'All the seasons in one day'

There's more to Cork than its capricious weather.

By DAVID ALDRICH

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 2, 2000

[Photos: David Aldrich] A grim mannequin stands in Cork’s equally grim former jail.

CORK, Ireland -- "Don't come to Ireland for the sunshine."

I had just ducked into Cork's central food market to avoid a downpour. A fish seller in a black rubber apron watched me shaking my umbrella. Like most residents, he seemed proud of Cork's constantly changing weather.

"Don't come to Ireland for the sunshine," he repeated.

In fact, it rained every day I spent in Cork, rarely hard or for long: 30 minutes of drizzle, then 30 minutes of sunshine, then 30 minutes of drizzle. Cork natives see the capricious weather that comes rolling in from the North Atlantic as a conversation-starter. They talk of their weather in teasing, amused voices.

Cork is a harbor city of about 140,000 on Ireland's southwestern coast. It is not a picture-postcard spot like the nearby coastal villages of Kinsale and Clonakilty, but it is attractive in its own way, with rows of restored shops in bright blues, yellows and reds.

Although some districts are gray and gritty, Cork seems friendly and bustling, with a large university, a lively shopping district and countless cozy pubs. It is also a convenient home base for day trips to coastal towns with wonderful names such as Ross Carbery, Skibbereen and Ballinspittle.

The River Lee runs into Cork, where it splits into north and south channels that wrap around a narrow island 2 miles long that contains the original town, then comes back together to dash on south to the Irish Sea. About two dozen bridges arch over the water.

The historic seaport of Cobh was the emigration point for millions of Irish starting in the 19th century.

Until they were paved over in the 19th century, many streets were waterways where boats docked. Cork has had strong connections to the sea since its founding in the seventh century. Not all those connections have been happy. On April 11, 1912, as the final stop on her first voyage, the Titanic docked just outside the harbor to fetch passengers from Cobh (pronounced "cove") in Cork Harbor. A few lucky ones got off, a few unlucky ones got on. Four days later, the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank, with the loss of 1,500 lives.

Irish idyll Southern Ireland has many charms among its craggy shorelines and rolling terrain, not the least of which is its people. 'All the seasons in one day' There's more to Cork than its capricious weather. Which way do you go? In Ireland, the signposts won't help much, even if you're driving on the correct side of the road. Be prepared to be confused by them -- if you can even see them. Getting to know the Irish You'll find out more about the Irish if you visit their "locals" -- the corner pubs that toast their sociable nature. Quiet stones tell a story Ireland's ancient past whispers from its ruins, fallen remnants of war and religion, fragments of communities that flourished centuries ago. Riding an economic boom Unemployment is down and incomes are up as industry invades Ireland. Drinking in the culture A personal pilgrimage to the pubs of Dublin.

Just three years later, a German submarine torpedoed the passenger liner Lusitania a few miles off the coast, an event that helped push the United States into the First World War. Many of the Lusitania's 1,200 victims lie buried near Cobh.

Both sinkings are the subject of special exhibits in Cobh's Queenstown Story museum, which also has extensive displays dealing with Irish emigration. Between 1845 and 1950, about 2.5-million people left Ireland through Cobh Harbor. During the terrible potato famine and its aftermath, between 1845 and 1851, a staggering 1-million people abandoned Ireland for the United States, Canada, Australia and elsewhere.

Through old newsreels, photos and drawings, the museum portrays what life was like on emigrant boats so dreadful that some of the early ones were dubbed "coffin ships."

Yet the Queenstown Story (Cobh briefly had that name in honor of Queen Victoria) is tasteful and informative and should be of special interest to anyone with Irish ancestors.

Cork has many attractions not related to the sea, however, such as St. Anne's Church, Shandon, whose square-sided tower is visible for miles. One drizzly morning, my wife, Nancy, and I walked to the church expressly to ring its bells. The 18th century church contains 6 tons of bells that, surprisingly, visitors are free to ring (well, free at $4). Instruction sheets told us which of the eight ropes to pull.

We then made the difficult and claustrophobic climb to the tower's summit, where Cork spread out grandly before us in the warm, gray drizzle. The church is just off Upper John Street, about a 15-minute walk from the town center.

The sun shone during our tour of the Beamish Brewery, downtown on a bend of the south channel of the River Lee. We saw steel vats as big as farm silos, and we learned that stout -- the dark, preferred beer of Ireland -- can be made by adding 20 percent roasted barley to the brew. The tour ended at a reproduction pub, where we were shown the proper way to pour stout: Fill the glass three quarters, then wait two minutes for the foam to subside before you finish pouring.

Fitzgerald Park, the Cork Public Museum and the Cork City Gaol are within walking distance of each other and make a nice getaway from the center of the old town (take bus No. 8 to the Cork University entrance). The park offers a lily pond, a rose garden, contemporary sculpture and swings for children.

The weather changed from sun to rain while I was there, so I slipped into the Cork Public Museum. (The guard looked at me and shook his head. "All the seasons in one day," he said, but it sounded more like a boast than a complaint.)

Cork's history of strife fills the first floor, with weapons, photos and newspaper clippings from the War of Independence. The second floor is devoted to archaeology: coins, pottery and information on local excavations. Among the items dug up are several 18th century toothbrushes that looked much like ours, except that the handles were made of antler.

Take a tour of the former Cork City Gaol, and for a month you won't even jaywalk. The taped tour does a frighteningly effective job of portraying prison life. Locked away here were ordinary prisoners and political prisoners, men, women and even children. Political graffiti still decorate some cell walls; mannequin jailers stand about looking frightening.

We could not go to Cork without visiting Blarney Castle, about a half-dozen miles away. With many others, we stood in line, climbed 100 narrow steps, stood in line some more, then finally got to lie on our backs and briefly kiss the Blarney Stone. The view from atop its 1446 tower was magnificent, however, and people were good-natured about the long lines.

Once you've bussed the stone and thereby achieved the gift of gab, escape from the crowds and take a walk through the lovely castle grounds. It's a dark, magical place of mossy boulders and gnarled, towering hardwoods with vines growing up their sides. Sections are named Witch's Kitchen, Fairy Glade and Druids' Cave.

While we were there, a warm drizzle began, but we didn't really mind -- after all, we hadn't come to Ireland for the sunshine.

David Aldrich is a freelance writer who lives in Lexington, Mass.

IF YOU GO

Staying there: You can book one of Ireland's countless B&Bs from a government information office. Cork has rows of B&Bs. Typical is the Roserie Villa on Mardyke Walk near Fizgerald Park, charging $70 for a double; call 021 272958, fax 021 274087. If you want a sitting room, bedroom and kitchen, try Morrisons Island on Morrisons Quay, just off South Mall, which charges $160 for a double; call 021 275858, fax 021 275833

The Imperial Hotel has the feel of 19th century Europe, with its chandeliered lobby and marble floors. It's on South Mall at the corner of Pembroke Street and charges $115 year-round; call 021-274040, fax 021-275375.

The attractions: The Queenstown Story museum is housed in a Victorian train station near the harbor and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $4.75; call 021 813591.

St. Anne's bell tower is open Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The Beamish Brewery tours take place Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. and noon, last one hour and cost $4.

The Cork Public Museum is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:15 to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 3 to 5 p.m. There is no admission charge.

The City Gaol is off Convent Avenue, a short walk north from Fitzgerald Park. Open seven days, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; admission is $4.75. Call 021 305022.

Blarney Castle is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the summer and costs $4.75. Avoid weekends and arrive early. The climb down is difficult for small children and people with walking problems.

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