Cobh Holiday Homes Cork
Cobh is a pleasant seaport in County Cork situated about 20km from Cork City. The locality, which had had several different Irish-language names, was first referred to as Cove in 1750. It was renamed Queenstown in 1849 to commemorate a visit by Queen Victoria and so remained until the name Cobh (closer to the Irish spelling) was restored in 1922 with the foundation of the Irish Free State
Cobh is located on the southern shores of the Great Island in Cork Harbour, on slopes overlooking the harbour. On its highest point stands the Cobh Cathedral, St. Colman’s, seat of the diocese of Cloyne. The Cathedral dates back to 1868 and took approx. 51 years to complete, it is of French Gothic architecture and at night is fully floodlight making it a splendid sight from the harbour.
Cobh’s long maritime history includes the world’s first yacht club, the Royal Cork Yacht Club established as far back as 1720. The first steamship to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, the Sirius, sailed from Cobh in 1838.
Cobh was the last port of call for the Titanic on her fateful maiden voyage and Cobh was where survivors of the Lusitania were brought ashore after the ship was torpedoed by German U-Boats off the Old Head of Kinsale in 1915. Victims of the Lusitania are buried in graves in the Old Church just north of Cobh.
However Cobh is perhaps best known as the main embarkation port of some 2.5 million Irish emigrants fleeing famine and poverty between the years 1848 and 1950. Their tale is told in the award winning exhibition centre, the Queenstown Story, housed in the disused Victorian Railway by the dockside.
Nowadays Cobh is a vibrant hub of activity and interest. A quaint town of narrow streets, winding up steep hills, Cobh has a number of old-fashioned pubs and good quality restaurants. The town is host to many sailing schools and is an important watersports centre.
Activities include deep-sea angling, shore angling and bird watching in nearby Cuskinny Marsh and Cork Harbour. There are also harbour cruises around Haulbowline Island and the former prison of Spike Island.
The Great Island is one of four major islands in Cork Harbour. The three largest Fota, Little Island and Great Island are connected to the mainland by bridge. Fota Island contains Fota Wildlife park which is home to hundreds of rare animals and birds. Fota also contains a suberb 18 hole Golf course. Cobh sports a 9 hole course and Little Island contains an 18 hole course.
The main hub for the arts in Cobh is the Sirius Arts Centre located on the waterfront. The Maritime Song Festival takes place each year in May and the Cobh Peoples Regatta is held every year around August.
