From Liverpool, we took to the air and flew on Ryanair from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Cork, Ireland.  Cork (pics), in the south of Ireland in County Cork, is considered Ireland’s “second city”.  It sits along the River Lee with the city center actually occupying an island with the river split around it.  This island center is compact and very walkable with a mix of narrow pedestrian lanes.

We enjoyed Cork’s English Market with its beautifully displayed selections of produce, meats and seafood.  In the market we had a nice meal at the Farmgate Café which sources all of its food from the market itself.  When we asked about good locally brewed beers we were directed to Rising Sons Brewery.  They brew their beers on-site and have a nice selection.  We tried their “Handsum IPA” and “Mi Daza Stout”.  Both were quite good.  Apparently, the people in Cork have a strong pride in their locally crafted stouts and feel they are superior to the Dublin brewed Guinness.  Based upon my limited experience I would agree with them.

While in Cork we took a day tour to the Cliffs of Moher.  These cliffs are on the southwestern coast of Ireland and are the most visited natural attraction of this island nation.  The cliffs run for 5 miles along the coast and rise 700 feet straight up from the surface of the ocean.  The day we were there it was extremely windy and we were told that this was fairly normal and that you could encounter most any weather condition here on any given day.  It is a very dramatic sight and well worth the visit.