Dining at Electric in Cork City

We hear right and left that four out of five office Christmas parties will not take place and news of fiscal cutbacks in the government and our own budgets, so now more than ever we need to be able to embrace a bit of fun. This is where Denis O’Mullane comes in with his latest restaurant venture. Electric is bringing back the evening out, in spite of the Irish economy’s best efforts.

Arriving on a crisp evening at the bright building at 41 South Mall in Cork City Centre, I was struck by the life-size gold figures adorning the building’s facade. With the grace of a ballerina and the strength of an Oscar statue, these ladies foreshadowed the unique architectural history and innovative design of the restaurant and bar within. We stepped into the ground-level bar area, which boasted the start of a few mingling friends Saturday night. The room felt young and vibrant with the soft buzz of lively chatter and the unmistakable sound of great craic being had.

Marking One Year Since the Cork City Flood of 2009

November 2009 started with something to prove. From the first day of the month, Corkonians were treated to chill, rain, or wind. The night of November 19th made that seem like a walk in the park, however. After torrential downpours and strong winds surrounded us for nearly two days, the city and its environs were left with severe flooding the likes of which have not been seen for decades. Keeping in mind Cork City once had waterways where a few of the main streets now stand, it will take a familiar tone when looking at photos of it today.

Friday, the 20th of November was a morning like any other, but it was not like any other it was just hours after high tide and released dam water cascaded ruthlessly into the streets and ground floors of homes and business. Some awoke to the sound of splashing within their houses while others arrived at work to discover newly-delivered inventory or major appliances ruined. There was no separation between the river and the streets let alone the buildings.

Opera Lane Welcomes Tommy Hilfiger Store

This morning, Tommy Hilfiger opened the doors of its new Opera Lane store to customers for the first time. The new store on Patrick’s Street offers Corkonians what the store on Oliver Plunkett cannot – space!

Cork City St. Patrick’s Festival – My Photos

This is a quick post to share a couple photos from the Cork City St. Patrick’s Festival. In this post, you can peek at one pic of the parade, which I didn’t really see given the crowds since I was with my mother (who cannot stand or walk for very long). There is also a photo from the food fair along Grand Parade and the South Mall Boardwalk (not to be confused with the Lapps Quay Boardwalk). If you want to see more photos from St. Patrick’s Day in Cork, this set has photos from my first (and so far only) two March 17th’s living in Ireland. Hope you had a lovely holiday!

St. Patrick’s Week in Cork City

As an American, I’ve been warned that Saint Patrick’s Day in Cork isn’t as grand as in New York, Chicago, Boston, or even Dublin, but I have to think they’re underselling it. Cork City has so much to offer in the week around the most famous and beloved Irish holiday on March 17th. Traffic and parade details are available on the City site.

Here are some of the highlights not to be missed as well as a few of my personal suggestions for activities:

Opera Lane Welcomes Compu b

The queue started accumulating on the doorstep of Opera Lane’s Compu b store an hour before the grand opening and by 11:00 a.m. people lined up beyond Gap to get a first glimpse into the Apple-focused retailer. Needless to say, I snapped a few pics.

Opening day specials include 11% discounts and goody bags with tee-shirts and a Crumpler keychain. After ten minutes waiting for the doors to open, we entered. Much to my surprise (nearly shock), the owner (?) was on-hand at the door greeting and shaking the hand of EVERY SINGLE SHOPPER entering the new store.

Unfortunately, it was too crowded for us to reach the backpacks and satchels (what I’ve been needing for my MacBook), so we decided to return another day for our bag buy and, sadly, forego the discount. But we were thrilled to see the retailer come to Cork City and in this economic climate it’s nice to see a store doing brisk business.
Look for all the details on Opera Lane (formerly Faulkner’s Lane) and its shops in our thorough Opera Lane Store Directory post.

For your convenience and reference, the store’s contact information is included below:

Compu b

17 Opera Lane, Patrick’s Street

LoCall: 1850 66 8888

Email: sales@compub.com

Cork City Hall Craft & Design Fair

This weekend is the annual City Hall Craft & Design Fair this weekend. Over 80 exhibitors with thoughtfully designed pottery, sparkling jewelry, exquisite artwork, hand-crafted toys, gourmet food and drink products, and much more grace the interior of the hall. There is even a small meal selection (including vegetarian, celiac-friendly organic soup) for reasonable prices in the main hall on-stage. Admission is €7 per person.

Though tempted by any beautiful items, there were a few stalls that became fast favorites:

Belinda Northcote’s detailed and vibrant prints are being sold as well as her husband’s photography. Based in Ballycotton, her watercolor paintings offer an intensity not often found with such serene elegance. A perfect gift for anyone seeking to build a local artist collection. Prints start at just €10 and her note cards are affordably priced, making you want to start letter writing again.

Gwen Bainbridge has a fun, quirky, and deliciously darling artistic sense. I fell in love with her ceramics the moment I saw the little cupcakes that are actually little boxes. Sigh. Even the swirls of icing are mimicked in the ceramic pieces. Jewelry, tableware, and collectables all in one cheery stall.

Alphabet Jigsaws made me long for my nephew to be a year older so I could get him one of their imaginative and fun-yet-educational puzzles. My favorites are the numbers that piece together to be a dog and the ever-popular alphabet that is made of separate creatures to be played with but fits together A to Z.

Wood’n is back again with hand-crafted wood pens and other lovely pieces made of Irish Yew and other woods as well as imported Mahogany. A lasting gift for your favorite student, scribe, father, or colleague.

Indigo Craft has luxuriously soft real pashmina scarves in brilliant hues for reasonable prices as well as handbags and other accessories. The multi-colored woven scarf is a modern take on the classic pashmina fabrics and with so many hues it is bound to coordinate with something you already own.

Taste of the Caribbean is tasty and tangy with sauces, seasonings, and ready-to-make foods.

Pas De Probleme seems to be present at every Cork City fair I’ve attended and this is no exception. With new pieces of calming cream and blue shown alongside the usual bright fish and patterned pieces, it’s no wonder her stall is so memorable. She will be at the Cork City Grand Parade Christmas Fair for its final two weekends.

Hot Irish Coffee & Mulled Wine offers yummy samples and sells bottled mulled wine for a tenner as well as prepared Irish coffee (just add hot water). Tasty treats for a hostess over the holidays.

The fair started on Thursday (26 November) and runs through Sunday (29 November). As with most events in Cork City, it is poorly publicized and I would not have known about it had a friend not rang me up to say she had a spare ticket. A worthwhile experience with two rooms of tempting and lovely Christmas goodies.

Cork City, Flooded – PHOTOS

November started with something to prove. From the first day of the month, Corkonians were treated to chill, rain, or wind. This week made that seem like a walk in the park, however. After torrential downpours and strong winds surrounded us for nearly two days, we are left with severe flooding the likes of which have not been seen for decades. Keeping in mind Cork City once had waterways where a few of the main streets now stand, it will take a familiar tone when looking at photos of it today. I pulled on my Wellies and waded through the streets today to capture some of the scenes of the flooding. Each time I poured the water from my rain boots, I half expected a fish to come swimming out. At one point we were standing in bone-chilling water up to our thighs and had we taken a few more steps it would have covered us to the waistline. There are times when an experience and a photograph should not take over health or well-being, so we did not allow water to go higher than a pair of running shorts. A girl’s gotta have her limits! Many of the photos have already been uploaded to my Flickr account, so click here to view Cork City Flood Photos from the warm, dry confines of your home. Also some great photos on Arguing The Mobius.

From a practical perspective, I am also posting links to a few news pieces so we are all informed:

Major Disruption Caused By Widespread Flooding, Irish Times

Flooding: Worst Effected Areas, Irish Times

Water Supply to 40% of Cork City Disrupted, Irish Times

Floods Hit Cork, Herald

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