The Michael Collins Unofficial Trail In The Unofficial Capital - Cork

Our 6 year old son Seamus is Michael Collins mad, he simply loves him & is eager for any & all information about the man that he can get. Last Christmas while trying to explain to him about people not believing in the same God nor believing in Christmas he piped up that he only believes in three: Michael Collins, God & Johnny Cash are his Holy Trinity!!

I met my husband while we were both serving in the 7^th Field Artillery Regiment in McKee Barracks way back in 1997. We are both interested in Irish military history, especially the 1916 Rising so that might explain where he first got to learn of Michael Collins.

Earlier this year we watched a documentary on RTE, aired as part of the Great Irish Journeys series. John Creedon retraced the Big Fella’s last 24 hours in Cork. Seamus was so wowed by this that we decided we had to do it ourselves to show him first hand.

Celtic Ross Hotel, Rosscarbery West Cork

We stayed in a fabulous family run 3* hotel in West Cork on the Wild Atlantic Way. This was an ideal base for visiting Clonakilty & further afield. We found out that Michael Collins’ parents are buried in the graveyard that’s just behind the hotel, so our trail started earlier than we had expected. 

My daughters decided that we should visit & bring some flowers. The Celtic Ross is brilliant for children as they have a pool & kids club to keep the little ones entertained. Druid’s restaurant serves fresh local produce, specialising in seafood, you can dine overlooking Rosscarbery bay. They offer rates from as little as €31.50pp B&B off season. Children (4-12 yrs) are €12 each B&B.

Our Little Fella with the Big Fella, Clonakilty, West Cork

Michael Collins attended school in & lived in Clonakilty for a couple of years. The house is currently undergoing renovations so you can’t get in at the moment but there is a large statue of Collins in the town centre. 

Tim & Dolores Crowley opened a heritage centre dedicated to Collins on their farm in 2000. They now run trails from the Michael Collins Centre in Castleview Clonakilty. Unfortunately it was not open when we were passing so we will be back for that! We have heard that it’s well worth a visit. For bookings or inquiries call 023 8846107.

Woodfield, Sam’s Cross, West Cork

Woodfield is the birthplace of Michael Collins, it’s hard to find but we managed! Coming from Clonakilty out to Lisavaird go through the village & take the first right heading south & you’ll see a brown tourist signpost directing you. 

The house itself is no longer standing as it was burned by the British Crown Forces in 1921. Although you can still see its footprint & the chimney tops. The barns at the back, into which family moved when the house was burned down, are still standing. It’s such a peaceful & tranquil place I can see why he loved it so much.

Blackcurrant & Tayto all round! Four All's, Sam’s Cross, West Cork

On that faithful day August 22^nd 1922 Michael Collins & his men met with his family in the Four All’s, which was owned by his uncle Jeremiah Collins.  It’s a stones throw from his birthplace. 

If you make it to Woodfield be sure to pop into the Four All's as you are always assured of a warm welcome. While we were there Seamus wanted to see the old sign that hung over the door when Michael last visited as he had seen John Creedon with it. The barman was lovely & brought us out to the back of the bar to show us.

On the way back to our hotel that evening we took a trek out to Beál na mBláth but there was torrential rain so we couldn't get out for any pictures. 

It was difficult to find but the best way is to head there from the Macroom – Cork road. There is a monument at the side of the road & it’s a plenty big road to pull in.

The Imperial Hotel, South Mall, Cork City

Michael Collins spent his last night in the Imperial Hotel in Cork, it’s very sad to see that the only reminder is a painting & small plaque on the wall in the lobby. The suite that he slept in has since been remodelled into three bedrooms so you can’t see where he slept. 

We had stayed in the Imperial Hotel without the children previously & once you can find your room it’s lovely! The thermal suite is amazing & we spent hours there.

Arthur Mayne’s, Pembroke Street, Cork

If you happen to find yourself in Cork City I can’t recommend enough the food (especially the spiced beef sandwich) in Arthur Mayne’s just beside the Imperial Hotel. 

It’s a gorgeous wine bar with a huge suntrap of a beer garden out the back. Oh & they are one of only a handful of places in Cork that open for Sunday brunch (!). They have recently opened a sister bar in Donnybrook, Dublin. We haven’t had a chance to visit yet but the food will be every bit as tasty their Chef has relocated to Dublin.

Collins Barracks, Cork City

I didn't know this but there is a museum in Collins Barracks with a room dedicated to Michael Collins. Guess it’s handy having a hubby in the know! They have a lot of Michael Collins’ personal belongings such as his leather overcoat, his pistols & his medal from the War of Independence. 

Also the first makeshift cross that was erected at the ambush site in Beál na mBláth. The Big Fella’s writing bureau is also there, I can only imagine the letters he would be writing today, if he was still with us. The curator Jim Horgan keeps everything in pristine condition. The museum is open to the public 10am- 1pm Monday, Wednesday & Friday, entry is free of charge. 

Munster Arms Hotel (formerly Lees Hotel) Bandon, Co Cork

Last stop on our Michael Collins trail is the Munster Arms Hotel in Bandon, this was also Michael Collins’ last stop as he came here to attend a meeting & rally the local Free State Troops before heading back to Cork City via Beál na mBláth. At this stage most of the bridges & roads in the area were either blown or blocked by the IRA. 

It’s here, in the lobby that hangs the last known photograph of General Michael Collins. Yes, Seamus gives the thumbs up in every photo!

Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

We recently attended a commemoration in Glasnevin Cemetery for Arthur Griffith & Michael Collins. The only reason I include this is that Sliabh na mBan, the 1920 Rolls Royce armoured car, was also in attendance. 

It was part of Michael Collins’ motorcade while visiting Cork in 1922 & was used to transport his wounded body after the ambush at Beál na mBláth on August 22^nd. 

Sliabh na mBan has been lovingly restored inside & out including the .303 Vickers water cooled machine gun by the skilled craftsmen in the Irish Defence Forces Cavalry Corps. 

Seamus loves visiting Sliabh na mBan in her home at the military museum in the Curragh, Co Kildare. Opening hours Mon- Wed 10am-1pm & 3pm-5pm Thurs 2pm-8pm Sun 2pm-5pm admission is free of charge as is parking.

Tell us, have you been to any of the Michael Collins spots in Cork? Got a little one that's as interested in history as our Seamus? 

Waterford with Sheckles - Seeing The Country's Oldest City on a Budget!

Roll up, roll up, we're even closer to home for this week's Tuesday's Travels and hoping to give you a little staycation inspiration before the little ones head back to class later this month. We bring you Waterford, on a budget. 

Waterford City

We love visiting the sunny south east and do so a couple of times a year.  Since the recession has clipped our wings we do a lot of staycations with our little ones. There are lots of things to see & do with children in Waterford. 

I’ll give you a quick rundown of what we got up to a couple of weeks ago. You hear a lot about rip off Ireland but there are bargains out there & with a little planning you can have a cheap as chips weekend in Ireland too. 

Waterford Marina Hotel

We stayed in the Waterford Marina Hotel less than a 5 minute walk from the Viking Triangle in the centre of Waterford. They currently have a great offer of 3 nights B&B & 1 dinner for €119pp, children stay free and just pay for meals (well you pay for them, unless your babies are tycoons, in which case I'll bring them with me next time). 

We got a large family room overlooking the river Suir, they had a lovely spread of everything you could want for breakfast & the children loved it. The only drawback is that they don’t have a swimming pool AKA every Mam & Dad's secret weapon in getting children to bed early on holidays. 

House of Waterford Crystal Factory Tour

We started bright & early on Saturday morning as we had so much to fit in. First stop was the Factory tour of Waterford Crystal. The staff were fabulous & so friendly, they whisk you around the factory, telling you all about the history of crystal making in Waterford. You get to see the mould room, blowing department & cutting department among others, all the while watching the magic happen & a piece of crystal being made from start to glorious finish. 

We had lots of time for photos & got one of the girls with the world’s largest champagne flute that holds a whopping 45 litres of the bubbly stuff. You’d also need a straw & a step ladder though.  A family ticket is €30 & under 5’s are free.

There's Cillain attempting to be King but thwarted by Orla & Aoife, taking after her Auntie Sue

Waterford Crystal Shop

They have a shop & cafe onsite. Aoife was thrilled to see the vanity table, she is soooo like her Aunty CherrySue! Did you know that they make jewellery? I didn’t. The Celtic cross necklace was fabulous & I gave hubby enough hints to buy it for me for our anniversary!  

One of my top travel tips is, when on holiday, buy a Christmas ornament to hang on your Christmas tree. I now have a travel tree that I put in my hall & love seeing all the decorations on it year after year reminding us of the places we've visited. Waterford Crystal has some really lovely Christmas ornaments & they have new additions each year.

Waterford Treasures

All within the Viking Triangle you can visit Bishop’s Palace, Medieval Museum & Reginald’s Tower. We didn’t have time to visit Reginald’s Tower on this occasion but it’s run by the OPW so if you are in Waterford on the first Wednesday of the month it’s free entry but well worth a visit either way!

Bishop’s Palace is opulence at its finest, an authentic eighteenth century Georgian residence built in 1743. It houses some of Waterfords priceless treasures including the oldest piece of Waterford Crystal dating back to 1789. 

Don’t miss the Telling Tales guided tour. You're escorted around the Palace by Mrs Rickards the housekeeper & Mr Whatwhy the butler, all the while they are regaling you with stories of a bygone era. My little ones were so engrossed in the tour & loved learning about the previous occupants. There is also a toy museum upstairs.

A couple of steps away is the Medieval Museum complete with a fifteenth century wine vault. Here you can learn all about the history of Waterford, the Vikings & medieval cloth of gold vestments are on display. A family ticket for combined admission is €20 & under 14’s are free.

Tramore

Tramore is only a short drive from Waterford City centre, seeing as our hotel didn’t have a pool we drove out to bring the children to Splashworld. They had a blast & loved every minute, even after my smallest lad fell & bumped his head as the tiles are very slippery. They have two flumes for over 6’s & for under 6’s they have a pirate ship & smaller slide in the pool. In the main pool there is a wave machine that’s turned on every 20 minutes or so. A family ticket is €32 & under 3’s are free.

After our swim we headed over to the donut bar on the recommendation of a lady I met in the pool. OMG, they are gorgeous with nearly every flavour under the sun, made fresh. We got some hot donuts with hot chocolate sauce & ice cream, gone in seconds.

No trip to Waterford would be complete without having fish & chips in Dooly’s. To us they are the best you’ll find in Ireland, actually in the world & that’s not an easy feat. There are two in Tramore but we headed back to our hotel & had a stroll first before going to the Dooly’s just beside the Waterford Marina Hotel. We got one of their great value family meals so we fed & watered a family of 6 for just €25! Perfect for a taste of lots of things & fans of vinegary chips - Orla kept asking for more vinegar!

Tramore part two!

As we were on the way to a railway for our lads on Sunday morning we were flagged down & asked to join a vintage car rally in Tramore. Only in Ireland!! The joys of hubby driving a vintage Land Rover Defender. Our little lads are Mini mad & there were lots in the road run that had just passed us so we turned around & joined them. 

Tramore wasn’t really our cup of tea so we let the children have a go on a few rides before we set off again. To stay within budget we told the children that they each had €6 and could decide themselves what rides whey wanted to spend their money on. The girls had a giggle at the boys who were frightened witless on the less than a minute ghost train. God only knows what could have frightened them so much in those few seconds but the girls thought it was hilarious.

Waterford & Suir Valley Railway

Seamus & Cillian are railway mad so we brought them out to Kilmeadan to have a ride on a heritage narrow gauge railway. It runs on the old Waterford to Cork railway line & the views of the Suir Valley are stunning.  

There is even a magic wood where fairies live among the trees. It was so lovely to hear the excitement of the children pointing out fairies to their parents. The journey takes about 40 minutes to return to Kilmeadan station, where there is an old railway carriage converted into a shop & cafe. Family tickets start at €19 with each additional child only €2.

Summer Magic Events at Waterford & Suir Valley Railway

If you can, try to time your visit to coincide with one of their Summer Magic Events. Which take place on selected Sundays throughout the summer. They have different events such as teddy bears picnic, cartoon character meet & greets, even a birds of prey day. We were lucky that we visited on one of these magic days and got to meet some lovely owls & hawks from Mayfield Birds of Prey. 

Seamus was besotted with Hiccup, as were the girls with Bailey & Muffin. There is no extra charge for these events. They also run a Spooky Express & Santa Express, hopefully we’ll get back for the Santa one.

We stopped in Donnacha’s Bar for Sunday lunch which is just up the road from the railway. Colin & I had a very filling Caesar salad each while the children had sausages & chips/nuggets & chips. The food was lovely & cost €35 for a family lunch with drinks. We filled our bellies and chatted about our favourite part of our little weekend escape. 

So there you have it our budget, action packed weekend in Waterford. We will be back in the oldest city for our annual visit to Winterval in December. If you haven’t heard of it yet, I’ll tell you all about it closer to Christmas!

Have you been to Waterford, got any top tips of things to see & do? 

Introducing Tuesday's Travels with Super Mam! (aka Stonebabies)

Just a quick intro from Mise, I've been scrunching my nose with the excitement of my little Sis joining us here on CherrySue. Sing it with me 'It's a Family Affaiiiiirrr'. In all seriousness, Corrina here is one of my 

most favourite people on this planet. 

A rock of support through all of my hard times, while juggling her own life with an ease I never knew possible, this woman inspires me every single day. If you've seen her Instagram or Twitter, you'll also know that she's the kind of Momma that defies belief, the kind of Momma that we all wish we had 

and we all strive to be. 

She's also an unstoppable force when it comes to travelling the world (she's affectionately known as Stone Travel)  & loving every minute. These little chickens are better travelled than I could ever hope to be. With the introduction of Tuesday's Travels, I'm hoping she'll let us in on her secrets and we can all try to catch up. I'm all for Prada travel on a Primark purse! Take it away, Sis!

Hi I’m Corrina, CherrySue's little sister *waves* I’m a stay at home mam to 4 little ones, all under 7 years old & expecting a new little bundle of joy in October. I had been working in Banking Management from my early twenties (and rocking it) but when the girls arrived 7 years ago, I gave it all up to be a full time Mam. 

We all love to travel & do it quite a lot but on a budget I might add! Even though the recession has clipped our wings we still manage to get away. Only nowadays it’s mainly weekend breaks in Ireland.

Sue & I have put our heads together & come up with an idea that those of you who love to travel might like. For all of you that think your options are limited with a young family and not very many sheckles, I'm here to let you in on a little secret, that's just not true! 

To help with a show and tell, we're introducing Tuesday's Travels posts for CherrySue, starting next Tuesday with The Mother Road herself (how apt?!) – 

Route 66. 

We all have a few destinations on our bucket list, right? Well when our twins were 10 months old & I found out I was expecting again we decided it was now or never. Route 66 had always been top of our list, there is nothing quite like the open road driving cross country in the USA. You get to see everything along the 2,448 miles (4,000 kilometres) from the bright lights & big cities of Chicago & Los Angeles to the abandoned ghost towns - brilliantly creepy.

Route 66 - Open Roads for Dayz

 Historic Route 66, begins in Illinois and runs through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, the Texas panhandle, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. After a couple of months planning & researching we set off from Dublin to Chicago with two little babies in tow. Pop by next Tuesday and see how we started our trip. 

They're SO squidgey!!

Care to share your travel adventures or aspirations? 

Excited for Tuesday's Travels? 

Tell us, what destinations are on your bucket list?