What a historic month May was! Queen Elizabeth II made her first official visit to Ireland. Although, security was very tight over the first few days, you could certainly see that, by the time the Queen visited Cork on the last day of the tour, she was very relaxed and enjoying herself. The pic over is a classic and says it all. Here the Queen was visiting the English Market, and this pic shows her at the famous Kaye O' Connell fish stand. Pat O' Connell is a bit of a character and would bring a smile to anyone's face and quite obviously the Queen was enjoying the banter!Queen Elizabeth's tour of Cork almost replicated the tour taken by Queen Victoria in the late 
1840's. However, on that occasion Queen Victoria concentrated her visit to the lower harbour and the Cobh area. Cobh was of particular interest due to the port's significance to the British realm. 'Victoria herself arrived in 1849 to the booming of cannon on her first visit to Ireland and the town was for many years known as "Queenstown" to commemorate the occasion. She was so delighted by Cobh and the surrounding coast that she got our her watercolours (The Sunday Telegraph, May 18, 2003).'
The Commodore Hotel's connection to the royal visit is very direct as the following extract from the Commercial Queenstown 1894 attests to '...On the memorable visit of Her Majestey and the Prince Consort in the year 1849 the ground upon which the Hotel is built there was erected a pavilion for their entertainment, and on this spot the name of the town was changed from the Cove of Cork to Queenstown by Her Majesty the Queen.'
1840's. However, on that occasion Queen Victoria concentrated her visit to the lower harbour and the Cobh area. Cobh was of particular interest due to the port's significance to the British realm. 'Victoria herself arrived in 1849 to the booming of cannon on her first visit to Ireland and the town was for many years known as "Queenstown" to commemorate the occasion. She was so delighted by Cobh and the surrounding coast that she got our her watercolours (The Sunday Telegraph, May 18, 2003).'
The Commodore Hotel's connection to the royal visit is very direct as the following extract from the Commercial Queenstown 1894 attests to '...On the memorable visit of Her Majestey and the Prince Consort in the year 1849 the ground upon which the Hotel is built there was erected a pavilion for their entertainment, and on this spot the name of the town was changed from the Cove of Cork to Queenstown by Her Majesty the Queen.'Following the Queen's visit a grandiose project was undertaken by Lord Midleton, the local Viscount, to develop the town as a Victorian spa retreat, the first tourist attraction of the day, if you will. This involved the reclamation of substantial tracts of land, the development of railway facilities, the development of a promenade, terraces, hotel, and baths. Lord Midleton commissioned the eminent architect of the day, Decimus Burton, to design the project. Burton's more prominent work included projects on Buckingham Palace, aswell as buildings and gardens of the Zoological Society in Regent's Park, London. The hotel was to be the centrepiece of the project.
The hotel was completed in 1854 and became one of the first purpose built hotels in the country
. 'From its establishment, the Queens Hotel was exactly what its title suggests, a hotel for Royalty. Among its guests were King Edward VII, Queen Alexandria and King George VI. By the mid 1850's, Cobh had indeed become very popular as a health resort. It was ideally suited for this purpose being only a short coach ride from Cork and possessing a remarkable temperate climate. It was also of course the port of embarkation of her Majesty's troops (most notably during the Boer War) and the residence of the Admiral. The growing importance of trans-Atlantic Liner trade from Liverpool seemed to make it inevitable that Cobh would become a major Port of Call (Cobh Annual 1978).'
. 'From its establishment, the Queens Hotel was exactly what its title suggests, a hotel for Royalty. Among its guests were King Edward VII, Queen Alexandria and King George VI. By the mid 1850's, Cobh had indeed become very popular as a health resort. It was ideally suited for this purpose being only a short coach ride from Cork and possessing a remarkable temperate climate. It was also of course the port of embarkation of her Majesty's troops (most notably during the Boer War) and the residence of the Admiral. The growing importance of trans-Atlantic Liner trade from Liverpool seemed to make it inevitable that Cobh would become a major Port of Call (Cobh Annual 1978).'Why not stay at the Commodore Hotel and retrace the steps of Queen Elizabeth. Take a short 
train ride through the scenic vistas of Cork Harbour to Cork, a journey of less than 25 minutes. In Cork visit the English market, the site of Queen Elizabeth's visit to the city. This market is definitely one of Cork's most intriguing attractions. In the words of Rick Stein '...in my opinion, this is the best covered market in the UK and Ireland.' http://www.englishmarket.ie/
train ride through the scenic vistas of Cork Harbour to Cork, a journey of less than 25 minutes. In Cork visit the English market, the site of Queen Elizabeth's visit to the city. This market is definitely one of Cork's most intriguing attractions. In the words of Rick Stein '...in my opinion, this is the best covered market in the UK and Ireland.' http://www.englishmarket.ie/The Commodore is now offering a three day historical and cultural package that includes a visit to the Queenstown story (http://www.cobhheritage.com/index2.html), a guided walk of the Titanic Trail (http://www.titanic-trail.com/), and a guided tour of Spike Island (http://www.spikeislandcork.com/index.html). This package also includes an evening meal in one of the localities top restaurants, Tradewinds Restaurant, as well as an evening meal in the hotel's own restaurant, the State's Restaurant. This three night accommodation package is great value at €233 per person sharing (or stg£205) and is available upto 31st August 2011. To book click here http://www.avvio.com/hotels/Commodore_Hotel/bookings/client.php#ipulsestart or contact Mary on 00-353-21-4811277 (email: commodorehotel@eircom.net).
A further Autumn package is available at discounted rates from 1st Sept to 31st Oct 2011. This package includes a visit to the Queenstown story, a guided walk of the Titanic Trail, an evening meal at Tradewinds Restaurant and an evening meal at the States Restaurant. This three night package is great value at €181 per person sharing (or stg£159). To book click here http://www.avvio.com/hotels/Commodore_Hotel/bookings/client.php#ipulsestart or contact Mary on 00-353-21-4811277. (email: commodorehotel@eircom.net).
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