BARRY O'CONNELL PHOTOGRAPHY
Seafront at Cobh. Co. Cork
D Irl 18206 e; Cobh, boats at pier
Cobh, known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork. Facing the town are Spike and Haulbowline islands. On a high point in the town stands St Colman's, the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cloyne. It is one of the tallest buildings in Ireland, standing at 91.4 metres (300 ft).
The Water Club established at Haulbowline in 1720 was the progenitor of the present Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC, now based in Crosshaven) and is the oldest yacht club in the world. International upheaval led to Cobh undergoing rapid development in the early 19th century. Due to the natural protection of its harbour setting, the town became important as a tactical centre for naval military base purposes, never more so than at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. The wars against the French led to the town, then usually known as Ballyvoloon or The Cove of Cork, being developed as a British naval port assigned an admiral. Many of the present-day buildings date from this time of build-up. Cobh also became known as a health resort; many patients stayed here for their health because of the temperate climate.
One of the major transatlantic Irish ports, the town was the departure point for 2.5 million of the six million Irish people who emigrated to North America between 1848 and 1950. There is a fine statue on the waterfront of Annie Moore and her brothers. Annie Moore was the first person to be admitted to the United States of America through the new immigration centre at Ellis Island, New York on 1 January 1892.
On 11 April 1912, as Queenstown, it was the final port of call for the RMS Titanic before she set out across the Atlantic on the last leg of her maiden voyage.
Cobh was earlier a major embarkation port for men, women and children who were deported to penal colonies such as Australia. The Scots Church has since 1973 housed the Cobh Museum which holds records of such deportations in ships' log books. (Source; Wikipedia)
Full of history and well worth a visit.