Today, let's explore Cork's inhabitants and what shapes their identity ! We are going to talk about culture and habits ! Let's go !
Cork's inhabitants are very proud of their city. We can easily understand why. Perched on an island in the middle of the river Lee, the city of Cork has an abundance of trendy coffee shops, animated art galleries, quirky museums and very lively pubs.
Irish people like gathering together and not only Cork's inhabitants. In the city, there are all kinds of special places which Irish people are fond of.
And the first place where Irish people like gathering together are...pubs !
Pubs play an important role in Ireland just like bars do in Spain ! These places represent a friendly space where you can meet all kinds of people. It is a bit like the agora (public space) for the Romans. It is a daily need and an essential social act for them.
Contrary what we can think, pubs are not places where Irish people drink pint after pint of Guinness beer.
First, most of the pubs close around midnight. Second, you don't find young people in pubs wanting to get drunk for an evening. In pubs, there are not only young people, but there are also elderly people. In Ireland, people of all age rub shoulders in pubs. The atmosphere there is homely. They are places where we can simply sit and listen to music because you can easily find a pub where a live band is playing.
Do you know it ?
The Guinness beer is a dark beer topped with white foam, known worldwide for its flavor and its particuliar appearance.
Guinness is now a brand of beer as well as an Irish brewery. This brewery was founded in 1759 and afterwards became a global company. Guinness is strongly linked to the history of Ireland, it is one of its symbols at an international level.
Fun fact : Irish people like it so much that they put some in their chocolate bars !
Another place almost as famous as the pubs are...coffee shops !
There are real institutions for Irish people, they are not only places to take a hot drink and eat a cake when the weather is bad. No, they are more than that. Though coffees and hot chocolate have a not negligible place in Irish culture. They are real places to chill out after a day of work, to hang out with friends, to read the newspaper or escape during a few hours from the hassle of the daily life.
Each coffee shop has its specialties and an atmosphere of its own. While the Roaster Coffee is more a coffee shop where you order to take away, the Lough Coffee invites you to spend the entire afternoon on its terrace. Cosy for some, impersonal for other, coffee shops bear testimony to the plurality of culture in Cork.
Another place that makes Cork a good place to live is...the Marina Market !
Imagine an isolated warehouse alongside the docks. The atmosphere outside is very different from the atmosphere inside. When you enter through the huge door, you are surprised by the mood that is conveys. Animated chats, lights hanging from the ceiling, colorful food stalls, musical ambiance in the background and a space to eat in the middle.
For lunch, it hosts more families but by night, the age category is younger.
It is the perfect place to imbue with the Irish ambiance : comfortable while staying very trendy.
And when the weather is not too bad, Irish people fancy spending time at Fitzerald Park. It is an 18 acres park located alongside the river Lee in the downtown of Cork. It is a real haven of peace in the city center, we can find trees, beds of roses, ponds and fountains, playgrounds for children and even a museum and a coffee shop ! It hosts yoga sessions as well as events throughout the summer.
What are the people of Cork called ?
People from Cork are called Corkonians.
After having talked about places that shape Irish people and their culture, let's talk about their animals now !
People often talk about English people and their dogs but here in Ireland, it's the same ! Irish people are keen on their pets especially their dogs ! So, for instance when you get to a shop that sells take away products, you can be sure to find one or more bowls of water for their 4-legged friends ! In addition, dogs are allowed in most of the places such as coffee shops. There is no way to separate man from its best companion !
They love their dogs but they also like food ! Cork is very famous for its gastronomy and when you tour the city, you have impression to be travelling all around the world. We go from Nepalese restaurants to Italian, French, Chinese and Irish restaurants. Cork is a multicultural city and a testimony to the open-mindedness of the Irish people. What's more, they are usually very welcoming. It is common to see people greet other in the street and exchange a few words even if they don't know each other ! In the same way, when you go to the supermarket and if you don't have a lot of products to checkout, Irish people who have more products let you pass before them...They are lovely and very friendly people so don't be afraid of coming in Ireland !
Last point about Irish culture and it is about...houses !
Irish house are built with the same type : a rather short house, an almost flat roof, some pot flowers and a small front garden.
The funny thing is, Irish houses all have a name ! Apparently, this could be explained by the fact that in Ireland there are perpendicular streets with the same street name ! To avoid mistakes, they decided to add names to the houses !
Why are houses colourful in Ireland ?
Irish houses are colourful with different shades for the windows, walls or doorway. However, the origin of the doorway doesn't have the same history as the colourful walls...
According to rumors, doorway are colourful to help Irish people who drank a lot in pubs to recognize their house when they want to come back home...
Colourful walls come from another story. In this one, it is the pragmatic side of Irish people that is highlighted. These colours are simply the ones used to paint boats. And they used the remaining painting to paint the front of the houses.
Result : the cities are very pretty and much more charismatic than grey cities ! They say to themselves : these colours are very useful to bring sun on walls in a country where it rains (fairly) steadily...
On my next post, I will share with you my day in Cobh, a place of memory…
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