5/10/06 - My Liver Hates Ireland

Cork City, Ireland

If you're trying to stay off the sauce, Ireland probably shouldn't be near the top of your list of travel destinations. I've been here for 9 days now, and not a day's passed when I haven't had at least a pint or two. It's not that I've been 'on the lash' the whole time, but pubs are such an integral part of the social fabric here that I feel like I'd be missing something if I didn't indugle a bit (at least that's my excuse...) And it's not exactly difficult to find a pub to pop into - most of the time, walking more than 2 consecutive blocks without passing one is actually a challenge. But it's different here than in the States - there's a heavier emphasis on conversation & general congeniality, which means a simple hello often kicks off a long discussion. Before or after their shifts or on breaks, the bartenders often just slide around to the other side of the bar. In Dingle, the guy I rented my room from recommended Dick Mack's pub in the late afternoon for a 'bit of madness'; it turns out there were just a handful of locals (ages ranging from 20 to probably 55 or 60) unwinding after a day of work while the bartender's kids ran around, but the banter back and forth was fantastic. There's a gaelic word for all this: the 'craic', which is tough to define but it's basically the atmosphere of a pub where everyone's having a good time. The Irish are proud of their friendliness and character (and rightly so), and plenty comfortable with their willingness to knock back a few in the interest of a good time.
And yet despite - or maybe also because of - the pub life here, the Irish government has actively taken some measures to rein in some of its vices: there's no smoking in pubs (or most public places for that matter), hard alcohol is almost never free-poured (meaning that although whiskey is slightly cheaper than beer, you get exactly 1 shot, no more, no less) and without a government issued age card, you may have a hard time buying alcohol in stores (I haven't yet tried, but according to an Aussie girl I was talking to, apparently drivers' licenses and/or passports sometimes aren't even accepted if you don't look over 18). Also, in addition to the Irish beers you would expect (Guinness, Murphy's, etc.), Bud, Coors Light & MGD are surprisingly common, and Harp is almost non-existant. Phew, all that made me a little thirsty...

Daily Summary:

• Fri, 5/5 - bus from Dingle to Killarney.
• Sat, 5/6 - hiked to & around Ross Island in Killarney National Park, and got caught in a pretty steady downpour. Few pints at a few different local drinking holes.
• Sun, 5/7 - in a fit of piety, decided to go to Sunday morning services at the local Methodist church (figured i'd start with something familiar and then work my way up to irish catholicism). when the minister's opening prayer lasted at least 10 minutes, i knew i was in for a long morning. 8 hymns (all sung - actually more like mumbled - to completion without skipping so much as a single verse) and 90+ minutes later, the service finally concluded. rented a bike, rode to & around Muckross Like & Torc Falls in Killarney National Park. after 3 nights of staying in hostels, was a bit under budget; when that happens, there's only one thing to do: splurge. had a fantastic dinner at Treyvaud's on High St. in Killarney: smoked salmon appetizer, followed by a brace of rabbit. on my way back to the hostel when I passed one of the locals I had met the previous night, who twisted my arm to come along for a few pints & hear a local blues band. Good stuff.
• Mon, 5/8 - bus from Killarney to Cork, after deciding to scrap the Beara peninsula: getting there from Killarney wasn't very convenient via public transport, & bus service around the peninsula is a bit scarce anyway. Walked around, saw the extremely ornate St. Finbarre's Cathedral, seat of the protestant Church of Ireland's Diocese of Cork. A few pints in the hostel bar, then off to An Brog bar for what we thought would be some live rock. Turns out we just caught the tail-end of the Irish equivalent of quizzo. Still entertaining, and more pints, meaning:
• Tues, 5/9 - woke up feeling like someone was squeezing my brain from inside my skull. did what any sensible hungover tourist would: headed for a tour of the Beamish & Crawford brewery. it turns out the actual brewery is closed to tours while they're renovating to make it more tourist-accessible going forward, but there was a video & in-depth explanation of the brewing process, as well as as many pints of Beamish stout (or Fosters, Miller or Carling, which are brewed on the premisis under license) as you care to drink. caught some great traditional Irish music at a cosy pub called Sin E' - probably the best session I've heard since being here. my first day in Ireland without any rain.
• Weds, 5/10 - took the bus to Midleton, a smaller town roughly 20km east of Cork, for a tour of the Old Midleton Distillery, where various Irish whiskeys (Jameson, Paddy, Powers, Midleton) were distilled from the early 1800's to 1975, when a new modern distillery was built on the adjacent site. The tour was less informative & more commercial than the Beamish tour, but still interesting. Finished On the Road by Jack Kerouac.
  

Overall Highlight
No hands-down winner, but probably the Beamish 'tour'. Quite informative as to how different types of beer are brewed, and now I can better appreciate all the effort that goes into making the stuff I've been pouring down my gullet for the past several days.

Runner-up: cycling & hiking around Killarney National Park. different scenery (lakes & forests rather than countryside & coastal landscapes) but still stunning.

What I Miss

• A Washcloth. Still not sure if they exist at all on this side of the pond, but in the places I've stayed where towels were provided, you don't get one, and I didn't bring one (lugging around a damp cloth in my pack didn't seem like that great of an idea). Rubbing soap all over yourself just doesn't leave you feeling quite as clean...

Photos

Next Stop: Kinsale on the south coast, then Kilkenny for a few days and on to Dublin.