Thursday - County Cork

We had a very full day today, spent mostly in Cobh, formerly known as Queenstown at the time of the sailing of Titanic 100 years ago.  After our two and a half hour drive from the cottage, we arrived in Cobh at around 10:00am . . . plenty of time to get a lay of the land and find parking.

Our only scheduled activity was an 11:00am with Titanic researcher and author Dr. Michael Martin.  He is the creator of the "Titanic Trail" tour and several others focusing on the history of this emigration port so prominent to so many Irish and Irish-American families.

We learned not only about Titanic but also about the role Queenstown played in the 19th and early 20th centuries.  We walked along the waterfront much the same as the 123 Titanic passengers who boarded here.  Dr. Martin explained that the buildings facing the harbor appear just as they did back in 1912.  It was a very surreal experience to walk in their footsteps today.

After our orientation with Dr. Martin, we went to the building that formerly housed the White Star Line ticket office.  The dock where tenders took passengers to the anchored Titanic out beyond the natural protective barrier island at the opening to the Irish Sea was immediately behind the ticket office.  It is here that the "Titanic Experience" occurs.  Here guests receive a ticket to Titanic as they assume the identity of one of the 123 Queenstown passengers.  Mom received one of the three first class passengers, ironically someone from Green Bay, Wisconsin.  Dr. Martin had mentioned this family, a doctor along with his wife and sister.  The two ladies were saved; the doctor perished.

We took the Titanic Experience tour and found it very interesting.  A blend of audio-visual storytelling and recreations of what the cabins were like on Titanic allowed visitors to get a feel for life on the ship.  At the end of the main "experience" aspects, the final area provided several photos and story-boards telling about the Titanic, Queenstown and her people.

Our final stop while in Cobh was the Cobh Heritage Center.  A modern day blend of history and shopping, we enjoyed the self-guided walk through tour that was largely about life in 18th and 19th century Ireland, especially as her residents faced famine and lack of financial opportunity which resulted in millions of people looking for a better life in North America.  Initially Canada was the destination of choice until laws in America became more favorable to emigrants.

From Cobh we backtracked a bit to Midleton, the original location of John Jameson & Son distillery.   The old distillery built in 1780 was closed in 1975 in favor of a new more modern facility.  As so many buildings in Ireland, the buildings fell into disrepair until such time as money was invested to restore them and create the Jameson Distillery Experience.

I have to say, David and I have done a lot of whiskey distillery tours and this one was probably the best, largely because it was in the original old buildings dating back more than 150 years.  The guided tour provides an overview to the distilling process as well as the history of Jameson Whiskey and the Old Distillery in Midleton.  At the end is a taste testing for eight lucky tour participants, who get to compare the Jameson product with that from Scotland (Black & White Scotch) and American (Jack Daniels).  All guests received a sample drink, either straight or mixed as a cocktail.  I thoroughly enjoyed mine with cranberry juice!  Their whiskey was very smooth and not nearly as harsh as others that I've sampled.

After the Midleton detour, we head on to our next overnight point, Tralee and the Ballyseede Castle.  We did stop for dinner before checking in.  More on Tralee and Ballyseede, next time!

                                                  A man and his dog in Cobh