Nostalgic Crosshaven Stroll. And Lunch (with a Jim Reeves poster ) at Cronin's

Morning at the Merries - the fun begins in the afternoon.

Nostalgic Crosshaven Stroll. 

And Lunch at Cronin's

And where were you on Whit Saturday 1963?

(see last picture!)

The fort at Camden, and below, the Bright Tunnel

As the monotone fifties rocked and rolled into the psychedelic coloured sixties, Crosshaven was the holiday destination for Cork city dwellers. Not too many cars then but you could get the bus and, over a couple of trips, move lock stock and barrel to a rented seaside house, for the summer. Perhaps you were one of those who luxuriated in a Ford’s box bungalow (the packaging from Ford vehicles imported to the Henry’s place in the Marina).

The Free Bird: Braised free-range chicken fillet, free range bacon, cashel blue cheese, toasted brioche bun, mixed leaves & dijon mustard mayo

No matter your accommodation, holiday highlights were ice-cream and the merries, Piper’s Merries in the case of Crosshaven, and a bag of chips on the way home. The Ford boxes may be gone (are they all?) but the merries still entertain the kids in their own colourful way. The swings, the noisy bumpers, the Waltzer and the horses Merry-go-round are still there but also likely to be used for private and corporate events these days. 

Open Smoked Mackerel Plate; Cronins brown soda bread, horseradish mayo, smoked mackerel, free range egg, pickled cucumbers, pickled red onion 

Pipers, in operation since 1910, is one of Ireland's oldest fun fairs. See their website here for details (especially if you have a birthday coming up!).

Cronin's interior and, below, exterior. Cronin's was named the Pub of the Year
in the annual Georgina Campbell Awards (2022).

We were in Crosser last week and the nostalgic feeling that many Cork people have for this seaside village was reawakened as we strolled around, checking out the yachts (Cork Week was beginning), the ice-cream, and those merries of course. 

The ferry to France passing Roches Point

There are of course quite a few other attractions in the area, such as the beaches (Fountainstown, Myrtleville) and Camden Fort Meagher (not open everyday, check before you go up the hill to Camden). Perhaps you don't know but up at the fort, there are fantastic views over Cork Harbour, from Cobh to Roches Point and more.

Myrtleville has a lovely beach

Another long-standing attraction in the village is Cronin’s Bar and Restaurant and, as you can see by the pics, we made our lunch stop there, relaxing in the cool interior, escaping from the high heat of this amazing July weather.

Fountainstown

Like the holidaymakers of old, we relied on the bus service (#220) and it worked out very well indeed. We passed a few pleasant hours in "Crosser" before returning to collect the car which had been serviced in nearby Carrigaline,

One of many items of memorabilia on display in Cronin's. I did an AI check
and found the performance was part of a heavily publicised 1963 tour of Ireland, which ran from late May through mid-June. During that same week, "Gentleman Jim" also performed nearby at the Majestic in Mallow on Sunday, June 2, and the Redbarn in Youghal on Wednesday, June 5. To give you some context on that admission price it translates roughly to 48 cent in our modern euro currency. While it sounds like very small pocket change today, it was actually a premium ticket price for a dancehall in 1963. At the time, standard local showband dances usually cost around 4 or 5 shillings.
I didn't need AI after all as, at a social event over the weekend, I met a person who attended the event in 1963, enjoying the show from a perch on the balcony.