street furniture scattered around the park.

Trimmed plants.

Hmm, not sure and didn't take notes.

A pond and fountain.

Local residents.

Shady paths.

Venerable tree.

Now for some views of the river.

Same vantage point.

In panorama:

Further upstream.

These two photos may have been taken from Daly's Bridge.

At this point I decided to visit the museum. I didn't take any photos because I didn't think I could do justice to the breadth of subjects covered. from notable Corkonians (I had to search for the demonym for Cork), Jews in Cork's history, Cork's participation in the Irish War of Independence, past industries in Cork, and many others that slip my mind.

After that I had a beverage at the cafe at the back of the museum.

I decided to return to the city centre via the path on the other bank of the river.

Nearing modern buildings.

Crossing N Main Street into the city centre.

And that was the end of my touring on my last day in Cork. I probably wandered through shops and shopping centres the rest of the day, not the best use of holiday time. I think I was catching my breath after the driving of the previous 12 days.

Ennis and Bantry

Ennis is just another form of Inis which means island. This prefix can be found in place names all over Ireland, for example Innisfree. As you may recall I skipped this town the first time going south in favour of Tralee because it was a little out of the way. So I was just tying up one loose end.

This is the fountain in the centre of town depicting a couple of farmers, a cow, and a dog.

The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.

You might be wondering about my strange driving itinerary, starting in Limerick, going south, working my way up north, then heading south past Killarney to Bantry and eventually Cork. It was partly influenced by the day of the week when I would be somewhere, availability of accommodation, the need to do laundry after 10 days or so, and other factors I forget now. Fortunately Ireland is not a large island. You could drive from the north to the south in 4 hours on the motorways; it's the country roads that slow one down, but the best scenery are definitely not along motorways.

Ennis' central street is narrow but has character.

It was Sunday so fairly deserted.

The cathedral in the distance.

I had a cup of tea in a cafe that was open on Sunday. After that it was an uneventful drive down south.

I did make one stop in Charleville, just inside County Cork, for lunch. There was very little choice of eateries. It's a sleepy country town serving the agricultural sector with no tourist sights. I gave up and got a burger at Supermacs, one of the major chains in Ireland. It was tasty enough for the hamburger genre.

The route to Bantry involved many country roads and to get there I was used as a guinea pig again by Google Maps. I finally checked in at my B&B and drove into town to get takeaway pizza to eat in the B&B's kitchenette. But first I had a look around the harbour before placing my order. This is the statue of St. Brendan the navigator in the town square.

The Bantry Church of Ireland to one side of the square.

I think the pizzeria was one of these restaurants at this corner of the square.

New Street, one of the roads exiting the square.

The tavern closer up.

I hope they are tasty at least.

An anchor from the French armada force of 1796 discovered in Bantry Bay in 1980.

The small Stella Cinema.

Bantry seemed to be living up to its reputation of being a neat town.

Colourful buildings on one side of the harbour.

Looking back from the harbour.

Mná is Gaelic for women. If I'm correct, the other side should have fir.

Panoramas with varying distortion:

Killarney National Park

A few kilometers outside of Killarney, the houses thinned out and I encountered this sign near Torc Waterfall indicating that I was well within Killarney National Park.

I didn't know it then but jaunting car is a known term. It was a means of sightseeing that became popular in the years before the Victorian Era.

And here is the waterfall I stopped to view.

The surroundings.

Downstream.

On the other side of the road is Muckross Lake. The adjoining Lough Leane is the largest of the three sights but wasn't on my route.

The shallows.

The road gained elevation and a few kilometres further on I encountered, no not Leprechaun Crossing, but Ladies View. It was named after Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting expressed their admiration.

And here is what they oohed and aahed over. The lake you see is Upper Lake.

There's a cafe if you want to linger and savour the view. There were a whole lot of Quebecois bikers, presumably on a group tour.

A map to give you your bearings.

Moving on, another stop for Looscaunagh. This is why having a car is an advantage over a tour bus, you can stop whenever the scenery beckons.

Rhododendrons are very widespread along road sides in western Ireland.

It's an attractive colour but unfortunately Rhododendron ponticum is an invasive species in Ireland. You can see how thick the shrub is. Some years ago there was a story in Irish newspapers about some walkers who got lost in a rhododendron thicket and couldn't find their way out and had to be airlifted. It must also be very hardy to survive the climate.

And here we leave Killarney National Park. It's not a big NP, and within easy reach of Killarney, thus it's popularity. But don't leave, there's a ring coming up.