On Saturday morning, we docked at Cobh (pronounced Cove) in
Ireland. Cobh is close to the city of
Cork in southwest Ireland, and it is also close to the Blarney Castle. We had decided not to take any of the tours
offered by the cruise line, but instead, we decided to wander around the small
village, find a pub for a beer and lunch, and perhaps do a little shopping. The weather was bitterly cold, with a temperature
in the low 40’s and a brisk wind.
Cobh was the last port visited by the Titanic on her maiden
voyage in 1912. One hundred and twenty
six passengers took tenders out to the ship which was anchored in the harbor,
and five passengers got off. Three days
later the ship struck an iceberg off the coast of Greenland and sank. Since this is the centennial year, everything
in town has a Titanic theme.
Cobh has the distinction of being the port closest to the
position where the British Passenger Liner, Lusitania, was sunk by a torpedo
from a German U-Boat in 1915, so the survivors and the bodies of the victims
were transported to Cobh. There are many
graves of the victims in the town’s cemetery.
There are also memorials to both disasters prominently displayed in
town, as well as at least three museums dedicated to the Titanic.
We wandered down the main street to Kelly’s Pub where we
quenched our thirst with a Guinness or two.
It tastes better in Ireland than it does at home. A climb up the hill to the cathedral reawakened
that thirst, so we withdrew to the pub in an old hotel for lunch and another
beer. Debbie had fish & chips while
Tom enjoyed a steak and mushroom pie, both definitely Irish in origin. It was very good and also very filling.
After lunch, a little shopping was in order; Tom found a
wool cap to keep his head warm, and Debbie found a couple of pins to add to her
collection as well as a gift or two for folks at home. By the time we finished that, we were ready
to head back to the warmth of the ship to await our overnight passage to Falmouth in Cornwall.
Since we've been unable to link the photos from the Captain's Table Dinner to our blog, click this link to view them.
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