From Constanța to Cork and All the Way Back – Diaconu Sara
It was my first time going on an Erasmus+ project and I have to admit that I was a bit nervous, but who could blame me? I knew nobody and it was the first time going abroad without my family. I’ve flown before, so the airport part wasn’t that difficult, in fact that was the most exciting of all the journey to Cork! Since our flight was from Bucharest, we had a two-hour long road trip from Constanța. It was more of a warm-up for all of us since we weren’t so familiar with one another; we even managed to watch the sunrise and it was absolutely stunning!
We had to spend a few hours at the airport, which got us some extra time to get to know each other. Then I had the chance to talk to some of my colleagues and we realised that we had a lot in common. Before we knew, our waiting time reached the final minute and we were already boarded. We were spread all over the plane so that the four-hour flight to Dublin was a bit quieter for everybody.
When we landed we went straight for the AirCoach, Ireland’s favourite coach operator that drove us to Cork, and then to our hostel. It was another long road trip, but this one was way funnier than the previous, because even if we were exhausted, we had the time of our lives. I personally went a little crazy on the bus and burst out laughing, along with my new three friends.
On our way back home, we were relaxed. After a marvellous week in Cork, the atmosphere wasn’t as tensioned as it was on the first day because we have already got acquainted with each other and created unbreakable friendships; on the contrary, we had so much fun that ten hours seemed to have flown.
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Cork city Gaol – Diaconu Sara
The first things that come to your mind when you hear the word ‘prison’ are brigs, guards, and mostly, a movie scenery. You also might think of mold, perhaps even rats or spider webs and then you get to visit the Cork City Gaol and realise it was all a fictitious image you’ve pictured in your mind. Within the first step into this astonishing building I felt I was no longer in 2023.
Our tour guide was a lovely woman who managed to draw everybody’s attention and took us back in time almost 200 years ago, when the gaol first opened.
We started our tour with the counsellor’s room, which had a tiny desk in the middle of it and a pretty big painting with Queen Victoria, because when the prison was opened in 1824, Ireland was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, period known then as the Victorian era. Then, the guide told us a little story about a woman, Mary McDonnell, who had no less than 57 convictions!
We then went along the first floor of the prison where our guide started to explain to us how the prisoners were assigned. Men stayed on the north side of the jail whilst women and children stayed on the opposite one. Most of them were in there for committing what we call today small crimes, such as stealing and offences like obscene language or drunkenness.
It is said that the most beautiful cell was given to Constance Markievicz, because she was one of the few known people of those who were imprisoned there and was never given any chores to do like the other convicts.
Every inmate there had a strict diet and program and was never allowed to talk with one another while doing chores. Also, considering how many prisoners there were, and very few guards, the latter were required to move in with their family in order to be in time whenever they were needed. This was kind of shocking for me and seemed a little bit extreme, but those times were also extreme.
Another quite shocking thing was how the governor of the jail had to actually live there, thing that, the first governor refused, therefore he was built an underground tunnel which led from his house situated in the back of the prison to the prison itself. It was hilarious that the inmates could’ve escaped easily that way if they weren’t under observation or if there wasn’t anybody to guard the tunnel.
I feel like this piece of article turned out to be some kind of history lesson, my intention was to tell the reader how marvellous the experience there was. You just need to find the perfect guide just like us and then be transported into the wonders of Cork’s best places to visit.