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A Wharton grad, four Maine Merchant Marines, and a guitar player walk into an Irish bar...
Could be the beginning of a bad joke, really it was just the beginning of a very good time. But I'll get to that.
I arrived to a very rainy Cork at about noon, checked into a rather marginal hostel, and hit the town. I found Cork to be an impressive city, with a really nice blend of historical and modern architecture. My photos don't do enough justice to the modern parts of the city, including its opera building and its attractive storefronts filled by the big names of H&M, Dunnes, Boots Pharmacy, and Top Shop. While the city has lots of
charming coffee shops and pubs, Cork is a little light on major tourist attractions (sorry, but I passed on the Butter Museum), and most other sites were closed on Sunday. So sightseeing didn't take long.
The rain started to pick up about 4pm, and I decided to head back to the hostel. As I was starting up the road, I saw a small pub that looked interesting about a block from the hostel. I stopped in, grabbed a pint, and talked to a friendly local who recommended coming back for the live music starting at 6pm. I did return, and found a solo guitarist whose set list was primarily determined by the loudest request from the audience. The locals immediately started chatting me up and asking a ton of questions; they also pointed out a few other Americans in the bar, who turned out to be a group of Maine Merchant Marines on leave from their boat in nearby Cobh. The Irish singer invited one of the marines to come up to the stage, and the American proceeded to sing the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The four merchant marines turned out to be very nice and polite guys; I didn't mean to prejudge, but after my years in Norfolk I've crossed paths with many 22-year old guys who just a got off a boat after two months, and they're kind of like sloppy Tasmanian devils. The locals were also as friendly as you could ask, and maybe even a little too friendly. I found myself answering so many questions that it was hard to actually listen to the music.
Many pints of Murphy's later, I left LV pub after having a great evening and with an invitation to come back in the morning for a full Irish breakfast. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time in the morning before heading to Kilkenny, but hopefully I'll be back!
Such a great bar.
So far, the trip has been better than expected. The photos from Dublin are finally loaded, and available here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/105899454615652413823/Dublin?feat=directlink
More of Cork are coming soon.
Your narrative is wonderful....sounds like a great start to your trip!
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