A Weekend in Cork

Amber Lacilla

When I first arrived in Ireland, I found it extremely difficult to plan trips for myself to explore the country. I was worried about taking time off work, about my health, and about money. I had nothing to worry about. My internship boss was very accommodating and understood that while I was here I would want to explore.

This is a picture of Cork city center my first night. The moon was beautiful over the water and the brightly lit buildings of the street.
Once on Spike Island, you walk up a hill lined with homes from when civilians lived on the island. Up the hill was the entrance of the fortress that holds barracks and jail buildings. This is a picture of the entrance to the fortress.

Over time, trip planning got much easier and everything worked out. In this last full month I have in Ireland, I planned many different trips for myself. I spent this past weekend in Cork. I stayed at a hostel in Cork city center and spent one day exploring the city center. I met so many amazing girls at my hostel and spent a day exploring with them. We saw the Cork Public Museum, the park, and went to a few very delicious pubs and restaurants to eat. It was a great weekend with many memories made. On Sunday, I went to Cobh in Cork to do the Titanic Experience and Spike Island tour. I learned so much that I did not know about the Titanic and its relationship with Cobh. I also did the Spike Island tour. The boat ride was amazing even with the cold weather. Spike Island has a lot of history. It was a prison, military zone, and living grounds for civilians throughout the years. It was mind blowing to walk through the halls and hear the stories of people who were imprisoned, living, or fighting on Spike Island. Being in these places in Cobh was a surreal experience. It was very interesting to be in that city and learn its history.

This is what remains of the original pier that occupants of the Titanic walked on to get onto the ship. The Titanic was docked off this very pier. It has been preserved as part of Cobh's history.
This is a picture of one of the jail cells in the punishment building. It was where they kept very dangerous or troublesome prisoners. The cells were dark with nothing but a bed for the prisoners to sleep on.
At the end of the Titanic Experience, there was a room full of facts, videos, and more. This was a model of the Titanic that was put together for the experience.

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