Day Nine - Sunday, December 28, 2025
The only issue with traveling in the Emerald Isles during the Christmas holidays is the sun doesn't rise until after 9 am and it sets at 4:14 pm. So you have to pack a lot of sites in with limited daylight. Now that we were out of London we hoped to get some exercise around the countryside.
There was a beautiful 4 km loop by our hotel which ran along a river, past the Waterloo Inn, up a hill by the church, around some neighborhoods, by the highway and back to the Mills. Madelyn did a longer jog while Gary and I walked the route. It was gorgeous.
Back at the Mills we filled up on an enormous Irish breakfast before setting off the Cork to see the Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral as recommended by the Fodor's guide. Churches are closed on Sunday unless you go to mass. We did and found the Cathedral beautiful, freezing and not too crowded.
After mass as we we shaking the hands of the vicar who said mass we realized the Cathedral was Anglican not Catholic. This explained why some of the parts of the Mass were slightly different from what we expected. A cute Irish woman who looked like Grandma Ward confirmed our suspicions. It was not a Catholic church but it was a great mass and homily so we were fulfilled.
From the Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral we drove over to the Marine Market alongside the River Lee running through Cork. The market was packed and finding parking a challenge. But Gary's mad left handed stick driving skills prevailed. We stepped into a festive massive food hall that served every kind of cuisine you could imagine. It also featured vendors selling clothing, jewelry, and handmade items. Madelyn and I picked up a few necklaces and some candles. We all grabbed coffee and wings and we used the few coins Nonna sent on a bag of homemade Cork fudge.
We left Cork for Kinsale which was about a thirty minute drive. It's a gorgeous seaside town famous for two forts, spectacular cuisine and a sailing community. We parked along the Bandon River, a bay inlet that feeds from the Atlantic Ocean, and hiked our way up to the Charles Fort which stands across the bay from the James Fort. At the foot of the Charles Fort stands the Spanish flag honoring the role the Spaniards played assisting Ireland in its battle against England in the 17th century. The walk was beautiful but rainy. Surprisingly this was only the second time we encountered rain on our trip.
The funniest site on the trail were the portable saunas by the sea. They look like casks rolled on their side. Inside you sweat as you look over the Atlantic Ocean. A woman popped out and asked if I wanted go in, but sadly I didn't have the proper gear for a sweat. (I have now seen on social media these saunas and cold plunges are everywhere not just in Kinsale.)
After conquering the Charles Fort we made our way down the hill to the Spaniard (it was renamed) but has existed since 1650 as a traditional Irish pub. And we reunited with Jack Daffada! He arrived from the Cork airport and took a cab to the pub. It was the most adorable pub yet, packed with locals and a roaring fire. I tried my first Smithwick Red Ale and found it delicious. We noshed on crisps and polished off some pints of Guinness, Murphy's and Beamish before finishing the last of the walk for dinner. Best part of the pub visit was Jack's uncle picked up the tab. It turns out his favorite pub is the Spaniard in his favorite Irish town of Kinsale he told Jack to buy a round on him.
A quick consult to ChatGPT and we found a great seafood restaurant - The Fishy Fish. We wandered through the shops of Kinsale on our way to dinner and found the merchandise so well crafted and designed. Things were closing down on a Sunday and so we made it to dinner. We thought we found the front door but it was dark. Ben spied someone walking around and he let us in. It was Martin the owner and head chef of the Fishy Fish. And as it turns out he lived in San Francisco and worked as the head chef of the Huntington Hotel in SF. He was delightful and took us downstairs to his restaurant (we had found his bar which wasn't open that night) and set us up with Jackie his number one wait staff to serve our table.
Before Martin left he brought out a beautiful appetizer of a scallop, mash and chip and a radish. It was delicious. We feasted on oysters, organic salmon, tuna, hake and scallops. His food and sauces were fantastic. I think we all agreed it was our best meal yet over the Isles. After a quick bit of sticky toffee pudding and we drove back to Blarney. Driving on the very dark roads, on the right side of the road, with the stick shift on the left, proved very challenging. Both Ben and Gary were relieved to park the car for the night.
We wanted to check out Irish music at the Waterloo Inn by the river but everything we found seemed to indicate that a fire in the kitchen closed it down in 2022 and it still hadn't reopened. So we went back to the Muskerry Arms for music and beers. Unfortunately, it was a solo singer who was fine but not star studded. We did find our favorite server Abby who was excited to hear about our Cork/Kinsale adventures and implored us to be sure to see the Blarney Castle.
Abby's direction came as the group was trying to plan for the next day and we were at a crossroads. Most of our tour guides said there is no way to properly do the Ring of Kerry in only four hours. So we wanted to skip the Blarney Castle which was literally 500 km from where we were staying. After more glasses of stout and Ben's plea to see the Blarney Castle, Madelyn and I gave in because as we have learned Ben never wants to miss the ultimate tourist traps. We agreed to get to the Blarney Castle, kiss the stone and leave Blarney by 10 am.
So back home for packing and prep to make an early departure from the Mills for our day of driving around the south of the island.
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