10 Pure Daycint Things About Christmas in Cork

13th Dec 2023

Imelda, high on Cork. 

It’s Not Dublin

Let's start with the basics and be grateful. There'll be no racists burning trains and looting shops on Leeside unlike that other place. Cork is an absolute pleasure to stroll around with just the very occasional Dublin drug dealer to step over as he’s being arrested by the handful of Gardaí left in Cork that haven't been sent to the Pale. If you know the cop he might even let you give the Dub a sneaky Christmas dig as he's being bounced into a Paddywagon. 

It's Not Baltic

Who really wants a white Christmases with slippy footpaths, impassable roads and burst pipes in the attic? There might be a bit of rain or you might have to double-jock it a few days in a row here and there over the winter but chances are Christmas Day won’t be white unless you’re a UCC student with a sniffy nose. Thanks, Big Oil. 

Town Lookin’ Up I Tellya

Despite widespread local Twitter doom there are plenty new shops opening up all over town every month. On Pana there’s a new Mango where Quill’s used be. Flannel’s where Eason’s used be (more about that below) and a rake of long-term empties with the builders in like Liam Russells on Oliver Plunkett Street, Debenham’s on Pana and the old Soho bar (opening under new owners as Seventy Seven) to name a few.   

Flannels  

You know by the window that they’re only targeting eegits: the single pair of carefully places shoes in a glass case pedestal under a spotlight. And you need a mortgage to buy ‘em. Stroll in for a sconce and laugh out loud at the price tags. EIGHT HUNDRID YUUOROO FOR A PAYURA SHOOZ??!  

Rattle Rattle Tap Tap

Lots of things change, but some stay the same. School kids rattling boxes (and now offering card tap too) for SHARE is pure Christmas in Cork. Tap that machine like Dublin’s Conor McGregor in a headlock.  

The Big Wheel

There’s no easier market for the big wheel owners in the middle of winter than a city that loves looking at itself. It’s back on Grand Parade til January and you don’t need to book. Just ball up and hang your jaw open as you get a daycint view of your favourite place in the world. Bit of craic on Emmet Place as well with SOLAS - you can have a bash at controling the light display yourself on a giant tablet and they've a load of live music at weekends on the big stage. 

The Big Mick

Right underneath The Big Wheel take get a selfie with the new Michael Collins statue while there are still a few days left of the 100th year since independence. Ballhop him about bikes breaking lights and bike racks taking up all the space for the Range Rovers driving in from Blackrock. He'd love that. 

Marina Market

If shopping in the city centre gives you the sweats and you took the 2008 pledge to never visit Douglas or Mahon Point because they rob your soul then you’ll like the Marina Market. Visit Santa, go ice-skating and choose from a huge array of local food stalls. There’s a Christmas market on at weekends too.

Christmas Sandwiches

This has become a more of a thing than it used to be and it’s the job. Turkey, cheese, cranberry and whatever you’re having yourself jammed between two slices of bread. Cafés like 5 Points on MacCurtain Street and Orso on Pembroke Street are just two examples. Get one into ya.