Cork has been bathed in sunshine for the Saturday of the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, for which I’m here as the guest of Tourism Ireland. How deeply ironic to discover the most prominent presence in this city of hundreds of bars:  Father Mathew The Apostle of Temperance. In 2005 there was a threat to move the statue which was fiercely, soberly resisted.




The NewYork Brass Band (from Yorkshire)  were out on the street playing Eurhythmics’ Sweet Dreams Are Made of This and drew an appreciative crowd.




The attractive and popular1790’s English Market, restored in the 1980’s, was visited by the Queen on her historic visit to Ireland in May 2011.



The sun brings out the best in the architecture. This is the Crawford Art Gallery. On a greyer day, one might be tempted go in, but not today.