Today, we had all day to do whatever in Cork. With good advice from our B & B host, we caught the bus for a 30 minute ride through the suburbs. We met a nice man while we waited at the bus stop in Blarney who gave us directions for picking up the bus for our trip home. He also gave us some street advice.

Cork is a very compact city and it is easy to walk . So, with a tourist map that we picked up somewhere along the way, our first stop was the English Market . . . why it is named that, we do not know. After all, the Irish are not fond of the English and you would think, wouldn't you, that they would do all they can to distance themselves? Anyway, it is a big building with an open air market, having everything from fresh fish to fresh vegetables to freshly baked bread, and a restaurant where we would return later, for lunch. Along the way, today, while talking with some of the locals, I discovered that there is still a problem with English landlords. As it turns out, the reason Blarney Castle (the building) is such a wreck and the grounds/gardens and the house we were unable to get into are so lovely and beautiful, is that the Castle grounds are owned by an Englishman rather than the Irish.  

After wandering through the English Market, which seems to be the highlight of Cork, we walked up to St. Fin Barre's Cathedral which, as it turned out, is Episcopal/Anglican/Church of Ireland, and in dire need of renovation . It is impressive in size, but needs a good whitewashing/steam cleaning. As we were leaving, I (Dayna) stopped to talk with the gentleman who took our €€ to tour the church. He is Catholic, working in an Anglican church, and he is employed by the Irish government so the church can stay open as the congregation is getting older and cannot support the building.  

We followed a tourist walking map for another hour, observing that Cork is a rather dirty town, much like Dublin. So far, with the exception of Galway, we are not impressed with the big cities. We crossed the river to visit the Cathedral of St. Mary & St. Anne. As I walked into this beautiful cathedral, I knew immediately that it is Catholic. It is clean. It is well kept. It has been renovated and restored. It is beautiful! AND, we were not charged to enter the church like we were in the Anglican/English church.  

We wandered back to the English Market for lunch -- their seafood chowder was rated highly but I still think the best was in Dublin . Not being impressed with Cork, we hopped on the bus for Blarney, wandered around the shops for a shot time, then went back to our B & B to rest. Later in the evening, we went to a pub for dinner and live music. Tomorrow, we are off to County Kilkenny, the place of my roots!

P. S. -- Tom and I are a couple of days behind because we have had no internet connection. It is Sunday, September 28, and we are sitting in a bar in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, typing away. He lost his draft and I had to fill in PLUS edit and upload the pictures. Inhaling cigarette smoke while I work, my head hurts, and I am trying to hurry so I can move on to the next day. We are listening, on a Sunday evening, to some very salty language in this bar -- every other word begins with F and ends with JC. A different culture from our sheltered life in Salt Lake City to be sure!!!! But, we love the Irish. They are so friendly and are such a hoot!!!