A Little Bit of Cobh

Yesterday I spent a few hours in the little seaside town of Cobh (Gaelic "Cove"), mostly learning too much for my brain to retain about the history of Irish emigration. My first stop was the Cobh Heritage Center, which is set in a restored Victorian railway station...very cool!!! Very light and airy, with lots of red brick, and dark hardwood beams overhead. I especially enjoyed all the Victorian era props, like big trunks and suitcases. I paid 6 Euro to walk through "The Queenstown Story: A Dramatic Exhibition of the Origins, History, and Legacy of Cobh- a Unique Irish Port Town".
It was quite a long and detailed exhibit...part of it was on the potato famine and how it began the mass exodus of Irish to North America. Cobh was the port that all the emigrants left from. Another part of was on the Titanic, because back when Cobh was "Queenstown" it was the last port that the Titanic stopped at before it sank. Another bit was on the Lusitania, the passenger ship that was torpedoed not far from Cobh by a German sub during the second world war. Admittedly I only skimmed a lot of info boards because it was all just sieving out of my brain anyway. I did study the little "life scenes" and enjoyed the videos though. Actually, when I was watching one clip on the Titanic a newspaper photographer asked me if he could take a picture of me! Since the anniversary of the Titanic is coming up in April, I guess they're probably doing a little article on it. Stupid me didn't ask what newspaper he was from!! Now I will never know if I've made it into the annals of Irish history forever! After that, I walked along the road, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and sea! It was divine.
I even climbed a lot of stairs to see St. Colemans Cathedral, but that didn't lead to anything except a good view of the town, and a bad shot of the church building (it was too tall to fit into a picture!).
It was a beautiful building though, and the town was very picturesque. I wouldn't mind going back there another day, since there was still a lot to see and do. Unfortunately I had to take the train into Cork at 2:30, which was fun. I like the train waaaaay better than the bus. Sure, the views aren't as nice, but it doesn't feel so claustrophobic, and its a lot smoother. Not to mention it is WAY faster!
Anyways, that was my trip to Cobh! Sorry I don't have more pictures, but it was a busy day in the town and I felt too self conscious to bust out the camera in the middle of the street.
I am such a bad tourist...