The Wind that Shakes the Barley Tour

County Cork is situated in the South West of Ireland, it is the largest of all the Irish counties and in many ways the most varied. Rich farmlands and river valleys contrast with the wild sandstone hills of the west, and above all there is the magnificent coastline scooped and fretted by the Atlantic into great bays and secret coves, strewn with rocky headlands and long soft golden sands.

Cork, or Corcaigh or 'The Great Marsh of Munster' had its historic beginning in the 7th century when St. Finbarr founded his monastic settlement on what is now Gillabbey Rock.  The physical shape of Cork derives from its island beginnings. Water and tides, birds and boys fishing, bridges and Amsterdam-like house-fronts, all cajole the walker and casual visitor to the city. Up to the 1770s Cork was a city of waterways. Patrick Street was seriously damaged in the dying days of the War of Independence but much of the remaining fabric of the city remains as it was in the 19th Century. Cork has many physical qualities, steps, steeples and hidden squares and lanes. Over the years the medieval plot size and street pattern have been retained, despite much of the city being rebuilt in the 18th and 19th Centuries.

Cork people are energetic and fun-loving by nature. A quality of life has been retained within Cork that is attractive to the visitor and citizen alike. Nowadays an optimistic populace live within a calm and protected medieval island-city, a city reborn through major programmes of renewal and regeneration.

Strategically positioned by a deep harbour of the North Atlantic, Cork is essentially a city of trade. The city's motto Statio Bene Fida Carinis - A Safe Harbour for Ships - reveals the essential nature of port and city. Great volumes of traffic from the sea, import and export, emigration and immigration, have been the characteristic strength of the city for over a thousand years.

As well as music, theatre, literature and sport, Food is also an essential element in the mix of Cork life. By the 1770s food exports out of Cork were larger than those of Dublin.  At the beginning of the 20th century Cork Corporation owned and supervised five Markets and nowadays the City Council supervises two markets, The English Market and The Coal Quay. In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in fine food, in wholesome and organic provisioning. This renewal of interest and the widespread enthusiasm to establish high standards for Food Markets marks the return to the pioneering seriousness and professionalism of the 18th Century Butter Merchants. The city and its hinterland has a necklace of the most incredible restaurants.

A port city of trade and commerce, a major regional cultural centre with a deeply embedded artistic community, Cork is a city primed for a thousand welcomes. Galleries and arts centres, concert halls and cinemas, pubs and restaurants, all are available and eager to host the stranger and the returning friend. Cork people are curious and open, inquisitive and welcoming. It is within the welcoming hearts of Cork people themselves, a people used to great floodings from the sea, that Europe will discover yet another safe harbour for art and culture.

-DAY ONE - Shannon/ Blarney

Arrive into Cork, where you will begin your journey south to Ireland’s second city (or the “real capital” of Ireland, as its inhabitants like to call it!). En route to Cork you may like to stop in Adare (one of the prettiest villages in Ireland) for morning tea/coffee and scones. 

Continue to Cork where you will enjoy an orientation tour of Cork City.  Built on a marsh, the city proper is inter-laced with winding canal and river, which give it a distinctly European air. The River Lee divides the city in two and is perhaps best reflected in the well-patterned architectural development incorporating the best of old and new.  Although a busy industrial city, it is also an important shopping centre. The principal streets are lined with fashion houses and department stores stocking quality Irish goods.

Across the Western road is the entrance to University College Cork. The buildings are styled after the Tudor Gothic period and visitors can walk the corridors in the path of famous people such as George Boole, whose Boolean Logic has become the basis of modern day computer science. Your tour will then continue past the magnificent St. Finbarr's Cathedral, designed in mini-Gothic style by William Burgess and built on the site of St. Finbarr's original settlement (606 AD). This Early French Gothic structure is built proportionately to scale and features highly ornamented, beautiful mosaic work and rich carvings. William Burgess was obsessed with all things medieval - witness the detail - the soffits, gargoyles, birds and beasts, the rose-window, and the multitude of ornate carvings. The present building replaces two earlier churches and was completed in 1870.

Following the road back to the river, cross over the bridge on to the South Main Street, and on your left is the Beamish and Crawfords Brewery. This brewery building is recognisable by its half-timbered Tudor frontage and interesting cupola, weathervane and clock. This is the home of Carling Lager and local Beamish Stout (milder and fuller than Guinness).    A little further down the South Main Street turn right to the Grand Parade. The City Library is on your right and at the end of the Grand Parade by the river is the National Monument. This memorial commemorates the Irish Rebels of the 1798 and 1867 Uprisings. Surrounding the Maid of Erin, leaning on a broken cross, are four of Ireland's leading patriots - Thomas Davis, Michael O'Dwyer, O'Neill-Crowley, and Wolfe Tone. It includes the crests of the four provinces of Ireland - Connaught, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. 

Nearby, also beside the river, is a War Memorial to the dead of two world wars, in particular the Royal Munster Fusiliers. In the 1st World War or 'Great War', more Irishmen per head of population died in Flanders than other participating nations. The Hiroshima Memorial, an uncarved granite stone, lies nearby. Turn left to the South Mall; this street is the business and financial centre of Cork, containing many interesting buildings. Many have steps leading from what was once an open flowing river channel, with boat houses below at street level. Houses No. 53 and 74 South Mall are two examples of houses built with Dutch brick which arrived in Cork as ballast on board ships trading with Holland.

At the end of the South Mall looking across the river from Connolly Hall is the City Hall.  Constructed from large limestone blocks the City Hall was opened by President Eamon De Valera in 1936. The funds were provided by the British Government in reparation for the burning of the original city hall by English Crown Forces on December 20th/21st 1920 during the Irish War of Independence.   Continue then to Patrick Street until you come to Academy Street turning off to the right; at the top of Academy Street to the right is the Crawford Art Gallery. Located in Emmet Place the Crawford Gallery houses old masters and modern Irish artists. The northern portion dates from 1724 (facing the Opera House), It was formerly the city's Custom House when ships could enter the square where the Opera House Fountain sits today. The right wing was designed by Richard Hill and added in 1866 - a faithfully copied "marriage in stone".

Turn left into the Paul Street area; a former back street now tastefully converted into a thriving shopping area with restaurants, boutiques, craft and bookshops, in the heart of old Cork. The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul is a beautiful 19th century Catholic church in an ornate neo-Gothic style - call in to quietly experience another world! The Paul Street area has many French associations........ being part of the Old French Quarter. The Huguenots were French Protestants forced to flee their own country because of persecution in the 17th century. In Cork they congregated in Paul Street, French Church Street, and Carey's Lane. In French Church Street services were performed in French into the present century.

As native Catholics were prevented by the Penal Laws from becoming involved in trade, the French settlers filled the vacuum as wholesale merchants, beef and butter exporters, tallow-chandlers, brewers and coopers. Follow French Church Street or Carey's Lane back down to Patrick Street and cross over into Princes Street where the entrance to the English Markets is located. This thriving covered market with its variety of stalls selling goods and fresh produce dates to a Charter of James 1 in 1610. The present building, 1786, was damaged by fire in 1980 and was refurbished by Cork Corporation to an award-winning design by T.F. MacNamara, the City Architect. Foodstuffs peculiar to Cork may be purchased here. The Drisheen is a mixture of dried sheep's blood and herbs made up like puddings in skins, but of considerable length. Crubeen are pig's feet boiled 'with the hoof on'. Troters are sheep's feet boiled in water!

Your final destination today and your home for the next 5 nights will be at The Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel. Situated in the village of Blarney, which was part of the old mill, 5 miles from Cork City, the hotel is an ideal Base for touring County Cork. Many of the rooms have spectacular views of the famous Blarney Castle. All rooms have been tastefully decorated in the traditional style. Enjoy a relaxing drink and experience some Irish hospitality in Christy's pub.

- Day  Two   - Blarney & Cork.

To visit Blarney Castle is to step back in time, and feel the enchantment of a long and heroic past.  Here is one of the great historical sites of Ireland, renowned throughout the world. The view from the entrance gate sets the scene immediately, with fine vistas of parkland crowned by Blarney castle rising up in its entire ancient splendour, framed by clumps of trees.

Your driver will then bring you to Cork City where you can enjoy some free time.  En route back to Blarney you will stop to visit the Cork City Gaol.  The Cork City Gaol in Sunday's Well, was designed to replace the old Gaol at the Northgate Bridge in the heart of the city. The old gaol was nearly 100 yrs. old, on a confined site, overcrowded & unhygienic. In 1806 an Act of Parliament was passed and monies levied locally to allow the building of a new City Gaol. The first site chosen was at Distillery Fields - an area prone to frequent flooding!! This fact, and enlightened thinking that hilly, airy sites were best for containing gaol fever probably influenced the change to the present site.

The new Cork City Gaol opened in 1824 & was reported as being "the finest in 3 Kingdoms". In 1870 the west wing was remodelled into a double-sided cell wing & in 1878 under the General Prisons (Ireland) Act, the Gaol became an all-female prison which it remained until male anti-treaty supporters were incarcerated in 1922/1923.  The Gaol closed in August 1923, with all remaining prisoners either released or transferred to other gaols.  The top floor of the Governor's House was used as a radio broadcasting station by the national radio station - Radio Eireann (now RTE) from 1927 until the 1950's. From 1923 to 1993, apart from the foregoing, and some storage use of the exterior grounds by the Dept. Posts & Telegraphs, the Gaol complex was allowed to become totally derelict until its innovative restoration and reopening to the Public as a visitor attraction in 1993.

Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

- Day  Three   - Kinsale.

Enjoy a leisurely start to the day today before heading south to Kinsale, which is a small fishing village situated approximately 16 miles from Cork City.  It is renowned for its pubs and restaurants and is known as the ‘Gourmet Capital’ of Ireland.  Every visitor to Kinsale is captivated by its beautiful setting, with the long waterfront, narrow winding streets and Compass Hill rising sharply behind the town. The old fortifications of Charles Fort and James Fort guard the narrow entrance to Kinsale from the sea. 

The town has poignant memories of the sinking of the liner ‘Lusitania’ in 1915, off the Old Head of Kinsale, and it was in the courthouse the inquest into the incident took place. Visit Charles Fort, constructed in the early 1680’s in honour of King Charles II by William Robinson, architect of the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham in Dublin, Charles Fort is a classic example of a star shaped fort.  In use until 1921 the fort, which protected the trading town of Kinsale, gives a unique insight into Irish fortifications.  Besieged in 1690 by the Duke of Marlborough and destroyed in 1922 during the Civil War, Charles Fort reflects the turbulence of Ireland’s past.  It was declared a National Monument in 1973.  Across the estuary is James Fort, an earlier structure, which was designed by Paul Ivy in 1602.

An early dinner will be served in Kinsale with entertainment at the Lord Kingsale Pub, returning to Cork for overnight again at the Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel. 

Depart from Cork City driving in an easterly direction to the town of Midleton, which is a small rural town to visit the Old Midleton Whiskey Distillery.  The Distillery comprises of 11 acres of grounds, which is both architecturally and historically unique. Now visitors to Ireland can trace the history of the magical spirit.  Prior to 1825 the site was used as a Woolen Mill that commenced production in 1795. Today the original distillery - carefully and lovingly restored - is the only self-contained 18th century industrial complex of its kind in Britain and Ireland.

Of the many artifacts still remaining, pride of place goes to the largest Pot still in the world, which has a capacity of more than 30,000 gallons and is preserved in the building where it has been located for more than 150 years.  A tour of the Midleton Distillery is a journey through the history of Irish whiskey. Mapping out the journey are historic illustrations and photographs, audio visual shows, exhibitions, demonstrations, graphic panels, intriguing display cabinets, timeless artifacts and working models. The visitor also encounters superbly restored machinery and dramatic recreations of many of the stages in whiskey production.

Continue further east to the historic town of Youghal at the mouth of the Blackwater River. The town dates from early Christian times and mirrors all facets of Irish History, blending the heritage of the centuries with a modern seaside holiday resort.  Youghal is the site of the filming of the film Moby Dick in 1954. Continue along the coast via Dungarvan to Waterford. 

Waterford City itself is a fine example of a walled city.  The walled city withstood siege on several occasions in the past but fell to the Normans in 1170 AD.  It prospered under the Normans and emerged as the second city of Ireland after Dublin.  The city was the chief port of Ireland throughout the middle ages. In Waterford you will enjoy a visit to Waterford Crystal factory - this world renowned crystal is made here in the city by a skilled team of workers.  Visitors are guided through the production area, where they can see the birth of crystal from a white-hot furnace, and then witness its transformation by dedicated blowers, cutters and engravers into beautiful sparkling crystal.  On your return from the tour, visitors are shown around the Crystal Gallery, which houses one of the world’s finest displays of crystal.

Returning to Blarney you will have an evening at leisure.

- Day  Five   - West Cork

Today is a full day to enjoy the South West Coast of Ireland.  You will receive a narrated tour as the coach drives the unparalleled beauty of the landscape of this area. 

Drive to the important town of Clonakilty, where you will have some free time to enjoy this colourful and vibrant town. A vital agricultural centre and boasting many tempting beaches such as Owenahincha and Inchydoney.  From here on the road meets many charming villages, Rosscarbery, Glandore, Union Hall and Castletownshend, set in picturesque surroundings and sharing their appeal between sylvan beauties and the call of the sea. Drive via Skibbereen, possibly, the most colourful town in Ireland.  Each building, whether shop or home, forms part of a complete rainbow of colour, mauve next to green alongside purple adjacent to yellow.  There is none of your bland west-coast whitewash here!  The buildings are like a string of Celtic jewels that jar, then delight the eye with agreeable surprise, especially on a drab rainy day. 

Continue along via Bantry to Glengarriff, where weather permitting you will enjoy a boat trip of the area. There are many attractive views of the scenery of the surrounding district from the sea. Ilnacullin and its surrounding waters are quite rich in wildlife, the seals which frequent the rocks on the southern shore being of particular interest to many. You will then continue into the Heritage town of Kenmare for an Irish Coffee before returning to Cork via Macroom.

Dinner will be served in your hotel this evening.

- Day  Six   - Depart from Cork.

Alas it is time to bid farewell to the county of cork.  Your driver will transfer you back to the airport for your departure flight.

Slan Abhaile (Safe Home)!