Titanic Experience - Project Titanic Cobh

Cobh is inextricably linked with RMS Titanic. On the 10th April 1912 the Titanic left from Southampton on her maiden voyage. Her first port of call was at Cherbourg, France before she left on the start of her transatlantic crossing. The following day the Titanic arrived at Cobh, then known as Queenstown, on the southern coast of Ireland, the final port of call for all liners crossing the Atlantic. Cobh, nestled on the shores of Cork Harbour, one of the largest natural harbours in the World, was the ideal last stop for liners plying the Atlantic. Here the Titanic, like many liners at the time, collected more passengers, provisions and the all important mail. Mail from all corners of the British Isles was collected by the Royal Mail, processed in transit, and shipped to Queenstown to meet the ocean going liners for onward transmission to the New World. With her business concluded at Queenstown, Titanic continued her journey leaving shore, land & civilisation behind her for the final time. Four days later that journey was to end in tragedy in the mid-Atlantic when Titanic struck an iceberg and over 1,500 passengers and crew were lost. The tragedy was the greatest of all maritime tragedies and even today the story of Titanic still captures the public imagination in a way that no other does!

Cobh hasn't changed much over the years and today the town is very much the same as when the passengers of Titanic would have seen it. The town is almost frozen in time and its Georgian and Victorian architecture is both unique and marvellous. Cobh cherishes this uniqueness and proudly exhibits its unique connection to Titanic and its unique maritime history. When you come to Cobh this history comes alive; you almost walk in the footsteps of the passengers of Titanic and those passengers of the liner golden age.

As part of your visit you will experience Cobh as Titanic passengers would have by taking part on the Titanic Trail. Through the Titanic Trail, noted historian and Titanic Trail creator, Dr. Michael Martin, offers a truly authentic Titanic experience. The entertaining and innovative Titanic Trail brings to life the story of Titanic, and the events in the town on the day the Titanic left her last anchorage to sail to her icy fate in the North Atlantic. The walking tour leaves from the steps of the Commodore Hotel every morning at 11:am throughout the year. In the summer months there is an additional tour at 2:pm in the afternoon.

Your stay will also include a visit to the Titanic Experience. This new visitor attraction has just opened in February 2012 and tells the story of those 123 passengers who boarded Titanic from Queenstown. Again, this attraction is open all year round. The Titanic Experience is housed in the original White Star Line offices through which the passengers were processed and behind which is the original pier from which the passengers departed on-board the tenders America and Ireland. It is literally across the road from the hotel and is no more than a minutes walk. The Experience brings the story of Titanic to life using innovative audio visual technology, holographic imagery and touch screen technology.

You can choose between a two or three day visit with accommodation in the Commodore Hotel. The Commodore Hotel is one of the many buildings that existed in Cobh at the time. In fact, the Queens Hotel, as it was then known, was built many years before having been one of the first purpose built hotels in the country. This hotel has witnessed most of the comings and goings of this historic port and is an ideal base for your visit. It overlooks the original White Star Line offices and its famous pier. In fact it boasts spectacular views of the Harbour itself. Modern day ocean going cruise liners, such as the Independence of the Seas and the Queen Elizabeth, pass directly in front of the hotel, almost within touching distance.

....and now all three, the Titanic Trail, the Titanic Experience, and the Commodore Hotel, have come together as Project Titanic Cobh to highlight the fact that Cobh is an exceptional tourism destination with a deep history, and a remarkable collection of visitor attractions that all bring the past to life and are available to the visitor all year round.

April is, however, a special month as this is the month when the tragedy of the Titanic is commemorated. Project Titanic Cobh has launched their first Programme of Events this year in what is to become an annual commemoration of Titanic's visit to Cobh. This series of events will take place during the first two weeks of April. It will also acknowledge the hundreds of thousands of other passengers who embarked from Queenstown in waves of migration during the 19th and 20th Century.

To date, over 50 events have been listed in the Programme with more to come. The Annual Titanic Commemoration, organised by Cobh Tourism, features on the 14th April, with a procession from the Old Town Hall to the Promenade. Here, to the tune of the 'Last Post & Reveille,' flowers will be scattered into the sea to commemorate those lost on the Titanic. A wreath laying ceremony at the Titanic anchorage at Roches Point is also planned for the day, under escort by the Irish Navy.

Other community groups and individuals will be putting on events of historic interest. Dr. Michael Martin, creator of the Titanic Trail, will deliver a lecture entitled 'Titanic - Selection and Survival' which explores some fascinating points about the disaster. Furthermore, O.N.E. (The Organisation of National Ex-servicemen and women) will be presenting the extraordinary story of the Cobh born WW1 aviator and inventor, Neville Florian Usbourne.

Food and beverage events and musical entertainment are all on the list. The Commodore Hotel will be running Titanic themed restaurant menus and afternoon teas between the 4th and 14th April and other local restaurants will also be presenting themed menus serving culinary delights of all things maritime. The Sirius Arts Centre has additional musical events in their programme and local bars have a great line-up of entertainment.

For younger visitors to Cobh, a special Arts Competition is being run by the Titanic Experience; full details can be found on the Project Titanic Cobh web site. Additionally, the season launch of the Cobh Town Train will take place on Saturday 6th April and is sure to keep the small ones happy.

Irish traditions will be brought to life, with displays of the fine art of crystal cutting at the Tregan Art Centre. Wake nights, traditional set dancing and music events will be taking place at the Commodore Hotel, the later being reminiscent of the below decks scene from the blockbuster movie, Titanic.

Another significant event for the calendar is taking place on Thursday 4th April, when the Sirius Arts Centre celebrates the 175th Anniversary of the SS Sirius crossing, from Cork to New York, the first motorised crossing in history, in 1838. A special exhibition on engineering excellence will be opened on the day. Cobh Museum will be having their season launch on the 8th April with two new exhibitions  'Leaving/Living,' which features stories of some extraordinary lives of Cobh people who left Ireland and 'Yesterdays Child,' an exhibition of toys from the past.

The RNLI also plan to put on a display on Saturday 13th April, with both the Ballycotton and Crosshaven lifeboats taking part. It is hoped that the Air Sea Rescue helicopter will also be able to attend.

Be part of the commemorative activities; visit Cobh in the first two weeks in April. If not you can still avail of our Titanic packages all year round. Two or three nights accommodation, in a seaview room, and one evening meal, to include the Titanic Trail guided walking tour, and entry to the Titanic Experience.