Ireland: Cork
Regional Information
There are so many things that I really enjoyed about Cork City:
- Beautiful city
- Easy to walk everywhere
- Warm and hospitable people
- Not very big, but offers what most large cities do
- The English Market and good food
- Plenty of pubs
- Festivals year round
- Frequent bus and train service around Ireland
- Felt safe and at home
During the spring term, there is plenty of time to explore Ireland and other parts of Europe. Many Irish students go home over the weekends, and campus is quiet. Take advantage of weekends to take day or overnight trips to explore Ireland. I went to Cobh, Blarney, Kinsale, Rock of Cashel, Waterford, Dublin, the Ring of Kerry, Doolin, Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, Galway, the Aran Islands, Connemara, Donegal, and Northern Ireland. Be sure to also go to GAA matches. Gaelic football and hurling are loads of fun to watch!
Aer Lingus has many flights out of Cork and Dublin to great locations in Europe. They have really cheap flights if you book in advance, and they are less restrictive than Ryanair! I coordinated with students from Juniata studying elsewhere in Europe to meet up with them. It’s a great way to experience other parts of Europe with people you know, see where they are living, save money, and realize how truly wonderful Cork is!
I flew from Dublin to Geneva which is a great city to travel to if you are looking to get to the Alps. I spent a weekend skiing in Chamonix, France, and it was incredible! I flew from Cork to Paris and traveled to Lille, France to visit friends then stop in Bruges and Brussels where I knew another friend studying abroad. From Brussels I flew back to Cork. Later I flew to Edinburgh from Cork. This was one of my favorite cities to visit, and the highlands and lochs are beautiful. I also flew to and from Amsterdam from Cork.
- Written by Joel Rhodes '13 who studied in Cork spring 2012
