Visit Cobh, Ireland

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Cobh (formerly Queenstown) is a pretty seaside town in County Cork, Ireland . It is steeped in history and is an ideal place in which to stay to explore all that the town, Cork Harbour and East Cork has to offer. Cobh was the departure point for 2.5 million of the six million Irish people who emigrated to North America between 1848 and 1950. These included Annie Moore and her two brothers – the first immigrants to be processed on Ellis Island in New York. On 11 April 1912 Queenstown was the final port of call for the RMS Titanic as she set out across the Atlantic on her ill-fated maiden voyage. The RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat off the Old Head of Kinsale on May 7, 1915. The survivors were brought to the town of Cobh, and over one hundred victims lie buried in the Old Church Cemetery about a mile north of the town. Famous boxer, entertainer, wrestler and playboy Jack Doyle is also buried in this cemetery. Cobh is a pretty town built on a steep hill on Great Island in Cork Harbour. It is just 20 minutes from Cork city and there are hourly rail connections to and from the city. The town’s architecture and streetscape is distinctly Victorian. St. Colman’s Cathedral dominates the town. It’s 49-bell Carillon is the only such instrument in Ireland and is the largest in Ireland and Britain. Large cruise liners visit Cobh each year, mainly during the summer months, although many of the tourists are transported out of Cobh by bus to other tourist destinations. In all, almost 100,000 cruise liner passengers and crew arrive in the town each year when their ships berth right in the centre of the town at Ireland's only dedicated cruise terminal. Tourist attractions are focused on the maritime and emigration legacy of the town and include the Queenstown Story Heritage Centre, Titanic Experience, Titanic Trail walking tour, Cobh Museum, Cobh Road Train, Spike Island tours and St Colman's Cathedral. The town has remained largely unchanged since RMS Titanic departed from Cork Harbour in 1912, with the streetscape and piers still much the same. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island. The latter is the headquarters of the Irish Naval Service, formerly a British naval base. Cobh was home to Ireland's only steelworks, the former state-owned Irish Steel works which was closed by its buyer, Ispat International, in 2001. There is a controversy over the slag heap on the steelworks, where there are concerns that it may be leaching into the harbour. Another important employer in Cobh was the Dutch-owned Verolme Cork Dockyard, in Rushbrooke. It opened in 1960 but ceased operations in the mid-1980s. In 1981 the MV Leinster was built at Verolme for service on the Dublin – Holyhead route. The last ship built at Verolme was the Irish Naval Service's LÉ Eithne. Some ship repair work is still carried atRushbrooke using the drydock and other facilities. The drydock pumps are reputed to date from 1912.

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