Cobh and Blarney Castle

We left for Cork this morning, but in this case the journey is more than the destination.

Our first stop was a photo opportunity in the historic port town of Cobh (or Cove) to see Cobh Cathedral (previously Queenstown Cathedral), which overlooks the harbor.

This town was the last port call for the Titanic. We stopped at the Queenstown Story exhibition at the Heritage Center. The Center illustrates and allows one to 'walk through' exhibits about the port town itself and Irish immigration. There is a lot dedicated to the Titanic voyage, as well as to the Lusitania.

One nice touch is that the tickets for the exhibition have a name on them, a person or a ship or something to search for as one walks through. My ticket had Annie Moore on it (some of you may know that name). I will explain more later.

Annie Moore (April 24, 1874 – December 6, 1924) was an Irish émigré who was the first immigrant to the United States to pass through immigration at Ellis Island in New York Harbor. Annie was 17 years old and was accompanied by two younger brothers. Her parents already lived in Manhattan.

There was a story about a woman named Annie Moore who died in TX and was confused with the Irish Annie Moore for many years, but more research established that she was actually born in the US. For anyone who may have heard the song "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears", the confusion about the actual Annie Moore is also reflected in the lines in the song about her age - 15, not 17.

Annie married a son of German Catholic immigrants, Joseph Schayer, a salesman at Manhattan's Fulton Fish Market. The Schayers had eleven children, of whom only five survived into adulthood. Annie and her family lived in poverty, and she passed away at the age of 50.

After Cobh, we headed toward Blarney Castle - home of the Blarney Stone, the stone of eloquence. Kissing it is supposed to bring you the gift of gab. Most people who know me probably think I talk enough already, and I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to the climb up all those stairs (and the wait that meant standing mostly still on hard rock!) to kiss a stone that has been kissed by millions of people. However, the castle has the most amazing grounds and gardens. So you can be pretty sure where I spent most of my time!

(And look, I'm really there! I know I don't take a lot of pictures of myself, so here is proof.)

We then continued on our way to Cork, arriving around 3:30-ish. We did see the Grand Parade and South Mall, along with some nice Georgian houses as we arrived in town. After checking in, I took a couple of hours before dinner time to walk around the city a little. We had been told that a visit to the 'English Market' was in order, so I did that. [It's the type of market you see in a lot of cities, inside, with stalls carrying meats, cheeses, vegetables and fruits, baked goods, confections, and so on. Better than some, not as good as others I have seen. But worth seeing. I also went by the City Hall.

This evening our tour group met for a 'Celebration Dinner' at the hotel restaurant.

Tomorrow is our final full day of the tour.