"A Town With Too Many Memories" Top 5 Page for this destination Cobh by Ekaterinburg

Cobh Travel Guide: 88 reviews and 231 photos

The Titanic Memorial, Pearse Square, Cobh

Cobh Past - but What About Present ?

Cobh is a town with a very specific place in history. Since 1791 convicts have been deported to Australia from here and during the Great Famine it was the principal port used by emigrants to the new world. There are associations with World War 1 when the Lusitania was torpedoed off Ireland and survivors and victims brought ashore in this town. Cobh was the Titanic's last port of call on its maiden voyage and right up to the 1960's great tranatlantic liners visited regularly.

Not surprisingly then, Cobh lives and breathes its past. The past puts food on many Cobh tables. Respecting history is always to be applauded and a town like this has so much to remember, so many lives to honour, so many hopes and dreams eddying around on its currents and breezes. I love Cobh, but every so often the thought of all those lives lost, all those dreams snuffed out, becomes oppressive. Sometimes it seems, that there is just one memorial too many. I think the problem with Cobh is that it does what it does too well. This is not a criticism, just a warning to sensitive souls and an exremely personal reaction.

Still a Working Port

The Pont Aven - a regular Saturday visitor

One of the nicest things about Cobh is that big ships still come and go all the time. There has been a resurgence in the cruise liner business and now when you're getting off the train it is not uncommon to have a monstrously huge liner on the other side of the station wall. Brittany Ferries sail through Cobh mid-morning every Saturday, en route from Roscoff and various cargo ships, navy vessels and customs boats make up the rest of the traffic.

Beautiful Buildings Guaranteed

Everywhere you look in Cobh you will find beautiful and arctitecturally interesting buildings from many different periods. This one, a previous Town Hall, displays the town clock.

Pros and Cons

Pros:A beautiful and interesting town. Great for walks.
Cons:Too much emphasis on past tragedies.

Last visit to Cobh: Sep 2006
Intro Updated Sep 29, 2007
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Reviews (21)

Annie Moore Statue - Queenstown Story - Cobh

The Heyday of the Transatlantic Liner. Off The Beaten Path (5)

The final section of the Queenstown Story is definitely upbeat and a welcome change in tone from all the previous doom... more travel advice

The Titanic and The Lusitania Off The Beaten Path (5)

The third section of the Queenstown Story deals in great depth with the sinking of the Titanic and the Lusitania. A... more travel advice

The Queenstown Story - Transportation - Cobh

The Queenstown Story - Transportation Off The Beaten Path (5)

Transportation is a euphemism for conviction and sentencing to imprisonment in the colonies, principally Australia. If... more travel advice

Emigrant Dreams - Food on the Table - Cobh

The Queenstown Story - Emigration Off The Beaten Path (5)

I've deliberately put the Queenstown Story under the 'off the beaten track section' of this travel page because I think... more travel advice

Restaurants (2)
See All The Old Railway Station Buffet
Things to Do (12)
See All The Sirius - A Serious Arts Centre

Comments (24)

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johngayton Jun 25, 2010 at 5:23 PM

Nicely written Katherine and makes me want to get on the next ferry for a revisit. Slainte, John.
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gilabrand Aug 13, 2009 at 7:52 AM

What better place to sit than a library that served as a temporary morgue?...lol What an interesting page - I had no idea about any of this.
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nickandchris Oct 16, 2008 at 2:39 AM

Fascinating!!! Yet another brilliant page here.
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jgemini65 Oct 9, 2008 at 4:42 PM

Great pages...love Ireland!
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LauraWest Aug 26, 2007 at 3:05 AM

I love your tip writings, your point of view radiates. Thank you for bringing me into your world, virtually. greetings from Missouri, USA...Laura
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barryg23 Aug 21, 2007 at 3:12 PM

Great descriptions of Cobh. The Queenstown story sounds very interesting. I was in Fota on a school tour years ago but haven't been back to the area since. My brother has been living near Cobh for the past year and I keep meaning to visit!
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MURRA Jul 17, 2007 at 7:16 AM

THANKS FOR INFO
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uglyscot Jul 17, 2007 at 2:34 AM

This looks like a place worthy of a visit. Your information is very instructive too.
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Bwana_Brown Jul 3, 2007 at 1:12 AM

I have always loved the sea, ships and history so your virtual tour of Cobh was extremely interesting and informative! This looks to be a lovely little spot to visit and those Restaurant tips were making me hungry too!
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Bilimari Jun 16, 2007 at 3:55 AM

Thank you for great tips. I'm visiting Cork this summer, and will definitely visit Cobh while I'm there. :)