Ireland in Pictures
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A photo tour of Ireland
My main focus will be on county Cork, more specifically Cork city in Ireland as it is where I live and as such naturally most of my Irish Photos and pictures will be from there.
When I moved to Ireland (or Irland as we call it in Denmark) a little over 3 and a half years ago, a lot of my friends were very excited on my behalf. We spoke about the beautiful nature and how amazing it would be to hang out in the traditional local Irish pubs.
After moving over here I have had to re-asses my impression of Ireland. While there is amazing nature sights, impressive rugged hills and happy hour, there is also other sides to the country. Sadly with the recession hitting Ireland quite hard one of the most obvious things I have noticed is the poverty and general worn state of many parts of the town I live in. Furthermore there are a lot of areas where stores has closed down, never to re-open leaving deserted buildings to dominate an entire street. With this blog I want to show pictures of the many different sides of Ireland, hopefully to give you, the reader, a more diverse impression of the country.
In closing I want to stress that Ireland is beautiful and the irish people is generally extremely friendly and welcoming. So don't let this blog make you think otherwise, the country is definitely worth visiting for a vacation trip.
Books on Ireland
Cork
Many of these pictures are taken in Cork City as it is where I lead my daily life. It was suggested to me by Chispy that I do a small introduction to the city, so here we go
A taxi driver in Cork once told me that the city is located at the site of an old monastery that was founded by Saint Finbarr and according to the travel guide I brought when I first went to Ireland (Eyewitness Travel - Ireland p.174), this is true.
My danish roots means I have to mention that the city, however, wasn't really considered a proper settlement until the early 900 where Vikings founded a trading post in the area.
Cork is build on the River Lee, which divides to encompass the city centre. This makes city centre pretty unique as it is located on a small island with the two river parts of the river cutting it off from the rest of the city.
The "must see" attractions in and around the city that I have so far gotten around to are:
"The English Marked"
"Blarney Castle"
"Ring of Kerry" (which is the south western part of Ireland)
I have heard good thing about FOTA (a nature park nearby), but have not yet been able to make it there.
Personally though I think the city in itself is worth a visit, due to the way it is build on the River Lee and how parts of it is climbing the hill sides.
Guide book for Ireland
St. Patrick Street - 2008
On one of the few non-rainy days - Summer 2008
Some of the streets could almost give the steep hills of San Francisco a run for the money.
Approximate Google map coordinates: 51.900233,-8.470494
© Mistel
Mac Curtain Street - 2008
View towards the Train Station of Cork
The rainbow and the building style of the left hand building are both common sights in Ireland.
© Mistel
View down the River Lee
When the sky clears the light in Ireland is amazingly beautiful.
© Mistel
One of the many breweries of Ireland
© Mistel
Guinness vintage metal sign
Lovely Day for a Guinness Metal Beer Sign
Amazon Price: $11.89 (as of 06/01/2012)
Ireland is famous for its beer and this sign is perfect for your home bar or maybe just your living room to add that retro look. This is also the perfect gift for any beer lover you may know. It is unique, charming and very cool.
The Ring of Kerry
The Nature of Ireland truly is exceptional.
© Mistel
More pictures taken around the Ring of Kerry
This route really is fantastically scenic and there are just so many stunning sights to snap photos of. If you want to see more check out the these pictures.
Take a visual tour of Ireland from the comfort of your living room
Visions of Ireland DvD
Visions of Ireland
Amazon Price: $13.02 (as of 06/01/2012)
This DvD will take you on a 75 minutes trip around Ireland. You will get to see the rolling green hills of the Emerald Isle. You will visit the small idyllic villages and experience the rural countryside. The video has several overview shots taken from a plane which makes this a fantastic scenic visual experince.
If you love looking at nature shots then this dvd is for you.
Charlie Chaplin Statue - Waterville - Ireland
Even Chaplin loved Ireland
© Mistel
Chaplin frequently used Waterville in Ireland as his holiday destination. While there he would take walks or just go fishing to enjoy the splended nature of Ireland. This statue has been raised in Waterville to pay homage to the world famous actor, Charlie Chaplin and his love for the city.
Posters of Ireland
Pink House and Traditional Barber sign.
It seems to be typically irish to paint houses in very bright colours, often some that doesn't match the neighbours house at all. This is not too bad, but I have seen some really funny colour combinations.
© Mistel
View from St. Patricks Hill - 2008
One Picture, Two Churches
Something very typical for Ireland, there are churches everywhere.
This picture also shows a bit the roughness that comes out in parts of Cork City.
© Mistel
View from St. Patricks Hill - 2008
Almost same view as above, but this one is taken at night showing the lights from the many homes covering the hill side.
© Mistel
Newly build apartments - 2008
Watercourse Road - Cork
These apartments were finishined in the summer of 2008, just before the recession made the building boom collapse.
© Mistel
Paul Street Shopping Centre
Normally groups of young people gathers outside the centre to hang out.
© Mistel
Ireland Calendars
Winter in Cork Ireland -2010
It rarely snows in Cork, this amount closed down the airports for a couple of days as they simply are not equipped to deal with harsher winter weather.
© Mistel
Election Time - Autumn 2011
Michael D Higgings - Shandon Street
The election posters over here are pretty cool in my opinion. Where I come from they usually only show the head and shoulders of the candidate. Over here I have even seen full-body posters.
This picture also shows a bit of the run-down state of the street. The fence to the left has been there for a very long time now.
© Mistel
Rainbow House - Watercourse Road - Cork - November 2011
This house always makes me smile. It used to be a big grey blop of a building, but a couple of months ago it was coloured with paint donated by Dulux. It has brigthened up the street a lot.
© Mistel
Rainbow House with contrast - Watercourse Road - Cork - November 2011
As you can see the area desperately needs stuff like the Rainbow house. Watercourse Road is located in Blackpool which is one of the poorer areas of Cork. Many stores and houses lie empty like the two that features prominently here.
The photo also neathly captures the weather in november. Rainy and very windy!
© Mistel
Celtic Jewelry
The Bridge Inn - Great William O'Brien Street -November 2011
Traditional Irish Pub
© Mistel
Ireland is known for it's pubs and Cork is no different. The Bridge Inn is one of the many places where you can get a pint and I have heard good things about the sunday bar lunch.
Watercourse Road by night
Ireland - November 2011
©Mistel
Cork City is beautiful by night and even Blackpool is a place well worth having a wander around in. However please take care and travel in groups as there has been multiple assaults and robberies in the Blackpool area recently.
Valley View
Blackpool - November 2011
©Mistel
The view from the Blackpool Shopping Center is quite stunning. It would be nice if you could magically remove the cars and the lampposts, however even with the interference it is quite the sight.
Weather in Ireland
Does it really rain that much in Cork?
The combination of wind and rain creates quite a dilemma when you are going out, do you bring your umbrella and risk getting blown away by the brisk irish winds or do you brave the downpour without the protection of an umbrella.
A fun fact about the irish weather is that because of the low number of sunny days during the year many food types and even some brands of milk has added vitamin D. I am completely taken aback by the number of groceries you can buy that are vitamin enhanced here in Ireland.
There are some days where the irish sun comes out and those days the inhabitants of Ireland seem to really take advantage off. On clear days Cork is even more bustling with life.
© Mistel
Upper John Street - November 2011
Colourful houses lights up the rainy days
© Mistel
Here you can see an example of both the colourful houses that the Cork population is very fond of, but also the rustic feel that runs through the city and bear witness to the era before the "modern" building boom.
Great William O'Brien Street -November 2011
Traditional Irish pub - nighttime
© Mistel
Ireland is famous for its pub culture and everyone who knows just a bit about beer has heard about Guinness. In Most Irish pubs you can experience traditional irish live music at least a couple of times per week.
Dominick Street - November 2011
Cork Butter Museum
© Mistel
Ireland's most important food export is butter and the city of Cork is no exception to this. In fact the Cork Butter Exchange was one of the largest butter markets in the world.
You can check out the Cork museum here if you are interested:
Widderling's Lane - November 2011
One of the small alleyways of Cork
© Mistel
When you walk around Cork you will notice the many small alleyways and lanes that runs through the city. Some of them are not very pleasant and you should stay away from them especially after dark, however some of them like Widderling's Lane are very nice and gives a great view over the city.
The English Marked in Cork - November 2011
Visit the old marked and find a bargain.
© Mistel
The English Marked houses all sorts of fresh food stands. It is the place to go for fresh meat and vegetables all year round. The marked is covered so even with the irish weather you will be able to have an enjoyable time shopping and looking around.
Bachelors Quay - Cork December 2011
One of the many Quays of Cork
© Mistel
A quay (pronounced almost like "key) is a landing place for boats or a wharf. As Cork is build on a river, there are several streets named "something Quay" paying homage to the city's status as a waterway merchant down.
Irish Perfume
Fragrances of Ireland
Fair Hill - Cork - December 2011
A street true to its name
© Mistel
If you disregard the gloomy, rainy weather I hope you will agree that Fair Hill is living up to its name.
Should you ever find yourself in Cork, take a walk up Fair Hill to get a view of the entire city spread out beneath you. The view is even better when the sun is shining or when it is dark as you can then see the glittering warm light from all the many homes of Cork.
Fair Hill - Cork - December 2011
This time on a semi sunny day in Ireland
© Mistel
I love the light in this picture and the way the clouds came out. You can easily see two of Corks man Church Towers and the green hills surrounding the city.
Fair Hill - Cork - December 2011
The other view of Fair Hill
© Mistel
Even Fair Hill has not gotten away completely untouced by the recession. This house has stood empty for quite some time leaving a tarnished spot on the otherwise beautiful street.
(If I had the money I would buy it and fix it up, the view from this house would be amazing as it is overseeing the entire city)
More on Ireland
Comments, ideas or general feedback? Please leave a message. :)
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BaileAthaCliath2012
Jun 1, 2012 @ 12:44 pm | delete
- Like your photos of Cork city & surrounds, my great-great grandfather was a soldier based on Spike Island & married a local girl..the rest as they say is history!
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FranTollett May 9, 2012 @ 9:37 pm | delete
- Great pictures. I would LOVE to visit one day. It would be a grand adventure :-D
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Mistel
May 10, 2012 @ 3:22 am | delete
- I can definitely recommend going and if you go to Cork, make sure to check out the FOTA wildpark as well. :)
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- Great pictures. I would LOVE to visit one day. It would be a grand adventure :-D
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Travelguide101
Apr 21, 2012 @ 9:22 pm | delete
- As an Ireland tourist, I can truly say that Kerry Ireland is one of the most magnificent place in the world.
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TheLifestyleChanger
Apr 7, 2012 @ 4:32 am | delete
- A magnificent country and a wonderful photograph tribute to your time there. Easter Blessings.
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AskLou1
Mar 17, 2012 @ 9:58 am | delete
- Very nice! Great pictures too! Thanks for sharing this with us!
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Thrinsdream
Mar 12, 2012 @ 6:11 pm | delete
- It looks cold but lovely. With thanks and appreciation. Cathi x
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cceerpp
Feb 19, 2012 @ 1:48 pm | delete
- Ireland remains a beautiful place still. Cute :)
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thesuccess
Feb 3, 2012 @ 8:40 am | delete
- How did you manage to take so many photos when it wasn't raining?
**** Blessed ***
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Handy links about Ireland
- Experience Ireland
- Experience Ireland - A page wher eyou can find almost everything from breaking news (that pertains to Ireland), to hotels, Restaurants, Concerts or jut a general list of places worth visiting. It could be your one stop if you are trying to plan a trip around Ireland.
- Discover Ireland
- The official Irish Tourist Board website. This page is also great for trip planning.
- Ireland on Wikipedia
- For all the facts you ever wanted on Ireland
- The Irish Police
- Hopefully you wont need this page, but it is always handy to have. The police in Ireland is called the Gardai.
Book your vacation for Ireland now.
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by Mistel
I am 29 and originally from Denmark. I moved to Ireland in the summer of 2008 to pursue my dream job.
While Ireland and Denmark are not miles apart I...
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Irish Claddagh Ring
What does the Claddagh ring mean?
14K White Gold Heart Created Alexandrite Celtic Claddagh Ring Size 9
Amazon Price: $479.00 (as of 06/01/2012)
The Claddagh ring is a traditional irish wedding or friendship ring. Its exact time origin has been lost however it is believed to have been invented in the 17th century. The irish Claddagh rings elements; the hands, the heart and the crown is said to represent friendship, love and loyalty.
This particular one is made from white -gold set with a beautiful blue alexandrite.
Vintage Irish Corchet lace
Irish Crochet Lace
Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 06/01/2012)
Whether you are a beginner or an advanced crafter you should be able to find a pattern that suits you here. Irish crochet lace is beautiful, charming and well irish. Get this handbook and add some Irish charm to your home.
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