Throughout the 3 months I spent in ireland, I discovered Irish daily life. Today, I would like to share with you an overview of my day-to-day covering various topics and offering some advice.
ACCOMMODATION
In Cork, Ireland, it is very strenuous to find housing. Indeed, there are more students than available accommodations. In addition, the few that are available are often very expensive. As a student, it is not always easy to find an affordable accommodation in Cork.
One piece of advice : if you go to Ireland, try to plan your trip ahead of time ! If not, you risk having to sleep in your car (if you bring one) !
Below, you can find a table with some accommodations close to the MTU with a small description of what you can expect to find in each of them.
| Yugo Melbourne Point (Rossa Avenue) | Deans Hall (Bischopstown) | Shared house (College Road) | Scholar Lee (Mardyke) |
PRICE | 238 € per week | 145 € per week with sheets or 130 € per week without sheets | 160 € per week | 235 € per week |
LOCATION | 5 minutes by foot from the MTU | 10 minutes by foot from the MTU | 45 minutes by foot from the MTU | 10 minutes by car from the MTU |
DESCRIPTION | You have a room with a private bathroom and a shared kitchen with 8 flatmates or less. | You have a room with a private bathroom and a shared kitchen with other flatmates. | Shared house. You have your own room but kitchen, bathroom, toilets are shared. | You have a room with a private bathroom and a shared kitchen with other flatmates. For 25 € less, you have a room but shared bathroom and kitchen. |
By clicking here, you can find a list for accommodations in Cork.
MOBILITY IN CORK / IN IRELAND
By foot
The easiest way to discover Cork is...by foot. Cork's city is well developed for pedestrians. You can even find greenways. They are green ways (all is in the name) that pedestrians and cyclists can use. They are paved paths surrounded by nature.
To get to the city center by foot, I used a greenway. There is one greenway alongside the Lee river that leads to the city center from the MTU.
These paths are very pleasant to use because they are very well developed. Furthermore, they are fantastic spots to observe local fauna and flora. I can't even count how many grey herons I saw crossing in front of me as if they were tamed, how many swans and ducks I saw crowding alongside the Lee river...these spots are out of time, perfect to enjoy fauna and flora !
BE CAREFUL : if you go by foot and you want to cross the road, don't wait until you see a crosswalk. There are very few (I counted 5 during my stay in total) or none ! When you are at a traffic light, there are two white spaced lines that cross the road. You have found the Irish crosswalk ! To cross the road, you need to press a button on the traffic light. This button will trigger the green light for pedestrians. Then, don't forget to cross between the white spaced lines !
By bike
If you prefer cycling, Cork has cycle paths that are in really good condition. If don’t have your bike with you, don’t worry. You can subscribe to a one-year subscription for 10 € and use any bikes available in different stations which are placed throughout Cork. Nevertheless, pay attention, only the 30 first minutes are free. After, you must pay. So, be sure, to be close to a bike station to park your bike when you are at the 30 minutes.
By bus / by train
Irish buses are a bit different compared to French buses because they have a second floor !
If you fancy to have a trip a bit far away, you can buy a Leap card. This service enables you to have access to bus and train anywhere in Ireland. When you use your Leap card, you have access to discounted fares than if you don’t. To travel, you only need to top-up your card with money via the app. Then, when you get on a bus or a train, you must put your card on a screen to pay.
BE CAREFUL : in Irish buses, you can't pay your ticket with your credit card. You must use your Leap card or cash.
FOOD
Ireland is not part of the Schengen space. So, when you go shopping, you will find many different kinds of products are labeled “Irish made” or “Irish product”.
Supermarkets and shopping mall
In Ireland, you don’t have Supermarkets like Géant, Eleclerc or Carrefour. Here, you have Aldi, Tesco, Centra, Dunnes Stores which are more popular.
Contrary to what is said, prices are not more expensive than in France regarding food. For instance, you can find a 500 grams pot of tomato sauce for 50 cents in Tesco or 1.5 kilograms of flour for 93 cents in Aldi ! It all depends on what you buy !
On the other hand, you will pay a lot if you import your products from France instead of eating local !
Eat at MTU
You can maybe wonder if there is a canteen at the MTU for students. Indeed, the facilities include a canteen, a small shop and a bistro.
If you choose the canteen, you can have either breakfast or lunch. They serve both.
For the lunch, you have different menus including a vegetarian menu. Each menu is made up a main course for a 4.50 or 4.75 €. After, you can add a starter to your main dish menu. There is a large variety of choice. You add what you want on your plate and then you pay it by weight. Finally, if you choose a main dish menu and a starter, you pay around 7 -8 €. You can also buy drinks or sandwiches.
In case you choose the bistro, it not only offers paninis and starters but also main courses.
In the shop, you will mainly find sandwichs and chocolate bars.
STUDENTS
Shops
Some shops selling food propose student menus. So, have a look at the menu before ordering !
Visits
Likewise, most of the monuments who can visit have special prices for students. I benefited from some offers and I was surprised that no one asked for my ID or my student card! Irish people are really trusting !
Mobility
Of course, if shops and museums have bargains for students, there are obviously discounts for transportation ! Thus, if you use the bus or the train, you have reduced prices !
Post
It may be that during your stay, you want to send a letter, a postcard or a parcel by post. But, in Ireland, mail boxes are green and not yellow like in France ! So, don't confuse them for bins !
I hope this overview will have helped you understand the different aspects of daily life in Ireland. On my next post, I will introduce you to the city of Cork…and its history….
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