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Fermoy in general
by dyllymoo **Brief Background & History** Fermoy (from the Irish Mainistir Fhear Maí, meaning Monastery of the Welcome Plain) is in County Cork, Ireland. It is a town of around 5,800 inhabitants situated on the River Blackwater in the south of Ireland. The name of the town comes from the Irish and refers to a Cistercian abbey ... founded in the 12th century and a form on the Blackwater, around which the town grew up. In 1791, the lands were bought by a Scotsman, John Anderson. He was an entrepreneur who developed the roads and started the mail coach system in Ireland. He designed the town and the streets remain much the same as they were originally built Fermoy was the site of a major British Army barracks when Ireland was under imperial rule. By the 1830s this was the largest military establishment on the island of Ireland. In 1791 John Anderson purchased two thirds of the manor. In 1797, when the army was looking to establish a new and permanent base, Anderson gifted them the land as an inducement to locate in Fermoy. Anderson and the whole town received considerable economic benefit from that gift. During the War of Independence, Fermoy was the scene of the first of the British Government reprisals, when soldiers of the East Kent Regiment and members of the Royal Flying Corps looted and then burnt the main shops of the town, after one soldier had been killed and his companions relieved of their weapons (on their way to church) by the local IRA the day before under the command of local IRA Commandant Michael Fitzgerald. **Tourism** Fermoy is in a very scenic location, in the Blackwater valley, nestled at the foot of the Galtee Mountains. The Blackwater river is the town's major tourist attraction, attracting fishermen, mainly from England. The river is abundant with salmon, which can be seen leaping up the salmon steps on the weir. **Transport** The town used to be connected to the Irish Railway System, on a line from Mallow to Waterford, with a junction to nearby Mitchelstown. Fermoy railway station opened on 17 May 1860 and finally closed on 27 March 1967. The nearest airport to Fermoy is Cork International Airport which is around an hours car journey. **Famous People** Fermoy is home to a famous US born Irish dancer, Michael Flatley who starred in the world renowned Riverdance and also his very own Lord of the Dance (a quick aside is that my mum saw him coming out of a church in Fermoy after his wedding recently!). **Places to Eat** As mentioned there are a few restaurants including a Chinese and the normal pubs. One in particular is called Charlie Brown's. Charlie Browne's is located on the north side of Fermoy bridge opposite Town Park. This pub is a family run pub and is renowned for its friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Bar food is served daily with superb sandwiches and snacks on offer. A la carte menu is available from 6.00 p.m to 10.00 p.m. I was told to have a steak when I went to Charlie Brown's and I must say I wasn't disappointed. It was a huge and very tasty piece and it was accompanied by a lovely mound of chips. The meal (for 3 adults) was around 60 euros, which I think was a fantastic price. Corbett Court is another favourite, based in Kilworth just under 8km outside of Fermoy. Corbett Court was built in the early 1900's and has had many uses over the years. It was used by the British Army as an officers mess in its early days. It was also a bottling plant. In more recent times it has been a nightclub. It was extended and completely renovated in 1997 and is now a large family restaurant. Family owned and run it offers excellent value for families, individuals and commercial customers. It is famed for its fish and even if you are not keen on fish there are several tasty treats on the menu, including their ever changing specials board. To be honest if you ask any locals they will be happy to tell you of any recommended and well loved places to eat. **Shopping** The town has a few good shops, but isn't really that good for shopping as such. You have the local dvd/video rental store, the mini-supermarkets, the corner shops and the knick knack shops. There are a few clothes shops, but if you want to do some serious shopping I suggest going to Cork city centre or possibly the new Mahon Point Shopping Centre (which is like Bluewater or Lakeside). Cork city centre is around an hours drive away, but once you are there it is fantastic. With lots of narrow winding streets and plenty of places to sit down, relax, and take in the sights. Cork's Mahon Point Shopping Centre offers an exciting range of high street stores, restaurants, cafes, a 13 screen cinema and additional leisure facilities. **Accommodation** I have never stayed in any hotel/b&b accommodation in Fermoy as my mum lives there, but there are a few hotels around that look very lovely. One in particular is The Grand Hotel, which is exactly as it sounds, grand! An old style hotel with brass, mahogany and high ceilings located on the banks of the River Blackwater it is a lovely, warm, welcoming hotel. (we went in for some lunch once!) **Things to Do** As you can imagine, Fermoy a quiet town with not a great deal to do in the way that maybe Cork has. However there are lovely walks that can be taken from Fermoy, into the lovely countryside, and also walks from surrounding towns, such as Mitchelstown into the Galtee Mountains. Foto Wildlife Park is a must for anyone with children (and without!). It's a fairly large wildlife reserve that you can walk around and see all manner of animals including wallabies, cheetahs, penguins and many, many more, it's a nature trail to remember. Fermoy is also well known among anglers and golfers, with fantastic fishing in the River Blackwater and its own 18 hole golf course. **My Fermoy** My mum moved to Ireland 7 years ago and chose Fermoy as her new home. She doesn't live in the town itself, but about a 15 minute drive outside (in the sticks!). When I first came to Fermoy I fell in love with it immediately. It is such a picturesque place with the beautiful River Blackwater running right through its heart and even the shops seem to have kept their charm. It really is like a postcard! The locals are fantastic and are very welcoming and helpful, so if you have any questions about where to eat or what to do when you are there, ask them, they are brilliant. Of course there are a number of pubs around the town and all of them have a welcoming atmosphere. One that I frequent with my family whilst there is just outside the town itself called The Final Furlong. It's a traditional Irish pub, with open fires, plenty of alcohol and a lovely mix of locals. As you can tell I love Fermoy, and I have to say it's a brilliant place to visit. More information about Fermoy and it surrounding areas can be found here: http://www.discoverireland.com/ Read the complete review |
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Galway in general
by dunner7 Galway is my favourite city in Ireland. I lived there for 3 years and go back to see family often. To me - it is the most authentic 'Irish' city in Ireland. Getting to Galway Galway airport is tiny but there are flights from Edinburgh, London (Luton), Newcastle, Leeds & others. The main airline is Aer ... Arann. www.aerarann.com www.galwayairport.com You can also fly with Ryanair into Shannon and get a bus to Galway with Citylink. The journey time is just over an hour. www.ryanair.com www.citylink.ie Where to Stay: Galway has lots of nice hotels, B&B's and hostels. If you want a luxury experience stay at the G Hotel, The Merrick or the Radisson www.theghotel.ie www.hotelmeyrick.ie www.radissonhotelgalway.com If you want a mid-range experience go for The Parkhouse or Jury's www.parkhousehotel.ie www.jurys.com And for a budget option go for: www.hostelgalway.com Where to eat: Galway has some fantastic restaurants such as Nimmo's, The Malt House, Oscar's, KC Blakes and Fat Freddy's. Pubs such as The Kings Head and The Front Door also serve delicious pub grub. Galway is renowned for having atmospheric, down to earth restaurants. Mc Donagh's fish and chip shop (at the bottom of Quay Street) sell the most amazing mackerel and chips. The best I have tasted anywhere. Going out: If you want live music go to the world famous Roisin Dubh's where the likes of Damien Rice and The Frames have played. The Kings Head and The Quays also host live bands 7 nights a week. Ti Ceoili's and Monroe's also has traditional music. For a more sophisticated experience go to Bazar or The Living Room. If you are a clubber and want downright gritty go to The Blue Note. It is a fantastic pub and hosts some really good DJ's. Clubbers - CP's and The Warwick (out of town a bit) have the usual cheesy pop music. The GPO is strictly for clubbers and has really good dance music. Shopping: Galway isn't renowned for its shopping. Shop Street has the usual high street shops, as does The Eyre Square Shopping Centre. Some of the streets off Shop Street have smaller, individual shops and are well worth visiting. If you are fond of Irish products and pottery go to Meadow's and Byrne's and The Kilkenny Shop. On Saturday, there is a market. The food sold there is amazing and if you get a chance buy a loaf of herb and onion bread (to die for!!!) and also try a crepe. Local craftwork is also sold there and the atmosphere is really good. Things to do: Galway has an amazing Cathedral. Salthill is also worth a visit and a walk along the prom is a must on a nice day! Spanish Arch is also really nice and steeped in history. There is also an open top bus that can bring you around, but you will be able to walk to most of the sights. If you are in Galway for longer than a couple of days you could go on a tour to the rugged Connemara or take a trip to the Aran Islands where you will hear everyone speaking in Irish. Galway - a city for everyone and not to be missed! Read the complete review |
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Bunratty (Ireland)
by idoodooyou Bunratty ~~~~~~ Bunratty is a place in the Shannon region of Ireland renowned for outstanding beauty. It is located off the dual carriageway between Shannon and Limerick, the distance being around 10 km's from Shannon airport and 13 km's from Limerick City. Apart from being a wonderful area, there is also located here, ... one of Ireland's most complete medieval castles, fully furnished and dating back to the 15th century. Bunratty Castle and Folk Park ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bunratty castle and folk park is an all year round tourist attraction which draws visitors from all over the globe. It is set on 26 acres of land which dates right back to the vikings in 970. The castle itself has been there since the 15th century and the folk park is based on a 19th century rural Irish way of life. The Castle ~~~~~~~ The castle was originally built in 1250 by a norman, Robert de Muscegros, but since then three more castles have been built in it's place, the current one being the fourth ever built and obviously the last. Because of the plantations and such in Ireland the castle was passed from family to family and at one stage even lay idle for 21 years. Finally in 1804 the last familly, the Studdarts, left the castle, allowing it to fall to ruins. They moved to more comfortable accommodation on the land, bunratty House. ( Also open to the public). Finally in 1954, Viscount Lord Gort bought the castle and restored it to its former beauty. Six years later it opened it's doors to the public year round. The castle has much original features and furniture. There are beds in the bedrooms, tapestrys on the walls, there is even a dungeon. It gives a fantastic feel of rural Irish life back through the years. The Folk Park ~~~~~~~~ On the 26 acres surrounding the castle, a folf park has been built showing the way of life through the ages. The folk park has loads of little houses with real open turf fires setting off a scent of years gone by. The houses show how simple life was back through the centuries, some houses only having a fire and a bed but housing six or seven people. There is even an example of a Byre Dwelling, a home which would have been inhabbited by both humans and their cattle! Ther is a mill,an old church, a post office, a school, a doctors house, a hardware store, many little houses and even a fully operational traditional Irish pub. There are people in costume who wander the little village streets giving you a real feel of the place and animals roam free everywhere you look.The smells, sights and sounds are all so realistic, you are magically transported back to a forgotten time in Irish history. Also in the Folk park is a walled garden, where the fuits and vegetables were grown, and of course, Bunratty house, the more comfortable dwelling where the Studdards moved to. HazelBrook House is another must-see in the grounds. It was built in 1898 and was the home of the Hughes Brothers who produced Ireland's favourite ice cream HB. Of course the folk park not only offers the pub for food and drink but also there are tea rooms and a fabulous souvenir shop plus all the usuals, restrooms etc.... Admission Prices ~~~~~~~~~~~ Castle and park ~~~~~~~~~~~ Adult 15 euro Child 9 euro Student 10 euro OAP 6.50 euro Family 32.50 euro. Medieval Banquet ~~~~~~~~~~~ Bunratty Castle is home to a now world famous banquet. Each evening there are two sittings, one from 5.30-8 and one from 8-11. It is advisable to book well in advance as they are so popular. On arrival at the grounds you will enjoy a short, atmospheric stroll to the castle where you will be greeted at the gate by a killted man playing the Pipes. You will be called to enter the castle over a drawbridge and will be seen to the grand Dining Hall, where you will be seated. Your goblet will then be filled with mead (an old Irish drink) and a butler will tell the history of Bunratty. There are singers and finally the Lord and Lady are seated and crowned. You will be treated to a four course meal as follows: Aperitif~ Mead ~~~~~~~~~ Spiced Parsnip Soup ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Spare ribs with honey and whiskey sauce ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Breast of chicken with apple and mead sauce ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rastin ~~~~ Tea and coffee ~~~~~~~~~~ (Vegetarian options available) This fantastic meal is accompanied with music and song and there may even be a small break where some unlucky person will be thrown in the dungeon. This is an absolutely fantastic night and should you choose the early sitting, there is also a Traditional Irish Night on the grounds in the Corn Bar in the folk park which starts around 7pm and includes singers, dancers and muscicians all in the traditional pub setting. Booking is not needed for this event. Rates for the Medievel Banquet are as follows: Adult 57.50 euro Child 28.75 euro .... and although these prices may seem expensive, it is definetly one show that will stay with you for a long time after you have left the Emerald Isle. Also worth a mention is Durty N|ellies Pub, just outside the grounds of the castle. It is a fantastic spot, admission is free and you are always guaranteed great Irish banter and a fab pint of Guinness! There are plenty of hotels in the area. We stayed at the Bunratty Castle Hotel which was a beautiful hotel with friendly helpful staff, and close enough for us to stumble home following our night of banqueting and singing into the wee hours in the two pubs! All in all this was a wonderful experience and I would definetly do it again. Once you set foot on these grounds you know that the area is steeped in history and upon leaving (a little worse for wear!) the eerie feeling you get only adds to the wonderful experience. On a whole I say if you dont mind paying well for a truly once in a life-time experience, then this is definetly an attraction not to be missed. Thanks for taking the time to read this, I only hope I have done this wonderful piece of Irish History justice. (By the way... we flew from Manchester to Shannon for free with Ryanair, and just paid taxes!) Read the complete review |
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Destination National / Nicknamed 'The Reek', Croagh Patrick is a mountain of pilgrimage located in County Mayo, Ireland. |
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