Ireland (Part 5): Cork City & Cobh Harbour

During our fifth full day in Ireland, we drove to the south coast of County Cork, Ireland to learn more about our Irish heritage at the port city, Cobh, where approximately 80% of Ireland's emigrants departed seeking hope and survival in other nations during the potato famine.  The city was initially named "Cove" in 1750 with the port called "The Cove of Cork".  In 1850 the city name was changed to Queenstown signifying a visit by Queen Victoria.  In 1920, the city name changed to Cobh, a Gaelic form of "Cork", by the authorities of the Irish Free State.

Cobh Coat of Arms

 We visited the Story Heritage Centre, Titanic Experience, and Cobh Museum. The town hasn't changed much since RMS Titanic departed from Cork Harbour in 1912.  The streets, landscape, and piers all look approximately the same.  Queenstown was the Titanic's last stop before it sank.  The Titanic Experience gave detailed explanations and visual representations of the ship's construction, conditions on the ship, and the tragedy itself.  The museum listed the many diverse passengers who boarded the ship and named those who changed ships at the last minute such as the Biltmore family.  Letters to loved ones from passengers who died were displayed including one letter found inside a glass bottle.

At the Cobh History Museum, we saw the same replica of the Servia used in one of my favorite movies set in Ireland, Far and Away.  Period singers kept as entertained at the old depot.  We even got to see a hugely popular annual event, the ocean to city boat race, at Cobh Harbour during our visit.

The Cobh Museum provided a real life view of the daily struggles in Ireland during the potato famine and reminded us how important it is to diversify our investments.  The Irish peasants were so dependent upon one strain of potato crop that when a year's crop became diseased, a majority of residents either died of starvation or emigrated elsewhere.

This port also played an important role when the RMS Luisitania (a British ocean liner launched by Cunard Line in 1907 which was the world's largest ship for a brief time and served as a major player in North Atlantic trade) was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sunk causing many deaths. The port at Queenstown was the Luisitania's last stop before the tragedy and the nearest port to assist in rescue efforts.  Queenstown Hotel was converted into an emergency hospital.  A letter written by one of the few survivors who was treated at the hospital is featured at the Cobh Museum.

Further up the harbor sits Blackrock Castle Observatory.  We stopped there early that morning hoping to take a look into space through the telescope at the top of the castle, but the tour hours were very limited, and the next tour wasn't until mid-afternoon.

So we drove back again after our history tours and checked out the interesting family entertainments.  It was like a mini carnival with science experiments, clowns, face painting, etc.  We tried to enjoy an over-priced lunch (eating out in Ireland run between 20 and 100 USD per person) in the castle courtyard while waiting for a very long time for the next tour.  Then we were highly disappointed to learn that the observatory was closed since the telescope was in need of repairs, so we could only tour a few rooms in the lower levels of the castle.

The observatory did at least have a few hands-on science exhibits where we supposedly sent a message to space in a universal language incorporating mathematics, biology, astronomy, and other fields of universal science.  Most of the science center was full of bogus, impossible, millions of years type theories presented as if they were proven fact while completely ignoring the enormous amount of real evidence to disprove the millions of years theory, evolution and the entire big bang conspiracy theory invented by those looking for way to justify their "I am my own god and accountable to no one" worldview preference. I guess the push to discredit absolute truth is strong around the world, even in predominately Catholic areas like Ireland.  At least the tour guide, Kate, was amusing and is clearly destined for a career in theater, comedy, or both.

Kate informed us that Cobh Harbour is the second largest harbor in the world, the largest being in Australia.  She told us some amusing, partially true stories about the buildings pictured across the harbor which include expensive mansions for sale, an orphanage, a shipping yard, a school, and other details I have already forgotten.   She also told us stories of American icons like Disney who wrecked their yachts along this harbor.

We officially celebrated our 12th anniversary that evening at the Blarney Golf & Spa Resort.  Their dinner menu options were significantly better than their breakfast buffet.  I love the way that man makes me smile.

 

  Here's to the best 12 years of my life!