Cobh (pronounced Cove) is a major port of disembarkation from Ireland; one local we talked to bluntly referred to Ireland as a breeding colony for the rest of the world and Cobh is the port that makes this happen. It’s from here that millions upon millions of Irish immigrants historically left the country.
My family is no exception. My Grandmother comes from a line of known Irish Newfoundlanders from Cork/Cobh. I blame this for my pasty white skin, freckles and quick flash temper. But, this is not my only Irish blood… my last name comes from Monaghan in Northern Ireland… and my eyes (+ Niña’s). It’s rather creepy to trace these back through family photos. Either way, I’ve got a double whammy of Irish blood.
Most people know of Cobh even though they don’t realize it. It’s from here that the penal colonies ships left for Australia, the Lusitania departed from Cobh before being torpedoed by a German U-Boat thus triggering the US’s involvement in World War 1, and then there’s the Titanic, which left from the port before hitting an iceberg in the mid-Atlantic.
Cork is further inland from Cobh and was originally founded by Scandinavians as a trading centre; Cobh is the port and Cork is the city. It’s here that we spent a fair bit of time walking around and discovering little nooks and crannies.
