Cobh (pronounced Cove) is on the south side of Great Island, in the port of Cork. In 1849 Cobh was renamed Queenstown after Queen Victoria made a visit, and the name lasted until Irish Independence in 1921.
We visited Cobh in order to see 'The Queenstown Story' based in the old railway station. It is an interactive museum and tells the story of Irish immigration across the Atlantic during and after the Great Famine, plus accounts of the fate of convicts shipped to Australia in transport ships 'so airless that candles could not burn'.
The statue of Annie Moore who emigrated to America with her two younger brothers. Her parents and other siblings went over earlier.
Inside the very ornate railway station, with the cafe tables and chairs on the left.
Models of people getting ready to board the ships. 70,000 people left Ireland through the port of Cobh to escape the ravages of starvation, and between 1848 and 1950 no fewer than 2.5 million emigrants passed through the port.
Conditions on the earlier ships were horrendous, with the poorest passengers in the holds under the decks, with rancid food and stale water. There were bunks for sleeping, and tables. Passengers were not allowed on deck during storms, and the conditions then were deplorable. Seasickness and severe illnesses were common. Many people died. The numbers of people emigrating were so high, ships that were not suitable were put into service. These ships often did not survive the journey, hence the name 'Coffin Ships'. A law to improve conditions on the ships was passed
in the mid 1800s.
There were displays about the Titanic, which called into Cobh on its maiden voyage in 1912. Cobh was its last port of call. And we saw displays about the Lusitania which was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Kinsale in 1915. The survivors and dead were bought to Cobh. There were only about 700 survivors and about 1100 people were killed. Those that died were buried on the island.
The Lusitania Memorial.
The town of Cobh is quite pretty, with its coloured buildings, huge flower displays and an abundance of cafes. The street faces the port.
Up to 60 cruise ships a year call into the Cobh harbour, which is great for the town and Cork, but we were pleased that we were not there on one of the cruise ship days.
The colourful motor boats and sailing boats in the sheltered little harbour. They looked so tiny, almost like toy boats. Not the Cote d'Azur.
The enormous St Colman's Cathedral perched dramatically on the hillside above Cobh. Very imposing.
There are two islands opposite Great Island, Spike Island which held a prison and internment centre, and Houlbowline Island, where the world's first yacht club was founded in 1720.
On the western side of Houlbowline Island there is the base and headquarters for the Irish Naval Service.
In 1602 the island was fortified and became an important base for the British Army and Navy.
The grey naval buildings tended to blend in with the grey sky, but even from a distance they were very imposing.
We are hopefully going back to Cobh, in order to get a ferry across to Spike Island.
The flower boxes and tubs around the town were very showy.
The visit to the museum, which was also called The Heritage Centre, was very thought provoking, to say the least.
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