By John Thackray
So, I touched down in SUNNY Cork at 19:00 local time, dashed to get my hire car and the upgrade to a brand new Jeep with 4,000km on the clock was a nice start though I didn’t have time to faff to get the radio working…
I checked into my accommodation just after 19:30 and got my food order in just after 20:00. No time to shower – just to change from the shorts I was wearing in Spain. And I ordered my first and only Guinness in Ireland. And yes! It WAS better than any other Guinness I’d tried.
Foodie review:
The freshly battered fish was crispy, and VERY tasty… I’d give it a 8,5 out of 10 – though the winner is the Seafood Spice Box… 9,5 out of 10!! Though don’t think of adding any salt as the spicy seasoning is ample…. VERY tasty indeed, with the calamari as good as my favourite calamari in South Africa… the tempura prawn was also a hit!! Well done Trawler Boyz. You DO have an award winning recipe there.
There was even a live singer in Blackbird and then I popped over to McGrath’s next door and chatted to the owner who has been running the establishment since the 1980’s. I was so stuffed having sampled two meals (Thacks Awards need to subsidise my gym membership!) – but sadly wasted some good chips. Indeed, ‘…honest to god the best best Irish chipper food I’ve ever experienced’ as per an Irish lass, WAS a great description.
On Sunday morning I braved the stormy weather to see Ballycotton cliffs and the lighthouse during daylight after passing ‘Coastal Coffee’ for a great brew, then the sun made an appearance when I went along the other side of the bay to the less muddy Knockadoon cliffs. I only had time for a short walk to see an island off Capel Way and when the clouds started disappearing I had to dash to Midleton for my informative 13:00 distillery tour. I saw the massive and historical Irish whiskey distillery process from the days when Cork had the 2nd largest natural harbour in the world and sent Irish whiskey across the globe and heard about how the barrel wood today gets imported from the US and Spain.
Then I had a shopping expedition in Cork to pick up some Irish fillet steak to cook at home this week; and some M&S treats. I managed to drop my Jeep off less than 24 hours since I collected it and the flight time totalled just over 6 hours.
Thanks to Maria for making a stop to beautiful Ballycotton and Knockadoon part of the trip. And to Graham for his pub recommendation.
What’s next? Work tomorrow after getting home after 1am on a Monday morning.
Thacks Awards 