Beara Peninsula looped walk – The Pulleen loop – 1.5 hours and easy!

The Coosemore Caves

Dogs Point on the Pulleen Way

The Pulleen way between Bird Point and Dogs Point

We spent ages planning a few short easy-going yet scenic looped walks on the Beara peninsula as the Beara way itself is not looped, ie you need to be dropped at one end of a day’s walk and picked up at the other.  The looped walks enable you to leave the car and return to the same spot.

Our first adventure was along the Pulleen Way loop.  The rendez-vous point was at Ardgroom where there is a cafe, shop, post office and petrol station all combined.  After quick refreshments we headed to Bird Point (Ordnance Survey Map 84) which is about 5km from Ardgroom on the north coast of the Beara Peninsula.  Parking is in the small harbour next to the derelict lorry at Bird Point.  The grade is easy, the track is well signposted and the walk takes about 1.5 hours.

We actually followed the coast up to Dogs Point and retraced our steps back to Bird Point as the view over the ocean is so amazing.  The Coosemore Caves remind me of the very well known Hole in the Rock near Paihia on the Bay of Islands in New Zealand!

When you finish this walk and if you are heading in the direction of Eyeries,  be sure to take the narrow coastal road as it tracks the coast and the views are fabulous

Jacobs on the Mall – Cork Restaurant review

The service in Jacobs on the Mall is dreadfully slow.  Unless you have a minimum of two hours to spare for dinner, give this place a miss.

I love the food.  I had delicious tomato and sweetcorn bread made on the premises followed by mixed leaves, a Thai green chicken curry and their delicious chocolate fondant.  My brother had crab claws, a tastey chicken dish and the chocolate fondant.  The dessert takes 15 minutes but believe me, if you have the patience to wait for the great food, you won’t mind waiting the extra 15 minutes for the dessert.

The head waiter during my visit was a chap who likes to put  his arm around people and call them ‘folks’ – Far too touchy/feely/flippant for my liking.  He was in such a rush that he was all over the place.  It’s a shame that the service is so bad given the standard of the food.

Bandon’s St Patricks Day Parade

Full marks go to the organizers of the Bandon St Patricks Day parade as it gets better and better every year.  We did miss a pipe band and some Irish dancers so perhaps we could aim to include those next year.  All the groups and individuals that paraded from the scouts to the farmers on their classic tractors and the classic cars were great as was the performance by the Fanzini Brothers before and after the parade itself.

Our American guests from Chicago loved the old tractors.  They were expecting our river to be green like in Chicago but aside from that, they loved the small intimate feel of our parade compared with their massive parade.  They had a great lunch afterwards at The Poachers Inn

Lunch at the Capella in Castlemartyr

We had two American guests to stay here at Kilbrogan House. They had lunch at The Capella on their way to us and raved about it. They were, perhaps, a bit biased as one works for the company that owns the hotel. In any case, I had the good fortune to be invited to lunch at the hotel last Saturday so was able to check out if their recommendation was credible.

I thought the experience was tremendous and great value at euro 40 a head for two courses. The lunch itself was superb. There were at least five choices for each of the courses and between us we sampled most of what was on offer. There was nothing but praise from our group. The dining room looks out at the ruins of the castle and a recently created garden. We were a group of six and our table was somewhat hidden away at the end of the dining room – almost like a private room so we didn’t disturb any of the other diners.

What was so special about our Capella lunch was the entire experience – The ambiance, the stately lounge with a fabulously ornate ceiling. Go early and take a tea before lunch as you won’t be disappointed. We walked around the garden afterwards and took a peak into the spa which looks wonderful. The living accommodation has been neatly tucked away at the side of the old historic house. This project must have cost millions to develop and every last detail has been carefully worked out.

Tom Doorley wrote a very favourable review of the lunch here and we concur with his findings! Take a trip their yourself for a special occasion. This hotel is light years ahead of places like the new Carlton in Kinsale. It has a magical, special ambiance. It’s a shame that the Capella don’t make more of the history of this magical place as it is such an integral part of the entire experience.

The Fanzini Brothers visit Kilbrogan House

Yesterday  at Kilbrogan House we were fortunate to have a visit from the Fanzini Brothers who were performing at the Bandon St Patricks Day parade. I highly recommend their show to anybody who is looking for a couple of multi talented entertainers. They have been performing for years and easily adapt to all age groups. These two hail from the gaeltacht hence are multi lingual.