A student's guide to Cork: Tried and tested tips for making friends, where to go and more
Starting a new semester can fell daunting at times.
September is a time of new beginnings and for many people, the move to third-level or post-secondary school courses can feel like the biggest change yet.
Whether you’re moving to a new country, city — or remaining in your hometown — it’s a time of uncertainty and excitement as a new chapter awaits.
As thousands of students make the move to Cork, we have some tried and tested tips to overcome those first-year nerves and some handy hang-out spots worth checking out or recommending to your new friends.
Download Unidays. It is potentially the best resource to have to ensure you’re getting all the deals you’re entitled to, and there are so many places around Cork that offer discounts on it for students such as Milanos, Dominos, River Island, Schuh, etc. (Emer Walsh)
If you want to know what is happening in the city, Eventbrite is a handy (free) resource if you’re looking for a class night out activity. There are plenty of regular free events like the weekly Drink and Draw at Fionnbarra’s as well as cheap gigs and comedy nights. It’s always good to have a fun event up your sleeve when it comes to post-class pint chat. (Maeve Lee)
There are plenty of great spots to hang out that are cheap or free: Fitzgerald’s Park, Atlantic Pond, Bell’s Field, the Quarry in Ballinlough, Lee Fields. For student nights when you’re looking for music/events: Barcadia/Mardyke, Cyrpus Avenue, Roundy, Fred Zeppelins, Crane Lane (Over 22s), Spailpin Fanach, the Liberty. (Emer Walsh)
Cork is the home to some of the best coffee spots. Take a stroll around the city and check out some of the many cafés and home-grown brands like Cork Coffee Roasters, Velo and Mahers. They're great places to relax after class and a coffee recommendation is always a nice icebreaker. Plus, come exam season, caffeine will likely fuel your late-night study sessions, so you may as well make it a tasty cup. (Maeve Lee)
Seánie Buttons Presents, Cork Opera House Green Room: Mysterious gig-organising entity Seánie Buttons has somehow garnered access to Cork Opera House's Green Room, accessed via the side of the civic arts facility, and has been putting on consistently intriguing live gigs on a non-profit basis, creating a warm space for the local music community in the heart of the city - and presenting a mix of Irish and international names. Keep an eye on their Insta @seaniebuttonspresents for announcements, and hop on tickets when you can, because they seldom hang around once announced! (Mike McGrath-Bryan)
Electronic Music Council: The musical equivalent of a civic-society campaign, Cork's EMC is a loose organisation of DJs, producers and artists dedicated to putting infrastructure in place for the broad electronic music spectrum, focusing on showcase events/sets, and workshops for people seeking to make electronic music and advance their work further. Their Instagram also does regular round-ups of electronic nights and events in the city - the perfect counter to the current dearth of regular clubbing in town. (Mike McGrath-Bryan)
Open mics and other music exchanges: Open mics are dotted around the city at the moment, ready for you to come along and try out your own new material, or meet like-minded music heads. Among the recurring opportunities are those at Fred Zeppelin's and The Brú, while Maureen's on Upper John Street also hosts limited-capacity workshops, including its monthly Song Exchange. Likewise, The Kabin studio in Hollyhill, served by the 202 bus from the city's quays, provides evening workshops, including open jams, songwriting sessions, and local non-profit Creative Tradition's biweekly adult beginner's trad sessions. (Mike McGrath-Bryan)
Your college music society: Whether you're in UCC, one of MTU Cork's many campuses, or in one of the city's FET colleges, music abounds. UCC's Live Music Society is a venerable institution, with roots in the city's post-punk golden era, and is the current custodian of the UCC Battle of the Bands, a time-honoured tradition in its own right. Likewise, UCC's TradSoc is a busy hub of the living tradition, running sessions and other events year-round. MTU Cork's Music Society serves the musicians of the non-School of Music variety, while the School itself is coming down with clubs, societies and other opportunities. (Mike McGrath-Bryan)
Do not lose hope if your first outing does not go perfectly — making friends and finding a group that you fit into doesn’t happen overnight. Don’t lose faith and do not be afraid to get involved. You will look back on your college experience in years to come proud that you put yourself out there. (Emer Walsh)
When it comes to attending classes and lectures, avoid the urge to hide in the back. Sit alongside a group or another person on their own and strike up a conversation. Asking if they know where a certain building is or where they are from is a great place to start. Before you know it, you’ll start to recognise a few faces around campus and you may even make a couple of lifelong friends. (Maeve Lee)
- Attend as many events as possible. UCC has a really good clubs and society network and also the Students’ Union runs events with clubs and societies all the time and on our own. Even if it just doesn’t seem like your cup of tea, just go to whatever is on.
- Be on campus all the time. Talk to as many people as possible. I think a lot of first years can find it quite intimidating, but everybody is in the same boat just going to events and hoping to meet new people so don’t be afraid to just start chatting. The people that you might meet in your orientation or one of the freshers’ events or a society event might be the friend that you have for the rest of your life.
- Run to be a class rep. It’s a bit scary to put yourself out there and represent your class but it’s a great way to get involved with the union and you meet so many people through student council. It wasn’t until second year that I worked up the courage to run for class rep…it’s a great way of getting to know people and it’s a great way of getting involved with the Students’ Union.
- Take comfort in the fact that everyone is feeling the exact same as you. Nobody knows each other. If you’re coming from a smaller school or somewhere a little bit further away…it can sometimes feel like everyone from Cork knows each other – but they probably don’t. They’re all just looking to chat to people as well.
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