Notes from County Cork

June 18, 2025

Eight of our young people are enjoying a 10-day overseas adventure in County Cork, Ireland where they are being hosted by local friends of Mercy Home. 

This opportunity to experience international travel and meet people from another country is life changing for our young people and comes after months of preparation that included an application process and team-building activities. 

This is the sixth youth group our friends in Ireland have hosted since 2010. Mercy Home’s relationship with County Cork is the charitable outgrowth of a trade, technology, and tourism partnership between the governments in County Cork, Ireland and Cook County, Illinois. 

Mercy Home coworkers accompanying the youth are sending home daily updates from abroad and we’ve compiled them below.  

Here’s the latest:

Sunday, June 22       

Mercy Home’s world travelers arrived back safely in the United States. We are so proud of their bravery and can’t wait to hear more about the trip!

Mercy Home will share more stories in the weeks ahead from our young people’s amazing adventures in Ireland. 

Saturday, June 21

The only thing on the agenda was to sleep in and to drive to Dublin, but Derry Cronin’s ability to go above and beyond came through for them again. Derry reached out to a contact of his, David Wardell, at the Irish National Stud and Gardens in Kildare. 

The National Stud is a gorgeous farm and breeding ground for champion racehorses, and David was kind enough to provide a private guided tour and explain the intricacies of horse breeding. At the end of the tour, they got to pet retired, champion racehorse “Beef or Salmon” and “Faugheen.”

After a snack and a walk around the gardens, Derry drove them the rest of the way to Dublin, where they said their last tearful goodbye of the trip.

I think overall there is a wealth of complex emotions in our group now. We are all sad to leave but also happy that we were able to experience everything that we did. 

I know we are also happy to be going home and grateful for everything we have seen an experienced,” wrote Mercy Home staff correspondent Marc Velasquez.

Friday, June 20

In the morning, Derry Cronin picked the group up and drove them to Cobh. They learned that Cobh is pronounced (Cove not Cobb). 

They met Aunt Mary at the steps of St. Colman’s Cathedral, the tallest church in Ireland. After getting a glimpse inside, they caught the Spike Island ferry to catch a 12:00 boat over. 

“The view back at Cobh as we went across the harbor was stunning,” Velasquez wrote.

Spike Island is 103 acres in Cork Harbour, Ireland. Originally the site of a monastic settlement, the island is dominated by an 18th-century bastion fort now named Fort Mitchel. The island’s strategic location within the harbour meant it was used at times for defense and as a prison. It was designed to withstand a Napoleonic invasion that never happened. The group took advantage of the scenery and the location, walking around the island taking in the view. They skipped stones into the harbor and ate lunch at a cafe inside the fort and played on the merry-go-round before catching a ferry back to Cobh. 

Mary bought all the kids ice cream and then they walked to the old train station, home now to a heritage center and immigration museum. The center had a self guided tour that did a great job of interactively explaining emigration from the country. Several of the kids really enjoyed a table with coloring sheets and crayons. 

Derry and Mauve took the group to a Chinese restaurant in their neighborhood for dinner, and then to a park in Bellincolig because Derry had been promising Tyreese he would take him to a park to play basketball. Derry also introduced the travelers to hurling, his favorite sport. 

“The park was a perfect cap to a youthful and playful day,” wrote Mercy Home staff correspondent Marc Velasquez.

Six of the kids joined a soccer game with a few local kids and made friends with a local teenager named Alex.

Then, they headed back to the hotel for a tearful goodbye with Mauve and to pack and rest.

Thursday, June 19th

The group is back in Cork City! This is where they will spend the next couple days, learning about the history and experiencing life in the second biggest city in the country. 

Today, they were joined by another companion of Ger and Derry’s, Mary who quickly became Aunt Mary to the kids. Mary joined them at the first stop in Cork, Camden Fort Meagher where they had a guided tour. 

“The historical fort sits up on a hill overlooking Cork Harbor, and like much of the scenery in Ireland, the view is amazing,” Velasquez wrote. 

Among the things they got to see were several old military vehicles and artillery, and a view of where the Titanic anchored for the last time. 

After a late morning ice cream at the cafe, they ate packed lunches at a few benches overlooking the harbor and headed into downtown Cork. They boarded a Double Decker bus and had an audio tour of the City. 

“Every block, it seemed like there was something else to look at, and the bus was a good way to see as much of it as possible,” Velasquez wrote. 

They hopped off the bus at the top of the hill and saw the Cork City jail, another well maintained historical site. At dinner, Derry asked Julian about his favorite part of the trip. Julian said making friends with John’s son Rory, a beautiful reminder of what this trip is all about. 

Wednesday, June 18th

The group awoke early to board the boat for a 45-minute cruise to the south harbor of Cape Clear. They were greeted with beautiful weather and clear-calm seas and even a few minke whales and dolphins. 

The group stopped short of the harbor to try fishing. Within 20 minutes, they had about 20 fish. John taught the kids how to filet a fish, while also providing a lesson on sustainability and locally sourced food. The kids took turns throwing the remains back into the sea for the gulls to eat. 

“For many of the kids, it may have been the highlight of their day,” Velasquez wrote.

After lunch, they got into wetsuits and prepared to snorkel. With everyone properly outfitted, all 12 people hopped into the water. They saw jellyfish and other animals as they traveled along the shore back toward the boat. When they got back to the boat, they took turns jumping off the deck back into the cool water below for one last plunge into the sea.

Despite an early morning tour in Cork the following morning, the kids chose to head to the boat house after dinner to skip stones during sunset. 

Tuesday, June 17

The travelers began their day walking up a “hill” at Knockomagh Wood Nature Reserve where they had a beautiful view of Lough Hyne in West Cork. The kids overcame their fears and jumped into Lough Hyne, a tidal lake connected to the Atlantic Ocean by a rift created by glaciers. It has diverse wildlife and there are three scientific observatories set up on its shore to study it.

Julian, said the water was “interestingly cold.”

The kids later swam at the indoor pool in Inishbeg and ate fish and chips cooked by John Kearney on his boat.

Monday, June 16

The group woke up early to meet John Kearney at the harbor in Baltimore and travel by rib boat to his farm on Cape Clear Island where he lived.

Cape Clear was known as the teardrop of Ireland, not just because it is the southernmost part of the island, but because it was the last piece of the country emigrants saw when they left for America.

“I like the country scene and all the cows and animals that I’ve seen,” Jakayla said.

Aaron, one of the older boys, had tears of joy when he got to hold a baby goat. Jessica also tasted what she had just milked from a goat, and found out it was warm and not cold. An alpaca ate food out of Julian’s hand as well. Another young person learned to sail at the wheel of the boat that took the group to the mainland.

When they returned to Baltimore, they had dinner with Derry Cronin, Ger Power, John Kearney and their families, as well as a few local officials, including the mayor, Cllr. Joe Carroll. The mayor sang a song for them as well.

Sunday, June 15

Father’s Day began with a short drive from the hotel in Cork County to Charles Fort.

Charles Fort sits on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the town of Kinsale below.

“The view was stunning, especially because the weather was clear. Many locals have commented that we must be lucky to have the weather we are supposed to get here this week,” wrote Mercy Home coworker Marc Velasquez.

From the fort, they took the Scilly Walk, a 2.5-mile rolling hill path that led the group into Kinsale. Tyreese showed off his stamina by running up and down some of the hills, probably logging close to 3.4 miles in total.

The group stopped for lunch and two of our young people, Jessica and Jakayla, said that they both love Ireland’s chips, or as Americans call them, French fries.

After the meal, Derry Cronin drove the group along the coast to the place they are staying for the next few nights. Along the way, Derry stopped at a beach so that everyone who had never touched the ocean could put their feet in for the first time.

Jakayla screamed because it was so cold.

After pulling into Inishbeg, they met John Kearney who cooked them dinner and joined the group for ice cream in Baltimore.

The group also started a musical group called “In or Out. One youth knew the words to a few One Direction songs. The kids sang the important parts of a few songs with gusto. Jessica and Julian showed off their range. They created a rendition of “Happy Father’s Day” and sang it to Marc, Derry and John.

“It was great to watch the kids make connections and enjoy being together,” Marc wrote.

Saturday, June 14

Our Cork correspondent, Mercy Home coworker Marc Velasquez, said that everyone was in an excited mood despite the “gloomy weather and fitful plane sleep.”

Derry Cronin picked up the group when they made it through customs and the young people were amazed to learn that cars drove on the left side of the road. They also were introduced to the Gaelic language and began practicing with each other.

First on the agenda was a trip to Blarney Castle where they met their other hosts, Ger Power and his wife Eileen. The Castle was built nearly 600 years ago by the great chieftain Cormac MacCarthy, Lord of Muskerry, known as “The Strong.”

While much of the structure is in ruins, there is no lack of things to see here. Blarney Castle grounds are filled with wooded hollows, 60 acres of sprawling parklands, strange rock formations and a glistening flowing river. 

At the heart of Blarney Castle lies one of its quirkiest attractions. Kissed by world statesmen, literary giants and films stars, the huge Blarney Stone is said to impart the gift of eloquence or “the gift of the gab.”

“We kissed the Blarney stone which was my favorite [part] so far,” Jessica said.

Friday, June 13

After a long day of packing and preparation, the eight young people, along with four coworkers, said their final goodbyes in the Mercy Home courtyard. They were escorted by van to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport by coworkers Mario and Maria Tamayo. 

Many of our young people had never been on an airplane before. Tyreese said that being on the plane was scary but fun at the same time. Jessica joked that she thought about staying at the airport and waiting for the group to return. But all 12 of our world travelers arrived in Cork County after a long day of travel.