bmibaby - Destinations: Cork

best dish for brave palates:
tripe and drisheen
Cork has a few regional specialities you might like to seek out – or perhaps avoid! Top of the list is “drisheen” – a sort of sausage made from sheep's blood, breadcrumbs and spices, traditionally served with tripe in a thickened milk sauce. It’s definitely one for those with adventurous tastes! FarmGate & Café & Restaurant is one of the only places that still serves this local “delicacy” – it’s located in The English Market (an ancient fruit, vegetable, fish and meat market), so you know the ingredients will be fresh! For a fine dining experience, a visit to Ballymaloe House, a famous country house in east Cork, is a definite must. But for a less-refined experience beloved by locals, be sure to try a “breast in a bun” from Hillbilly’s on the Grand Parade or a curry, chips and peas supper from Lennox’s chipper on the Bandon Road. Rumour has it even U2 have succumbed to its charms! Hearty, cheap and delicious, these tasty snacks are best washed down with local brews, Beamish or Murphy’s.
Where > Farmgate Café, English Market, Princes Street, Cork City, Tel:+353 (0)21 427 8134; Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry, Co. Cork, Tel: +353 (0)21 4652 531; Hillbilly’s Fried Chicken, Grand Parade, Cork, Tel: +353 (0)21 425 1050; Lennox’s Takeaway, Bandon Road, Cork, Tel: +353 (0)21 431 6118. view map
Website > www.ballymaloe.ie

best for kids:
Leahy’s Open Farm
City kids will especially love Leahy’s Open Farm, a family-run farm located about 45 minutes east of Cork City, and just three miles from the scenic village of Dungourney in East Cork. There’s a large selection of animals on display, including llamas, alpacas, sheep, goats, horses and even snakes! The little ones can get close to nature as they feed the lambs, cuddle fluffy bunny rabbits and catch mice – and even hold a snake. It’s a haven for young and old, where kids can see how people used to work the farm and live on the land, and the older generation can reminisce about their childhoods and see farm equipment from yesteryear. And on top of all this there’s also go-karting, boat rides, indoor and outdoor playgrounds, tunnels to explore and a fun maze.
Where > Leahy’s Open Farm, Dungourney, Midleton, County Cork, Tel: +353 (0)21 4668461. view map
Website > www.leahysopenfarm.ie

best bar:
Long Island Bar
In the heart of Cork City, the Long Island Bar offers a sophisticated alternative to the many traditional pubs. The bar has a list of some 120 cocktails to savour – try working your way through that list! We recommend the raspberry cosmopolitan; a smoothie-based twist on the Sex in the City favourite. The Long Island Bar is the ideal venue for a glamorous drink or three.
Where > The Long Island Bar, 11-12 Washington Street, Cork City, Tel: +353 (0)21 4273252. view map

best souvenirs:
hurling equipment
Leaving Cork without a hurley (or caman in Gaelic) and sliothar is like leaving Australia without a didgeridoo, or England without a football jersey. They’re the “stick and ball” used in the traditional Irish game of hurling, Europe’s oldest field game – and the world’s fastest. The locals are proud and passionate about this most unique of sports in which a hurley (stick) is used to strike the sliothar (ball) and propel it across a grass pitch. The game is almost entirely restricted to the Republic of Ireland, where the All-Ireland championship competition has been held since 1887. It’s fast, furious and lots of fun.
Where > Maher's Sports, North Main Street, Cork, Tel: +353 21 427 1244. view map

best romantic spot:
St. Finbarr’s Oratory
Just over an hour’s drive west of Cork City, beyond the town of Macroom, lies the settlement of Gougane Barra. It’s worth the trip. Here you’ll find a tiny little church so picturesque and romantic that it’s prompted many a man to drop to bended knee and propose to his girlfriend on the spot. Built in 1900, St. Finbarr's Oratory sits on an island in the middle of a lake surrounded by magnificent mountain scenery. The setting is so idyllic that up to three weddings take place every day in the tiny church, and there’s a sizeable waiting list for any one wanting to tie the knot here. Afterwards, you can walk to the nearby Gougane Barra Hotel, confetti in hair, for an intimate reception.
Where > St. Finbarr’s Oratory, Gougane Barra, Co. Cork, Tel: +353 (0)26 47987 (speak to Fr. Martin O' Hare); Gougane Barra Hotel, Gougane Barra, Co. Cork, Tel: +353 (0) 26 47069.
Website > www.cork-guide.ie www.gougane.cork2020.com; www.gouganebarrahotel.com

best for sports fans:
hurling and Gaelic football
Cork is a paradise enriched with sporting greatness. It’s often said that if you went into a shop to buy a pint of milk and didn’t have the correct change, the shopkeeper would refund you with All-Ireland medals, so plentiful are they! A trip to Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Pairc Ui Rinn or any local GAA pitch reveals the jewels in Ireland’s crown: hurling and gaelic football. The swashbuckling skills of the local players is breathtaking and mesmerising. If the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) doesn’t satisfy you, then a trip to Turners Cross to watch Cork City FC ply their wares should be enticing to all. The atmosphere of 6,000 Rebel Army supporters at the stadium easily matches that of the prawn sandwich-munchers at Old Trafford!
Where > Turners Cross Stadium, Curragh Road, Cork, Tel: +353 (0)21 4321958. view map
Website > www.corkcityfc.ie; www.eveningecho.ie