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| The
Drive to Cork |
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Rating
: 
Cork, Ireland
Sep 10, 2002
Pros:
Guinness, green place, Irish-strong but gentle culture, place rich
in culture and history, shopping
Cons:
none
The drive to Cork took about an hour and lucky girl that I am, I
got the complete audio tour with miscellaneous factoids by our good
friend Joe. He is a plethora of information which leads me to believe
somehow fate had it that I would meet up with Irelands most friendly
and informed ambassador. Ireland is known for its great storytellers
and matchmakers. Its very good to see that the gift has been passed
down through the generations.
Before I came to Ireland I would think of green shamrocks and Guinness
as well as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Now I know
that Ireland encompasses so much more. Even though the land mass
is tiny compared to many other countries, the people and scenery
have left an impression on me that will run long and deep. Yes,
its true that everything is green here. It does rain a lot but how
can you have a rainbow without the rain? I can’t tell you
how entrancing it is to have the sun beaming down through a soft
warm rainshower. Its almost as if beautiful sparkling diamonds are
falling from the sky as the light beams through the water in a sunshower.
And then as quickly as it came, it is gone only to leave one, two,
or ‘tree (‘th’ is not a sound in Irish) brilliant
rainbows gracing the sky. The plants are the most vibrant shades
of green that I have ever seen. I feel like I have gone back through
time as I gaze out at the rolling hills (which to some are Irelands
‘mountains’) and the billowing clouds that glide through
the deep blue sky. Even more inspiring than the view are the people
of Ireland. The Irish are a strong but gentle culture knowing the
perfect balance between tradition and Each county has a slightly
different accent (which Joe is forever morphing into) and they all
have a gentle rivalry which keeps them somewhat individual as they
enjoy the camaraderie of the Irish culture. Soccer, football and
hurling are big sports here. I was amazed by Ross who plays soccer
everyday for a living. He aspires to be a soccer coach (which I
think he would be great at with his encouraging demeanour) or a
referee. Its so refreshing to see people actually living their dreams.
Cork was beautiful and rich with culture and history. I learned
about Michael Collins and viewed actual letters he and his love
wrote to each other. Joe’s brother, Daire, has been training
jet black lab called Iggy to be a seeing eye dog. After a year,
the time has come to give the dog up which is proving to be a sad
moment in the Kearney family which is just another example of how
big their hearts are. I absolutely love listening to the Irish accent
and I must give kudos to Joe for being so patient with me as I am
endlessly having him repeat things. Sometimes I do understand the
first time but its so fun to listen to the Irish speak as they are
so animated. Joes Mom and Dad are making me fat with all of their
delicious meals and desserts. I feel like I am right at home here
especially when I have to take second glances because lots of people
have ginger colored hair, just like my mum. Lisa (a bright and ambitious
flower) and Carolyn (who has such a cheerful sense of humour) made
a strong point of ensuring that I understood the difference between
a 3 star and a 5 star hotel. They said that they would love to travel
but their shopping habits get in the way. Its nice to know that
the shopping bug is universal. I told them that they have the freedom
to do whatever they want in life and that if travelling was what
they really wanted, then I truly believe that is what they would
do. The key here is in believing. And with all the leprechauns and
fairies, how can you NOT believe? I find that in a world that has
somehow lost its imagination and belief in dreams, a magical childlike
hope is still alive and well in Ireland. |
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