Touring Ireland

 Cóbh, Co. Cork.

(Top Ten Interesting Facts) 

 2.5 Million Emigrated From Cobh.  

1. If you are of Irish descent, then there is a good chance that your ancestors left Ireland through the beautiful town of Cóbh (formerly Queenstown). Cóbh was the departure point for over 2.5 million of the six million Irish people who emigrated to America between 1848 and 1950. 

First Person Processed Through Ellis Island.

2. Annie Moore was the first immigrant to the United States to pass through the Ellis Island facility in New York Harbour. She departed from Cóbh accompanied by her brothers Phillip and Anthony, aboard the steamship Nevada on the 1st of January 1892.

Picture credit Ireland's content pool. 

2nd Largest Naturally Protected Harbour.

3. Cóbh is situated on Great Island in Cork Harbour, the second largest natural harbour in the world second only to Sydney Harbour.

A stunning view of Cork Harbour from The Promenade in Cóbh . Picture taken by Sarah Butler .  

Jack Doyle Was Born In Cóbh. 

4. Jack Doyle was know as a boxer, singer, actor, lover and a drinker. Jack was born on the 31st of August 1,913 in Cóbh. He knocked out Clarke Gable in a fight over actress Carole Lombard and he married the beautiful actress Movita, but it ended, like that of so many prizefighters of his time, in poverty.

Jack Doyle and his wife Movita

1st Steam Ship Transatlantic Crossing.

5. The paddle steamer ‘Sirius’ became the first ever ship to cross the Atlantic from this Harbour to New York without the aid of sail in 1838. Sirius left Cork from Cóbh, on 4 April and arrived in New York after a voyage of 18 days, 4 hours and 22 minutes .

St Coleman's Cathedral Took 47 Years To Complete.

6. Construction began in 1867 and was not completed until almost half a century later due to increases in costs and revisions of the original plans. The cathedral was finally consecrated in 1915.

Picture credit Ireland's content pool.

You've Heard Of U-Boats But Have You Heard Of Q-Ships? 

7. In World War 1 the local dock yard on Hauwlbowline converted merchant ships into decoy vessels. These so-called Q-ships were designed to act as bait for the German submarine commanders. A Q-ship would appear to be an easy target, but it actually carried hidden arms. A typical Q-ship might resemble a Tramp steamer sailing in an area where a U-boat was reported to be. A Q-ship hoped to encourage the U-boat captain to make a surface attack. This was one of the closest kept secrets of WW1.

Picture of a typical U boat.

Cóbh People Supported 100's Of Lusitania Victims.  

8. 1,198 people perished on the 7th of May 1915 when the Lusitania was sunk off the Cork coast by a torpedo fired by a German U-boat. The people of Cóbh witnessed first-hand the trauma and heartbreak as the dead, injured and bereaved were brought to Cóbh and a makeshift morgue was set in up in the Voyager Pub in Casement square. Of the 289 bodies that were recovered, 169 were buried in the Old Church Cemetery just outside the town in 3 mass graves and 20 individual plots.

The coffins being taken up Harbour Hill, Cóbh .Picture Credit to John O'Flynn of Cobh Tour and Spike Island.

Cóbh Is The Most Populated Island in Ireland.

9. Cóbh or the Island the town Cóbh is on (Great Island) is by far the most populated island in Ireland. It is 5 times more populated than the 2nd largest Achill.

Picture credit Ireland's content pool.

Titanic's last port of Call.

10. The ill fated RMS Titanic undertook her first and only voyage in April 1912. The Titanic was the biggest and most luxurious liner of it's time as well as being deemed to be one of the safest ships afloat. Cóbh was her last port of call.