Day 3 - Cobh

Last night we took a late evening walk in search of the train station. The clerk at the bus station had told me that it was “just across the river.” Those directions were a tad over simplified, but we finally found the station. In all my time In Ireland, I have never seen a train, but apparently it is the only way to get to Cobh ((pronounced, “cove”) from Cork via public transportation.

Why go to Cobh? Well, I’ve never been there and it was the last port of call for the Titanic. At Cobh (then known as Queenstown) she picked up mail and 123 passengers. On Board were 2228 passengers and crew when the Titanic left Queenstown at 1.30pm on the afternoon of Thursday April 11^th 1912 steaming west out into the Atlantic bound for New York. There is now an exhibit/experience there, so off I went to check it out. Unfortunately, even though it’s Saturday, Matt had to stay behind and work. 

The train ride was only 30 minutes. However, at some point, I fell asleep. I was awoken by a kind older gentleman who informed me that we were now in Cobh. I thanked him and he said, “Not a problem…everyone falls asleep on this here train.” My first site in Cobh was that of a GIANT Royal Princess cruise ship. It was so massive and only re-affirmed that I could never be a “cruise person.” I found the Tourist Office, got my city map and was off to the White Star Lines Office which is now home to the Titanic Experience. This tour was either going to be uber cheezy or historically cool. 

The experience is meant to recreate what the last 123 passengers experienced as the left Cobh. It begins by buying your ticket where all the passengers bought theirs. You are handed a boarding pass which is a replica of the actual ticket, only the ticket information is filled with that of one of the original passengers. My ticket was that of Alice McCoy’s. She was 26 years old and bought a 3^rd class ticket for £8/$40 which would now be the equivalent of $640. A first class ticket at the time cost $4,350 which would now be $69,600! As I stood in line “waiting to board” with the others on my tour, we compared tickets. Since mine was a 3^rd class ticket and only 7 of the 123 Cobh passengers lived, my survival odds were pretty low and I predicted that I would be a member of the Titanic Swim Club.

Much of the tour is recreated in perfect details due to photos taken by Francis Browne. He was a Jesuit priest who sailed from France to Cobh and took many photos of his journey. His photos were used in creating the historical accuracy of the movie also. Behind the White Star Office, the remains of the pier still stand where passengers boarded the tinder boats that took them out to the Titanic which was waiting 2 miles off shore. It seemed ironic to watch the massive cruise ships slowly sail by the pier. 

We were then shown replicas of the passenger rooms, lifeboats, food menus, etc, followed by a mock sinking. At the end there is a list so you can look up your passengers name. Looks like it was Alice’s lucky day because she was 1 of only 7 survivors. Her information said she settled in Brooklyn, NY.

I continued to explore the little town. It does not have the “happiest maritime history.” When the Luisitania was sunk by a German U-Boat, the survivors were brought to Cobh to be cared for. There is a large memorial in the center of town. I stumbled across a small shop for local artisans. It was such a lovely change from the myriad of souvenir shops that must suck in the cruise traffic. The shop owner saw me spying a unique hand pounded set. I was too afraid to try it on since I was sure it was out of my price range. She said, “Oh love, just give it a try. It’s not priced too dear. We want people who appreciate the work to be able to afford it.” 5 minutes later, I bought the set for $45. I do love finding totally unique things and it’s small enough to fit into my backpack.

Above the town sits St Colman’s Cathedral. A funeral was currently underway, so I quietly went to a side chapel to light a candle for our safe journey. I turned around and was instantly stopped by a man who wanted to know what exactly why I was lighting a candle and what did it mean. After a very brief candle lighting lesson, I told him that he did not have to be Catholic to light a candle. He could just make a wish.

I caught the train back to Cork and once again fell asleep. What is with this train???? Matt got home from the office a little bit after me around 6:00. I made him a little snack from the executive lounge. We wandered the streets for our evening stroll and went to one of our favorite places for dinner, Wagamama.