A tour of Cork city... through a child’s eyes

CORK is made for walking. The basin shape of the city lends itself to meandering up and down, crossing and returning to the river.

Yet when it comes to walking with my children, I rarely pick it as a venue. When we spend time together, we sit in traffic and edge out of the city, skirting around it most of the time.

But I want my children to know and value their city, that’s why the ‘This Is Cork: Cork’s Many Childhoods’ tour caught my eye.

‘This Is Cork’ walking tours offer a tour specifically for children aged 8 to 12 year olds and their adult(s). Ronan Leonard, Founder and Tour Guide says, my tagline is “walking tours for people who don’t normally do walking tours.”.

‘This is Cork’ tours evolved when Ronan’s past experiences met his interests.

“I’ve been in entertainment for 20-odd years,” he explains. “I created a game called Ringo: Music Bingo. I’ve been doing festivals in Ireland and the UK forever.

" So about five years ago I decided it was time to leave my 20s, I was 38 at the time! “

Wanting to change from being a night owl, Ronan looked towards the things he already enjoyed.

“Whenever my friends visited, I’d show them around Cork and I love to pfut pieces of trivia together, so it evolved from there. I decided to become a tour guide and then trained to be a certified tour guide.”

In creating the tour, Ronan looked at what existed and found himself a foothold.

“There are two or three incredible tour guides of the city already, so my goal was to create something that dovetails in between. What I’ve come up with is a specific tour that’s really bespoke.”

Having had his business paused by the pandemic, ‘This Is Cork’ tours have now launched fully in 2023. The ‘Cork’s Many Childhoods’ tour kicks off the season, with a variety of other tours to follow later this year.

With promises of treats and games that children would have enjoyed at different times of Cork’s history, I signed myself and my nine- year old son up...

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Our tour begins on North Main Street, where Ronan greets us. His years in public-facing roles aren’t wasted, and he greets us with a warmth and ease that feels like you’ve bumped into a knowledgable friend on the street who happens to be walking the same direction as you.

From the very beginning, it’s clear that Ronan is not delivering a one-size-fits-all script. In our chat prior to the tour, he had described himself as a “tapestry tour guide” But he does more than weave facts together, he draws out the child’s own knowledge and interests and helps them make their own connections between the present and the past.

His enthusiasm for Cork is authentic and captivating right from the start.

The tour moves up along North Main Street towards North Gate Bridge. Having worked on that street for a number of years, I felt I knew it well, yet under the guidance of Ronan we are shown markers and little treasures that are hidden in plain sight on the street, and yet I never noticed them.

It was at this point that a highlight of the tour happened, where Ronan showed my son a photograph of Adelaide Street, off North Main Street. The photo showed children playing on the street. (He sourced this photo from a piece written by Jo Kerrigan, in her Throwback Thursday column in The Echo)

He asked my son to compare what he saw in the photo to what was in front of him now. Through conversation and observation, a new picture was formed, not just about the street but about how children lived and played in this city before him.

Parallels between childhood now and children’s lives generations, and even centuries, ago were discovered together rather than being told.

It’s in this guidance, rather than telling, that makes Ronan’s tour shine. Every fact feels like a discovery not a lecture.

The tour crosses the river, stopping at the other side for a taste of Cork’s famous drink, Tanora, served with a side of history, before we then move up Shandon Street towards the Firkin Crane and Shandon Bells.

Walking the narrow streets of Cork, we find surprising murals, learn about the area, and he and my son have some great discussions about political activism and childhood along the way.

Crossing the river once more, we move to Cornmarket Square where we eat a treat and uncover one or two new things about our city before our tour ends.

If you like a linear catalogue of Cork’s history, then this tour isn’t for you. Instead, Ronan delivers a fluid tour full of infectious enthusiasm. We jumped from Brandubh (a viking chess game) to Minecraft, from toilets to Tanora. Ronan never leaves the audience behind as he pivots, with ease and fun, towards whatever the child’s interests or conversation brings him.

My son said, “When you told me about the walking tour, I thought it would feel very long and I wasn’t so sure. But then it was great. He’s really funny.

“The only thing I didn’t like was I was disappointed when he said it was coming to an end, I didn’t want it to be over.”

The tour lasts an hour and a half, covering less than 2km, with some steps and hills. The pace is superbly managed.

Cork’s ‘Many Childhoods Tour’ runs throughout the year and can be booked through Eventbrite. See here.