Cruising to Cobh Ireland; Cobh and Titanic; Visiting the Blarney Stone; Jewel of the Seas video

Brochures for British Isles cruises often list Cork, Ireland as a port of call. This is somewhat misleading in two ways. First, the cruise ships actually dock in Cobh, which is on the body of water known as Cork Harbour but not in Cork City itself. Second, the main attractions in this part of the world are not in Cork City itself but in the surrounding countryside.

Listing the port as Cork rather than Cobh is not a quibble. Cobh is not some industrial port that is occasionally used by cruise ships. Rather, it is a place that is both scenic and historic. (See our Cobh cruise port page http://www.beyondships3.com/ireland-cobh-cruise-port.html )

The cruise ships dock near the center of Cobh. It is a pretty Irish town that seemingly has changed little since the 19^th century. You can walk along the harbor and see the fishing boats, the pubs and the well-maintained Victorian/Edwardian buildings. Or you can walk up the hill and visit the town's Gothic cathedral. There are also museums and a fortress in the harbor. But the main thing is to soak up the charming atmosphere.

Cobh is also quite historic. It was the last port of call for the Titanic. It was also the place where the survivors and victims of the Lusitania disaster were brought. (The sinking occurred not far from the harbor entrance). These two events are remembered in Cobh with memorials and museums. In addition, because the town still looks much the same, it is easy to imagine what it must have been like for those passengers who disembarked Titanic at Cobh as well as for those who embarked. (See our article on Cobh, Titanic and Lusitania http://www.beyondships3.com/ireland-cobh-titanic.html ).

In those days, Cobh was known as Queenstown and was a frequent stop for ocean liners making transatlantic crossings. The primary reason they stopped here was to pick up Irish emigrants heading to America. 2.5 million of the six million Irish who emigrated to America left via Cobh. There is a heritage center next to the cruise ship berth that tells their story.

While it is easy to spend the entire port call in Cobh itself, there are many attractions nearby. For example, everyone who has ever heard of Ireland has heard of the Blarney Stone. If you kiss, you will supposedly obtain the gift of the gab or great eloquence, as the more reserved tourist literature puts it.

The Blarney Stone is in Blarney Castle, a ruin several miles outside of Cork City. To kiss it is no easy task. First, it seems like a few hundred fellow visitors are always waiting on line to do so. Next, you have to climb up a hundred or so steps to the top of the Castle where the stone resides. Then hanging upside down you dangle over the battlements to do the actual kissing. Still, almost everyone seems to enjoy it.

The kissing ceremony is not the only reason to visit Blarney Castle. Surrounding the Castle are beautifully landscaped grounds and a variety of gardens. Sharing the grounds is Blarney House, a smaller version of Downton Abbey, which you can also tour. Our article on visiting Blarney Castle is at http://www.beyondships3.com/ireland-blarney-castle.html

Also in the area near Cobh is the Old Midleton Distillery, home to the Jameson Experience. Here, you can tour a 19^th/20^th century distillery and see how Irish Whiskey was made. In addition, there is a bar area where you can become a certified Irish Whiskey taster. Our article about visiting the Jameson distillery is at http://www.beyondships3.com/ireland-cobh-jameson.html

The countryside is also quite scenic. A drive down to the seaside village of Kinsale is another popular excursion.

Then there is Cork City itself. While it may not be Paris or Rome, there are things to see in Cork City. Our overview of Cork City is at http://www.beyondships3.com/ireland-cork-city.html

Changing topics, I discovered in our archives a video of Jewel of the Seas sailing from Boston, Massachusetts. It is at http://www.beyondships2.com/jewel-of-the-seas-video.html

Lusitania Remembered

This week marks the 93rd anniversary of the sinking of the Cunard ocean liner Lusitania. When she entered service in 1907, Lusitania made every other passenger ship in service obsolete. She was the first ocean liner over 30,000 gross tons, the first with four propellers and, along with her sister ship Mauretania, the fastest liner in service. Furthermore, she was luxurious with wood paneling, marble fireplaces and a dining room modeled after one is the Palace of Versailles. Lusitania was very popular and an icon of her time.

Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat. In an effort to break the British blockade of Germany imposed at the start of World War I, the Kaiser’s government had initiated a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare under which any ship entering the waters off of the British Isles could be attacked without warning.

The German policy was contrary to accepted international law, which forbid a warship to attack a merchant ship without warning. Accordingly, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson warned that Germany would be held strictly accountable if any Americans were killed or injured in such an attack.

On her last voyage, Lusitania was traveling from still neutral America to England when she was attacked. 1,198 people were killed including many neutral Americans, women and children.
The event stunned the world. Eventually, it led to America’s entry into World War I against Germany.

While the sinking of the Titanic three years earlier has remained in the public imagination and there are numerous fans of that ship, the story of the Lusitania is less well-known today and no one ever professes to love the Lusitania. This is perplexing. Prior to their sinkings, both ships were held in high esteem by the public. Indeed, the primary reason for building Titanic and her sisters was to compete with Lusitania and Mauretania. Both were luxurious and had passenger lists that included the rich and famous. Titanic was larger but Lusitania was considerably faster.

The magnitudes of the tragedies were similar. 1,503 people went down with the Titanic, a slightly higher percentage (68%) of those onboard than in the Lusitania sinking (61%).

Both sinkings sent shock waves through America and Britain. They were both unimaginable. With the Titanic, it was how could such an engineering marvel have sunk? With the Lusitania, it was how could such a famous ship with so many innocents aboard be attacked in violation of accepted international law?

Both sinkings had long-term repercussions although those from the Lusitania sinking had a greater impact. The Titanic disaster resulted in changes in lifeboat requirements and in ice patrols. The Lusitania was a major factor leading to America’s entry into World War I and thus affected the outcome of that conflict, which continues to have an effect on world affairs today.

Of course, Lusitania has not had the benefit of being the subject of Hollywood movies and the publicity that surrounds such productions. But, that only reflects that it is more comforting to think of tragedies of this scale being caused by nature rather than the willful act of other human beings.

For a more about the Lusitania’s last voyage, there is an article posted at: http://www.beyondships.com/Cunard-Lusitania.html