Cobh

I love to travel and so I constantly seek suggestions on more places to visit. Many people suggested visiting Cobh (pronounced as ‘Cove’) for a day trip. At first, I thought the place to be overrated as everyone who has been there described it as one of the most dazzling towns in Ireland. However, Cobh is easily accessible via public transport so, my friends and I decided to go explore it after Christmas. After my visit to Cobh, I realized it is indeed quite dazzling and colorful. 

Cobh is located in the south-east of County Cork and is well-known as "Waterfront Town" or "Seaside Town". It has the second largest natural harbor in the world after Sydney. Our group took a bus from Cork City center in the morning and reached Cobh after about 2 hrs of journey. It was a bright sunny day, so we were all excited and praying for it to not rain. This town is full of colorfully painted houses and a mesmerizing sea view. The sea can be seen from far away and as soon as our eyes met this sight, we started running towards it like small kids on the streets.

We wondered if we had reached the right destination as the streets were quiet and less populated in the morning. We found the “Lusitania Memorial” which was like a signpost for us. It is really sad to see such beautiful monuments built in the memory of disaster. Lusitania Memorial is one such monument. It was built in remembrance of victims of RMS Lusitania that sank in 1915 due to a German attack during World War I. Ironically, I was happy to see that I could relate something to what I had read in my history books.

St Colman's Cathedral

From the street, I could see a stupendous building and a clock bell ringing at 10. It was none other than the most famous St Colman’s Cathedral. It is the largest Cathedral in Europe. It looks absolutely stunning, standing uphill facing the ocean, the same ocean where once the Titanic stood waiting for her passengers to board. St Colman’s Cathedral is a mammoth structure with ornate architecture. I'm always in awe of the European architecture because of the tall pillars, bells, the magnificent and intricate designs. As I entered in, the splendid aisle leading towards the altar bewitched me. I was spellbound and stood there, savoring the craftsmanship of the building. No wonder it took 46 years to build this majestic monument.

Who doesn't know RMS Titanic and the classic love story of Rose and Jack? If anyone wishes to go back in time and know more about what happened in Titanic, they definitely need to visit "Titanic Experience”. Cobh was previously named as "Queenstown". It was the last stop where the historic Titanic harbored for her passengers to board and head towards New York. The whole tour is about two hours long and gives you the vibe of being in the Titanic itself. A guide explains each and every small detail related to the incident.

The most exciting thing about the tour was that we got to see the original photographs of Captain Smith and other crew members along with some video footages. Another fascinating detail of the tour was the tickets given to us which bore the names of actual passengers who boarded Titanic from Queenstown. At the end of the tour, we got a chance to view the model of Titanic and the history of passengers which were given to us. It was a thrilling experience, getting to know the real facts rather than just what is shown in the movie. However, the end of the tour is surreal as we are again reminded of the fate of the gorgeous Titanic.

To know more about the history of Ireland and how Irish people flooded during inflation which was caused post World War, one has to visit "Cobh Heritage Centre" which is next to Titanic Experience. There is a statue of Annie Moore who was the first immigrant in Ellis Island, New York. The funniest part of this trip was when my friends tried to recreate the same pose as the statue. Apart from all this, "Spike Island" is a must visit place. Unfortunately, the ferries to the island run only in summers, i.e March to September. For the rest of the day, we enjoyed long walks next to the harbor and hit a pub in the evening for refreshments. 

The bus runs every hour from Cork City center to Cobh. If anyone wants to enjoy a train journey, they can also take a train. Entry fee for Titanic experience is as below:

For Adults: €10.00, For Children (aged 5 to 15): €7.00, For Students: €8.50 and the timings are 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM. The above-mentioned prices are also applicable for Cobh Heritage Centre.