Queenstown it was for some decades before reverting to its old Irish name in 1922 - the Cobh (cove) of Cork. Is there anywhere in Ireland more full of poignant memories than this embarkation point for America? From here hundreds of thousands of mostly hungry and penniless Irish men and women left to build a new life, especially in the Famine years of 1844-48. Many thrived and prospered, but many died on the journey in the terrible travelling conditions of the time. It is a pleasant town; its streets climb the steep slope of a hill, the top of which is crowned by the very fine St. Coleman's Cathedral , which has a carillon of 47 bells. Cobh is situated on Great Island, one of the three large islands in Cork harbour which are all now joined by roads and bridges - Little Island and Fota are the others. The harbour is one of the largest and safest anywhere, being capable of taking the largest vessels afloat. The great Transatlantic liners used to come in up to the 1950s. On the quayside there is a memorial to the victims of the Lusitania, many of whom are buried in the old church cemetery. The ship was sunk off Kinsale in 1915 by a German submarine, an action which was responsible for bringing the United States of America into the Great War; the survivors were brought back here. Another unhappy association is with the Titanic, 'the safest liner in the world'. Queenstown was her last port of call on her fateful maiden voyage.


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