The Ferry was two hours late and it was a 30 minute bus ride from the ferry port to the city center of Cork. As I walked and rounded a corner I was nearly knocked over by the booming Reggae music pouring out of a bar. The bar just happened to be the ground floor of the hostel I was booked into. I entered and pushed my way through the crowds and signaled a very friendly woman working bar. She cheerfully checked me in and encouraged me not to worry about the loud music with heavy bass. It was supposed to stop at 11:30. Actually, the music was pretty good, but hey, this is Ireland, not a Caribbean cruise ship. I was tired.
I dumped my pack in the 4 bed dorm with a large window facing a busy street. Yes, it was loud but I surrendered to the circumstance. The room was clean and quite nice. From what I could tell there were only two other people staying in it. Aside of the noise it was fine.
With Reggae music and the median age of the crowd being something like 24 I felt kind of out of place and felt like I looked it to. No problem. The middle aged and over crowd was all gathered at the pub next door listening to traditional Irish Music. So, there I went and found a chair at the bar for a pint of Guinness and sat for about an hour.
At exactly 11:38 the reggae singer blared good night over the PA system and things quieted down considerably. After all, it was Sunday night. Around 11:45 my dorm mates showed up. They were two young and very considerate German women who had been a bit put off by the Reggae show as well. They had been traveling all over Ireland for awhile and quickly filled me in on where to go. By 12:30 or so I finally fell into bed but it was 1 am before the guys next door quieted down with their Pizza party. I slept well until the German girls got up at 6:30 am but they were quiet about their business. I dozed off again but was rudely awaken by the fire alarm at 7:30. Around 8:30 I got up and took advantage of free cornflakes and toast.
Hostels are hit and miss but with the right attitude they’re usually pretty good. Even with the noise issues of where I’m staying it’s still a good place. It’s very clean, the staff is friendly, and the location is great. Not to mention I’m paying about a 1/3 of what it would cost to have my own room at a guest house or B&B. I like to mix it up. A few hostels, a few nights camping, and a proper B&B here and there. After all, Ireland is not cheap but with the right approach costs can be kept within reason.
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