Sad not to be visiting Cork this month because I enjoyed our annual pre-Christmas trips to see John Mallon.
John (on the left of the picture above) was Forest’s spokesman in Ireland from 2010-2023 but he died a few days after Christmas last year following a long illness.
The last time we saw him was twelve months ago, in November 2023, when we met him for lunch at The Montenotte hotel overlooking Cork.
Despite his failing health, John was as warm and affable as ever, and I do miss our chats, whether in person or on the phone. (Few people could talk like John!)
I miss Cork too.
Before John came on board I had visited Dublin several times, and cities like Galway and Kilkenny at least once, but never Cork. From 2010 I went there once a year at least, flying direct from Stansted.
Initially I stayed at the Imperial, a 'timeless landmark in the heart of Cork City', but thanks to the smoking area outside an adjacent pub I found it a bit noisy late at night because people were smoking and drinking in the covered courtyard until well after midnight!
Thereafter, until we switched to The Montenotte last year, we stayed at the River Lee hotel on the banks of the, er, River Lee.
The hotel was a short walk from the small but appropriately named Liberty Grill restaurant where we had a pre Covid dinner in 2019, and a post Covid dinner in 2022.
Opposite the Liberty Grill was a traditional Irish pub with an outdoor smoking 'room' that was invariably full.
Even after he switched to vaping, John always gravitated to the smoking area. That, he insisted, was where the best 'craic' was, and I think he was right.
Below, for example, is a rather grainy photo I took in the smoking area of another pub in Cork in December 2014.
Oddly enough, I don't remember very much about that particular evening, but I will always remember John (and Cork) with enormous affection.
