Path of theTitanic

We landed at Cobh (pronounced Cove), Ireland early this morning and I felt like I returned home again. I was here over 20 years ago and knew that I wanted to come back, but doubted that I ever would. It hard to describe how I felt to others, but Ireland calls to me and I feel like I belong here or that I am welcomed here by long ago ancestors. I didn’t feel the same way when we were in England, Scotland or Wales. If you felt the same way you can understand. Cobh was the last port of call for the Titanic before it started across the Atlantic and met it’s fate on April 12, 1912. There are the remains of the dock passengers used to board the tenders to be ferried out to the ship. The old White Star Line office is now a gift shop. The old railway station is still used for commuter trains to Cork, a trip of about 20 minutes. But it also is a museum that is commemorating the town’s shipping harbor as well as a special exhibit on the Titanic. Cobh is a small shipping village with quaint houses, shops and restaurants. Of course, being in Ireland we

couldn’t pass up getting a pint in a local pub! It is on the southern coast of Ireland in County Cork. Cobh is also famous for being the port city the Lusitania was headed to when it was torpedoed by a U-boat two years after the Titanic. Many of the survivors were sent to the Commodore Hotel which is still standing today. Most of the deceased were buried in a mass grave in the cemetery about 2 miles out of town. With disasters like these it’s easy to see why Cobh wasn’t a cruise liner port for a while. Tomorrow we are disembarking for Falmouth, England for the day. This port is in the area called Cornwall which is on the very end of England on the southwest. But don’t call the people from Cornwall English! They are Cornish and always will be!