Liner season well under way.....

In the last two months there have been some magnificent liners in port. Some of them have been truly huge! While docked at the Deep Water Quay they have towered over the many buildings close by. In fact they are so large they dominate the view from any point in the town.

The Vision of the Seas was one of the first to visit and she was carrying 2,416 passengers. Since then there have been the Emerald Princess (3592 pax), the Caribbean Princess (3592 pax), the Costa Deliziosa (2896 pax), the Celebrity Infinity (2450 pax), Mein Schiff (2114 pax), and the MSC Magnifica (with 3605 pax). Many of these are included in the selection of photographs below.

The Caribbean Princess will in fact be calling 9 times this season.

On Monday coming, the June Bank Holiday Monday, the biggest of the lot, the Independence of the Seas will be in. The 'Independence' carries 4375 passengers and at one stage held the mantle of being the World's largest cruise liner.

Over 60 ocean going cruise liners will be visiting Cobh this year. Visit the Port of Cork Cruise Liner Schedule for a full list of those liners that are coming and the dates they will be in port. If you'd like to visit Cobh to coincide with one of these liner visits we are doing special accommodation packages. Have a look at our special offers here! Scroll down the page and look for our Cruise Liner Special.

Lusitania commemoration.....

On the 7th May 1915 the RMS Lusitania was torpedoed by U-20 approximately 15 kilometres due south of the Old Head of Kinsale. Of the nearly 2,000 passengers and crew, 1,195 lost their lives making it one of the greatest maritime tragedies of all time. 

The rescue efforts were co-ordinated from the nearby Royal Naval port of Queenstown (now Cobh). Many of the survivors and the recovered bodies of those who were lost were brought to Queenstown by local fisherman and others. On 10th May many of the dead were buried in mass graves in the Old Cemetery at Queenstown. 

Today that tragedy is commemorated in Cobh. This commemoration takes place on an annual basis and is organised by Cobh Tourism. It starts at the Old Church Cemetery where local historian, Jack Gilmartin, outlines the tragic events of that fateful day and in the days immediately afterwards. This is followed by another ceremony at the Lusitania monument in the main town square. 

Today, on the 98th anniversary of the ship's sinking, many hundreds attended. The ceremonies coincided with the visit of the Emerald Princess and as a result there were massive crowds in the town.

Here are a few pics of the ceremonies at the Lusitania monument:-

Liner Season kicks off in Cobh.....

Liner season has kicked off here in Cobh and there have already been three liners in....the first of 64 expected this season. This year there are some really large liners calling again, amongst them the 'Independence of the Seas,' 'Vision of the Seas,' 'Brilliance of the Seas,' 'Emerald Princess,' and the 'Caribbean Princess,' to name but a few. These magnificent ships are huge being anything between 10 and 15 stories high, the length of several football pitches, and carrying in excess of 5,000 passengers and crew. They are towns in their own right!!!

Over the next few days the 'Emerald Princess' and the 'Caribbean Princess' will be calling in. In fact, the 'Caribbean Princess' will be a total of nine times this year. For a full schedule of liner visits have a look at the Port of Cork's Cruise Schedule. Why not call to Cobh to see one of these awesome ships. They dock within metres of the town centre and are viewable from many vantage points. Why not avail of our Cruise Liner Special and stay the night before and watch these leviathans dock early the next morning. There is always a great buzz in town on the day these arrives and its certainly a great reason for visiting Cobh!!!