Taking GtiJ there this weekend for his 18th birthday. We will be arriving late on Friday so a bit late for Paddy’s day fun but what to do on Saturday and Sunday? Anything cycling related like good bike shops/cafes where we can finger the goods and enjoy a good coffee? He’s going to buy me his first pint so we’ll be looking for a decent pub with food and hopefully some music on Saturday night.

Kinsale is worth a visit, restaurants pubs of course and the coast which is pretty dramatic. I have only been to Cork/Kinsale for golf but for that it’s really excellent

Depends…will you have transport or are you on foot for the weekend?

Short journey to kiss the Blarney stone.

Breakfast / brunch in English market. Eat some tripe and drisheen.
Go and watch the hurling (Cork V Dublin) 7pm Saturday evenings, games take just over an hour so won’t spoil the evening.
Cobh or Kinsale in nice for a walk around or a cycle to/from if you can find bikes

We will be on foot and Mrs Gti is a veggie so stuff like tripe is out of the question, not that I’d eat it anyway!

Def go to the English market

Drive to Kerry 😉

Kinsale is nice but a bit of a schlep and busy with visitors, that whole bit of coast is nice. Cork has hire bikes like London might be a laugh. Cork is a nice city you should have a great time ask where you’re staying to recommend a pub

Pointless making plans in Ireland.

A mate and I got adopted by a group of college girls and their mates we met on a Sunday night session in Cork which ended two days later on a beach in Dingle.

Enjoy.
🙂

Elbow Lane (on Oliver Plunkett, the pedestrian street) is an awesome microbrewery come smokehouse, but is small and can get very very busy. Market Lane next door is also really good, but you can book tables and they serve the beer from Elbow Lane. The Cornstore is also pretty good for food, as is Liberty Grill.

In terms of pubs, most of them on Oliver Plunkett are pretty good. A lot have music in the evenings too. I’ve been to Cork a lot over the years and never really had a bad night out, have a wander and pick a random pub and it’s normally pretty decent. The attitude to drink really is different over there – in the uk people seem to get pissed and want to fight, over there everyone gets really happy!

A lot of the pubs on Washington Street out to the west of the town are student bars, that may or not be a good thing dependant on your views (if your lad has just turned 18 he’d probably enjoy it!)

I live 20 miles outside cork. Will pick you up on Sunday at mallow train station and take you to ballyhoura for a ride in Irelands biggest and best trail centre. 😆 actually you may be too hung over for that.
I am out the loop as to where is good to drink in the city these days so I will ask the youngsters at work. What sort of pub do you want, traditional or full of 18 year olds? I am working in the city centre on Sat so PM me if you need any info/help, but the locals will be happy to help, if you can understand them. Oh BTW they drink Murphys not Guinness in cork. 😉 the city centre itself is small enough to walk round but the better things to see/do are out of the city (blarney, kinsale etc). There is an open top bus that goes out to blarney though (I found this a bit disappointing as it is just an old ruin you climb up and kiss a bit of old wall!). Everything will look expensive too with the euro/sterling they way it is now. As I said PM me if you need anything.

Wow thanks all especially andy4d above. This is going to be a non-cycling weekend unfortunately. I’ve just spent the last hour on Tripadvisor looking at restaurants and pubs for Saturday night and it looks as if the scene is so busy that few of them accept bookings, so we will probably do better to get out early, find a place, book a table then head for a drink somewhere. Market Lane looks good on TA.

If we end up in a gastro pub I’d prefer somewhere with music and proper home brewed beer. GtiJ is still broadening his culinary horizons so is still on burgers and steaks. I don’t care if it’s an expensive night out because he’s 18 on Friday, but I want good atmosphere and decent service.

Pretty much everywhere serves a decent pint of Murphys, Rebel Red is local as well, as is Franciscan Well.

If you take a wander down Oliver Plunkett you will find plenty of places with live music and decent beer 🙂

If you fancy pizza, Palmento in Douglas is about 10 mins out of town in a taxi, but absolutely fantastic. The Nutella pizza pudding is a bit OTT as a desert though!

English Market for breakfast both days. (Not sure it’s open on Sundays). There’s a place at one end of it up some stairs that is really good. Go there first and get your name down for a table. Try the smoked salmon from Frank Hederman as well. Apart from that the market is only really good if you can take food with you.

Check car hire prices as it might be similar price to a taxi and would make it easy to visit It kind of messes up drinking plans though.

Ireland v England 6 nations game starts at 5 so you should be in the pub from around lunchtime.

I am out the loop as to where is good to drink in the city these days so I will ask the youngsters at work.

Takes me back on a business trip to Ireland – the supplier we were visiting said pretty much the same, followed by ‘well, I’ve had a word with the lads in the factory and we’ve narrowed it down to six or seven, so we’ll try them all and then you can decide’

the locals will be happy to help, if you can understand them

This.

Isn’t it a 6 nations day Saturday? Who are Ireland playing?

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjG3uzy_NXSAhVBJ8AKHeeNBXsQyCkIHDAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DqK-JHjKJRmw&usg=AFQjCNEWO054N1qQts6d5GPFpVEPGDDqBw&bvm=bv.149397726,d.d24

Watch The Young Offenders before you go. It’s a bike/road trip movie. Set in Cork. It’s all true.

Right, everyone has a different opinion so don’t shoot the messenger. 🙂

Elbow Lane is Good but you have to book apparently.
Scoozi’s is nice.
Holysmoke/woodshed at the mardyke is good for food and the rugby if you plan to watch it.
Son of a bun on oliver plunket st is good.
Liberty grill is good for breakfast or lunch but not so for evening.
Cornstore is overpriced/rated.
Bodega is good.
The oliver plunkett (on oliver plunkett st funnily enough) does the best Baileys coffee and has bands playing and does food.
The bookshelf on oliver plunkett St is quirky and nice for a bit of breakfast/lunch.
And seemingly you must get a hot chocolate from o’connells on Careys lane.
Upstairs at English market (no one knows its name, its just called upstairs at the english market to everyone here) is also good.
Fransiscan well is good and has its own beers.

I must add these are not the views of myself and merely what a bunch of 25-35year olds have told me 😆

A late addition is deep south on gran parade for food/match/music.

That’s what I love about people from Ireland, they just go that little bit further so you have a good time.

I often regret turning down the job I was offered in Ringaskiddy near Cork

be careful near the harbour

There’s a great Mexican restaurant* (for a change). At least there was last two visits

Nice eats in Kinsale too.
.

*Edit – Cafe Mexicana, Carey’s Lane.

I asked a pal a while back about Cork – a friend was visiting – she said gave me a list of recommendations – including the farm gate cafe upstairs in the market…

Well….how was it?