Lots of maritime history in Cobh. Originally known as Cove, it was renamed Queenstown in 1849 to honor Queen Victoria’s visit, before officially becoming Cobh in 1922. During the Napoleonic Wars, it served as a major British naval base and today houses the Irish Naval Service headquarters on Haulbowline Island. The world’s oldest yacht club, the Royal Cork Yacht Club, was established in Cobh in 1720.
On April 11, 1912, the RMS Titanic made its final stop at Cobh before its fateful voyage, with 123 passengers boarding there.
Following the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in 1915 by a German U-boat in which 1,198 people died, 761 survivors were brought to Cobh, and many victims are buried in the town’s Old Church Cemetery. The Lusitania Peace Memorial commemorates the tragedy. Created by Jerome Connor and completed in 1968, it features an Angel of Peace hovering over two exhausted fishermen, symbolizing the rescue efforts and grief. It is a major historical landmark.
Between 1848 and 1950, over 2.5 million of the six million Irish people who emigrated to North America, Canada, and Australia departed from Cobh.
The town is famous for its colorful, steep streetscape, known as the “Deck of Cards,” rising toward the massive St. Colman’s Cathedral. It is a magnificent neo-Gothic building that took 47 years to build, starting in 1868. The cathedral organ has 2,468 pipes. It also has a 49 bell carillon, the largest bell weighing 3.6 tons is suspended 200 feet above the ground.
Got to Cork mid-afternoon and found a Council-run car park in the city centre, yay! Found a Tesco supermarket and purchased dinner for the next 2 nights. Co-ordinated my arrival at the AirB&B with mine host, John and his assistant, Cookie the Cavapoo. Blown away by the heights I was travelling up as I got away from the city centre. The Toyota was struggling with the incline at times to get to Dillons Cross, had to lower the gear. Anyway, received enthusiastically and settled into my accommodation. John apologetically disappeared soon after to prepare for a presentation he was giving the next day. Cookie and I bonded. I increasingly felt like a cold was developing and took myself off for an early night.
Woke the next morning and was soooo disappointed. The beautiful sunny day was no more….windy gusts and steady rain…arrgh. Took the 208 bus to the city centre to the Lavit Gallery @ Wandesford Quay…wanted to see the ‘Natura exhibition’, in which Blackwater Artist Group members were exploring the unusual and often strained relationship we as humans, have with the natural world.
It was really enjoyable and I saw some fab glass and ceramic offerings too. This one by Etain Hickey, ‘Frolicking Fish’. Caught another bus to MacCurtain St, apparently just a hop and a step from the cafe I was headed for….HA!
St Patrick’s Hill is just off MacCurtain Street on the North Side of the city. An incredibly steep hill, reaching 25% in its steepest section, which I really struggled up in the wind and rain to get to the Hideout Cafe and Art Gallery. Silly me, should have caught an Uber. The hill has some classic views over the City, especially as it looks directly down to the main shopping Street of Patrick Street, but NOT that day…too grey. As a hilly street, it’s the closest I’ve come to the experience of driving down Lombard St in San Francisco doing 8 hairpin turns.
Anyway, the Hideout is a lovely cafe (an art gallery it is not) with great patio views over the city on a good day; run by a woman of Polish heritage, so we had a lovely confab about her new business development; her cheesecake creations and veggie soup recipe 🙂
I sat in the cafe and researched why Cork is so hilly – well! discovered the city first developed along the steep banks of the River Lee valley, with the city centre originally founded on marshy islands between channels. As the city expanded beyond the flat, noisy, crowded, and often flooded city centre, it climbed up the steep surrounding terrain, particularly to the north, which is dominated by harder old Red Sandstone.
And then I decided the weather was too miserable to do anything else, so caught a bus back to AirB&B. John was on a high from achieving a successful business design presentation and Cookie was wanting a walk, so that’s what we did, quickly…before the next cloud burst!
John is an extremely pleasant, generous and attentive host; his home is decorated eclectically, with lots of heart and humour and it has been very comfortable to boot, so very pleased with all of that.
I then had a very indulgent Netflix afternoon, watching a series called ‘Unchosen’. So many plot line problems, but I didn’t care. Pretty good acting all round though.
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