Wednesday in Ireland

After getting some suggestions from the locals and other travelers, I decided I would like to go to Cobh on Wednesday. I slept late and had breakfast by myself in the hotel, then set off for the hop on/hop off bus stop so I could take a bus all the way across town to the train station. When I got there, I bought my ticket to Cobh for around €8 and I was on my way! The trip was only 25 minutes and then I was there, in the town next to Cork Harbor, the second-largest natural harbor in the world.

Sculpture of Annie Moore and her brothers Anthony and Philip, who left Cobh on December 20, 1891 on the S.S. Nevada. She was the first person to be admitted to the USA through Ellis Island on January 1, 1892.

  Cobh is well-known (under its former name "Queenstown") as the last port of call for the Titanic, and is also the town that rescued the survivors and recovered the bodies from the tragic sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915. Yep, I was there 100 years after that infamous event, and I had a chance to view several photographs on display from the days and weeks following the tragedy. 

First, though, I climbed the steep ascent up to St. Coleman's Cathedral, a beautifully imposing structure up on the hillside with fantastic panoramic views of one of the largest and deepest harbors in the world. 

This French Gothic cathedral was built from 1868-1915. The famous Carillon, the largest in Ireland, and clock were installed in 1916.

When I hiked back down, I grabbed some lunch at Gilbert's Bistro before viewing the aforementioned exhibit. I then hopped on a ferry to Spike Island, which has hosted a monastery, fortress and prison, for my guided tour of the historic sites. 

View of Spike Island from St. Coleman's Cathedral

The fortress on Spike Island

 Spike Island has been called "Ireland's Alcatraz" due to its long history as a place of punishment and detention. It was used in the 1640s by Oliver Cromwell as a holding place for thousands sent to the West Indies. During the American Revolution in the 1770s, Spike Island became the principal Royal Navy base for the British. In the 19th century, convicts were held on Spike Island before being transported to Australia and Tasmania. Between 1847 and 1883, thousands were imprisoned on Spike, including many victims of the Great Hunger (or the Great Potato Famine, as we know it). It also briefly held political prisoner John Mitchel, who later went to America and became a prominent supporter of the South during the American Civil War. Spike Island was also the headquarters of the South Irish Coast Defense during the Great War (WWI). During the Irish War of Independence, Spike was used as a prison for up to 500 captured Irish Volunteers, and a few of these staged two daring escapes during that time period. Even though Ireland gained independence from Great Britain in 1921, in the Anglo-Irish Treaty, forts in a number of Irish ports were designated to remain in British hands, including that at Spike Island. It was manned by the British Army until 1938, when Great Britain reluctantly handed it over to Ireland. With the outbreak of World War II, the British hoped that the former "Treaty Ports" would be made available to them as bases for the navy but despite strong diplomatic pressure, this never happened. From 1938 to 1979, the Irish Army garrisoned Spike Island, but in 1985 the government decided to convert the fort to a prison, which only recently closed in 2004.

  

Officers' families were also allowed to live in homes on Spike Island in the early 20th century.

After 2.5 hours on the island, the ferry took me back to Cobh and I popped in one of the buildings for a bathroom break before catching my train. I was about to leave the building when I heard my name--there were the Houston ladies from the day before, enjoying a day in Cobh as well. It was funny to see them there! I took the train back to Cork and added more blisters to my collection by walking all the way from the train station on the far east side of town to our hotel on the far west. Chris was waiting for me, ready to eat, and I told him that for our ninth anniversary I wanted a taxi ride back to town! We got a cab and headed to another place of which I had read called Greene’s, but unfortunately, despite the place looking fairly quiet, we were informed that without a reservation, there were no available tables that evening. At that point, we were hungry enough to simply walk next door to Isaac’s, which turned out to be delicious and satisfying. Chris had lamb and I ordered the seafood chowder, fish cakes with salad, and dessert. It was certainly a memorable way to celebrate nine years of marriage: in Cork, Ireland together!