Cobh In Ireland And Its History Related To The Titanic

Cobh is a port city located on the southern coast of Ireland. Its port is well known, not so much for being a starting point for more than two and a half million people to the United States in search of a better life, but for being the last port from which the Titanic sailed.

This is a city with many things to see, but the main tourist attraction is related to the tragic history of the Titanic, especially after the success of James Cameron’s 1997 film. Would you like to delve a little more about this city and know what options exist to know the history of the mythical ocean liner?

Why did the Titanic leave Cobh?

The city of Cobh has the second largest natural harbor in the world. As you can imagine, this made this city always closely linked to maritime life. In addition, its position made it a strategic place for the British crown, especially during the war with France and the rest of the continent.

The characteristics of the port allowed it to house the large steamships that began to sail the seas since the 19th century. Furthermore, the Sirius, the first steamship to make a transatlantic voyage with passengers, departed from this port. This was in the year 1838.

In this way, the port of Cobh became the exit door for the more than two and a half million people who, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, left their land to seek a better life on the American continent. Also, from this port the prisoners left for the penitentiaries that the English had overseas, especially Australia.

It is for this reason that, on April 11, 1912, the city of Cobh – then called Queenstown – was the port where the Titanic made its last stop. The ocean liner arrived at 11:30 in the morning and only stayed in port for two hours, to board 113 third-class passengers, seven second-class and three first-class. In turn, seven passengers and one member of the crew got off.

One of these lucky ones was Father Francis Browne, who with his camera took more than 1000 snapshots of the ship. These photographs became world famous.

Finally, the ship set sail at 1:30 p.m. with 2206 people on board. They had only been crossing for three days when the ship hit an iceberg. The collision caused serious damage to the structure of the ship, which ended up in the depths of the Atlantic. The tragedy claimed the lives of 1,517 people.

Cobh and the Titanic

Despite the tragedy of the sinking episode, the city of Cobh took advantage of the fame of this story by turning its port into a tourist attraction. Titanic Experience is an example of this. This is a tour that will allow you to know the history of the 123 passengers of Cobh who undertook the fatal journey to New York.

The tour begins in the building where the original offices of the White Star Line company were located. There, participants will receive their boarding pass for the Titanic dated Thursday, April 11, 1912, with the name of one of the passengers who boarded in Queenstown.

Throughout the 30-minute journey, you will see the original pier, known as Heartbreak Pier, where the Titanic last touched down. You will also experience what life was like on board the ocean liner and learn about the living conditions of third and first class passengers.

At the same time, through a cinematographic experience, we want to simulate the sinking and transfer tourists to those moments of cold and anguish. After this simulation, you will be able to expand the information on how the sinking occurred, as well as how the RMS Carpathia rescue tasks were.

Finally, you will have the opportunity to know the fate of the passenger you represent, as well as the other 122 who boarded in Cobh. There are other places where similar experiences based on the history of this ship are offered, but reliving that moment at the last point where the ship landed will magnify the experience.

The Titanic will allow you to know a beautiful port city

If you decide to travel to Cobh to learn more about the history of the Titanic, you should know that you will also have the opportunity to visit a very beautiful city. In the city, the neo-Gothic cathedral stands out, a construction that not only stands out for being one of the tallest in Ireland, but also because it contrasts with the colorful houses that surround it.

It is that Cobh retains that particularity that many port towns or cities have of painting the facades with striking colors. Precisely, another of the attractions of the town is the Old Street and West View, two parallel streets with a steep slope made up of rows of perfectly aligned multi-colored houses.

Obviously, the port is another of the points of interest of this town, both for its history and for the views of the colorful houses of the city that it offers. In different parts of the town, monuments or statues are erected that remind visitors of the importance that its port had in history. The Titanic Memorial is one of them.

There is also the statue of Annie Moore and her siblings; it is a representation of the millions of travelers who set out in search of a better life.

Another is the Lusitania memorial, located in Casement Square. The Lusitania was an ocean liner sunk by German forces during World War I a few kilometers from Cobh. The ship took just 18 minutes to sink, but thanks to the efforts of sailors and shipping companies from Cobh, they managed to save 762 passengers.

Of the 1,197 deceased, they managed to recover the bodies of 289 victims. Many of these could not be identified and were buried in the Old Church Cemetery.

Take advantage of your trip to Ireland to get to know Cobh

Ireland is a fabulous country. There are many places to visit, many different aspects of its culture that deserve to be known.

It is true that normally trips have a time limit, but if you have a few days, take the opportunity to take a trip to the south of the island and learn a little more about one of the most popular tragic stories of the 20th century.