The Emerald Isle

After our 5:30am—11:00pm day two days ago, jam-packed with Irish fun, we decided to make yesterday a bit more low-key, while still having a great time travelling.

Late yesterday morning, we got on a train from Dublin to Cork, which is on the southern border of Ireland. On the way, I listened to some Relient K and Copeland, chatted with my parents, and stared out the windows at the greenest land I have ever seen.

The lush pastures with cows and sheep complimented the trees that form the borders between the pastures. Occasionally, a small creek would drift into the scene, adding some glistening movement. The clouds allowed a fair dose of sunlight to shine through, emblazoning the landscape with even more vibrant color. The train cut through the countryside quickly, but every field, forest, and glen was as majestic as the next. Needless to say, it was an awesome trek.

Three hours later, we arrived in Cork. As we got off the train, we saw a sign that said, “Welcome to the People’s Republic of Cork,” next to a map of Ireland with two regions: Cork and Not Cork.

In this city, we saw the English Market, St. Patrick’s Street, the River Lee, St. Anne Shandon Cathedral, St. Mary’s Church, and University College Cork. My favorite sight in the city, however, was St. Finbarre’s Cathedral.

This spectacular building, constructed between 1865 and 1879, is on a site that has been a place of worship for 1,400 years! The stained glass windows inside depict stories from the Old and New Testaments in order, starting with the Creation window, with a pane for each of the six days of Creation. My favorite part of the Cathedral was the pulpit. It had carvings of the evangelists Matthew (with his symbol, an angel), Mark (with his symbol, a lion), Luke (with an ox), and John (with an eagle), and the apostle Paul (with a sword) etched into the pulpit.

In the evening, my dad (the biggest St. Louis Cardinals fan east of the Mississippi) asked the front desk if they could by any chance get the baseball game on one of their TVs. The Cardinals are in the first round of the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and my dad was itching to watch. To his ecstatic surprise, they were able to broadcast the game from the bar! Guess where he and I spent the evening? Watching my team play in sunny St. Louis from Cork, Ireland is an experience I never thought I would have. But it was great.

This morning, the three of us made our way to the Cork Airport for our Aer Lingus flight back to London-Heathrow. We all flipped through the 140 pictures I took on my phone over the past 7 days, choosing our favorite cities and sights. My parents had the same top three cities list. Their third favorite was Cambridge (probably because that’s where they picked up their boy). Second for them was our Northern Ireland excursion, which was third for me. My second favorite was Dublin. But we all agreed on our #1 favorite city of the trip: York.

York is now my favorite city on the British Isles. I’m not sure why it’s not more famous, but it was unbelievable. If anyone plans a trip to Great Britain, I would recommend putting York at the top of your list.

My three favorite individual sights of the trip would probably be the Northern Ireland coast, Sandymount Strand in Dublin, and York Minster Cathedral.

From the airport, I boarded a bus to Cambridge, and my parents made their way to their hotel for their last night in London before flying back to Jackson tomorrow. Saying goodbye to my rock-star parents was difficult, but I’ll get to see them in 10 weeks once my time in Cambridge is through.

Ireland is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. But it’s a bit sad to see all the tension on the island. The political tension within the Republic mixed with the territorial tension between the Republic and the UK makes me see Ireland as a place of great uncertainty regarding the future. It seems like Ireland is always two steps behind the world powers, desperately trying to catch up. But the Irish are a resilient, friendly, and hardworking people. They’ll pull through like they always have.

And as for me, I’m back in Cambridge. I might never set foot on Irish soil again, but I’m an Ireland-supporter ‘til I die. And please, if you haven’t done so already… visit York.