Cobh

A map of Cobh showing the town and the surrounding area

A map of Cobh showing the town and the surrounding area.

A map of Cobh showing the town and the surrounding area

A map of Cobh showing the town and the surrounding area

A map of Cobh showing the town and the surrounding area.

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Cobh (or Queenstown as it used to be known) is a very important port in Cork harbour. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many large ships, including the Titanic, departed to U.S.A. from Cobh. Many large industries (including Irish Steel) were located here also, while the British Army used to have a base nearby. The illustration below shows several ships in Cobh harbour in the nineteenth century.

Some interesting facts about Cobh:

Cobh (cove means small harbour) is on Great Island in Cork Harbour. In 1838, the Sirius, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, sailed from Cobh, and in 1912, the Titanic made its last stop here on its fateful journey.

In 1915, 1,198 people drowned when the ship the Lusitania was sunk by German u-boats (submarines). Many of these people are buried in Cobh's Old Churchyard.

Cobh had a shipbuilding industry (Verlome) and a steel-making plant (Irish Steel), until the 1980s. Cobh is also home to a large fishing fleet, and is very busy during the peak fishing season, between September and February. Every year thousands of tourists also arrive in Cobh, on large cruise ships.

You can learn more about Cobh's seafaring history at the Queenstown Story Heritage Centre.