‘Did I go the wrong way down a one-way? Yeah, yeah, lots of people saw. I was crying’
19:19, 30 Jun 2026Updated 19:26, 30 Jun 2026
Theresa Rowley (@littledrownedrat) opening up on her first time driving in Cork city(Image: @littledrownedrat / Instagram)
It’s not easy driving in Cork – navigating the variety of one-way streets, narrow roads and often manic city centre traffic. But as bad as it might be for us, imagine how tough it is for tourists driving here for the very first time.
One American influencer has opened up about her startling experience of getting behind the wheel on Leeside – as she says things ended in tears after she accidentally drove down a one-way street. Actress and comedian Theresa Rowley, who many would know by her handle @littledrownedrat on TikTok and Instagram, shared the story as part of a series of posts documenting her recent travels in Ireland.
Theresa first blew up on social media early this year after sharing her story about how she was cheated on by an Irish man. Her original video where she opened up about the situation has almost 900k views on TikTok alone, and got thousands of comments from people sharing similar experiences and supporting her. Despite the horrible experience, Theresa still loves Ireland – although her latest experience driving in Cork might put that love to the test.
In a recent video that has blown up online, the influencer said she had never driven in Ireland before, but bravely took on the task of heading from Dublin down south to Leeside. Keep in mind, that’s a much harder job when if you were used to driving on the opposite side of the road, as they do in the US. Theresa said all was fine until she got to Cork – but that’s when things got very stressful.
In her video, she said: “Well I drove for the first time in Ireland. I leave Dublin this morning I think: ‘This is fine, this is easy.’ Did a recruit a good-looking Irish man to show me the ropes? Yeah, sue me!… Anyway, I feel good! I’m on the highway, bumping music, drinking some coffee, I think: ‘What the hell was I worried for?’
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“I get to Cork, oh, oh… That’s what I was worried about. Are these streets or are these sidewalks, okay? Cause they’re looking pretty skinny to me. I eat two slices of bread, I turn sideways, I’m not getting down them. You want me to get a vehicle down there? Hmm… interesting.
“Did I go the wrong way down a one-way? Yeah, yeah, lots of people saw. I was crying, cute. Hit a couple curbs. A couple pedestrians maybe? Who knows!”
While this certainly sounds like a scary experience for the tourist – it seems overall, her trip went very well. She shared a video two days ago rounding up her entire visit in Ireland, calling it a ‘redemption tour’ after the horrific experience with her ex-boyfriend. Here’s hoping she’s willing to give Cork city another try in the future – but maybe next time, she might take the train instead.