o'malligan

Last night was our first real night in Cork. And it sure was an Irish night. We all crashed for a nice long nap, rejuvenated, and headed to downtown Cork. There is a large section of the city closed off for pedestrian use only with a ton of shops, restaurants, and pubs. We were all really surprised to see how quiet it is here. There are not a ton of tourists, or even people, out on the streets doing much shopping or eating out. On some roads, we were the only three. In one of the pubs, we asked the bartender what was going on, if it had to do with it being a Monday. He just said, "we're in a recession." It's scary to see how badly a small town in Ireland has even been hit by the ever-declining global economy. 

The three of us battled for a while as to where we wanted to eat and what we were feeling when we ventured on one amazing pub, Mulligan's. We couldn't help but insist we have a pint and enjoy the " warm-hearted spirit" of the pub. And, they served an amazing whiskey called "Mulligans," of course. The bartender said we couldn't keep the bottle unless we all finished the whiskey, so my mom and Ryan cowboyed up and did six straight shots of some fabulous alcohol (gag). I did not succumb to peer pressure and refused to join in, but took some very flattering photos of their pleased faced. And Ryan will be able to show off his wonderful whiskey bottle. 

By the time we finished, we realized it was already 9:30 PM. And apparently Irish restuarants don't function on Mulligan time, and everything was closed for dinner, so we had a classic Italian dinner at this bistro that was open down the road. A little bit out of spirit, but still delicious food. However, on the walk home, we ventured into an old pub and witnessed live Irish music that the whole group enjoyed. Put a little more Irish spirit into us.