Cobn,
Ireland trip 2016 -
Tourist attractions in Cobn, Ireland -
Visit Cobn, Ireland 2016 -
Ship RMS Titanic
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Cobh (pronounced 'cove') is a charming waterfront town on a glittering estuary, dotted with brightly coloured houses and overlooked by a splendid cathedral.
It's popular with Corkonians looking for a spot of
R&R;, and with cruise liners – each year around 60 visit the port, the second-largest natural harbour in the world (after
Sydney Harbour in
Australia).
It's a far cry from the harrowing
Famine years when more than 70,
000 people left Ireland through the port in order to escape the ravages of starvation (from
1848 to
1950, no fewer than 2.5 million emigrants passed through in total). Cobh was also the final port of call for the
Titanic; a poignant museum commemorates the fatal voyage's
point of departure.
Cobh is on the south side of
Great Island, one of several islands which fill
Cork Harbour.
Visible from the waterfront are
Haulbowline Island, once the base of the
Irish Naval Service, and the greener
Spike Island, formerly a prison, now owned by
Cork City Council and visitable.
See in Cobn, Ireland
===================
Cobh, The
Queenstown Story
=====================
The howl of the storm almost knocks you off-balance, there's a bit of fake vomit on the deck, and the people in the pictures all look pretty miserable – that's just one room at
Cobh Heritage Centre. Housed in the old train station (next to the current station), this interactive museum is way above average, chronicling
Irish emigrations across the
Atlantic in the wake of the
Great Famine.
There's also some shocking stuff on the fate of convicts, shipped to
Australia in transport ships 'so airless that candles could not burn'.
Scenes of sea travel in the
1950s, however, might actually make you nostalgic for a more gracious way of travelling the world. There's also a genealogy centre and a cafe.
St Colman's
Cathedral
==================
Dramatically perched on a hillside terrace above Cobh, this massive
French Gothic Cathedral is out of all proportion to the town. Its most exceptional feature is the 47-bell carillon , the largest in Ireland, with a range of four octaves. The biggest bell weighs a stonking 3440kg – about as much as a full-grown elephant! You can hear carillon recitals at 4.30pm on
Sundays between May and September.
The cathedral, designed by
EW Pugin, was begun in 1868 but not completed until
1915. Much of the funding was raised by nostalgic Irish communities in Australia and the
USA.
Spike Island
=============
This low-lying green island in Cork Harbour was once an important part of the port's defences, topped by an
18th-century artillery fort
. In the second half of the
19th century, and again during the
Irish War of Independence, it served as a prison and internment centre, gaining the nickname 'Ireland's
Alcatraz'.
Today you can enjoy a self-guided walking tour of the island and its fortifications, or pay more for a guided tour (€13
.50/8.50); the ferry (www.spikeislandferry.com) from
Kennedy Pier, Cobh, is included in price.
Titanic
Experience Cobh
------------------------------------------
The original
White Star Line offices, where
123 passengers embarked on (and one lucky soul absconded from) the
SS Titanic, now house this powerful insight into the ill-fated liner's final voyage.
Admission is by tour, which is partly guided and partly interactive, with holograms, audiovisual presentations and exhibits; allow at least an hour. The technical wizardry is impressive but what's most memorable is standing on the spot from where passengers were ferried to the waiting ship offshore, never to return.
Cobh
Museum
=============
Model ships, paintings, photographs and curious artefacts tracing Cobh's history fill this small but lively museum. It's housed in the
19th-century Scottish Presbyterian church overlooking the train station.
- published: 01 Jan 2016
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