Midsummer capers in Cobh.....

Cunard Liner 'Queen Elizabeth'

 

Jack Doyle

The last two weeks, straddling the August Bank Holiday weekend, have been very busy in Cobh. Despite the weather not playing ball the crowds have been out!!!

The Cobh Vintage Fair finished on the Weds prior to the weekend. One of the highlights was the street theatre coordinated by Claire Cullinane and her team. Once again Claire was ably assisted by the ladies of the animation team dressed in their period costumes. These ladies, dressed in Victorian, Georgian, and Edwardian garb, certainly cut a dash! One of the highlights of the street theatre was the performance of local actor Luke Barry as Jack Doyle. Luke gave a great oration as the great man, the Gorgeous Gael, on the steps of the Commodore Hotel. Other actors performed as other iconic figures associated with chapters in Cobh's rich history. These included Queen Victoria, Father Matthew, and James Connolly amongst others. The group certainly created an impression and Claire has now told us that all the actors and the ladies of the animation team have been invited to perform at Maureen O'Hara's 92nd birthday party in Glengariff. Well done!!!

The Animation Team

Thousands flocked to Cobh on the Sunday of the Bank Holiday weekend to see the Cunard Liner, Queen Elizabeth. This impressive ocean going liner certainly has magnificent lines. She is typical of some of those monstrous ships that have oft visited Cobh this year with the top of her decks towering over the surrounding town. In fact, she is so big you can see her from almost any angle or any place in the town. The ship stands 12 stories out of the water and weighs a massive 91,000 tonnes. Over 2,000 passengers were onboard, many as part of the ship's 107 day World cruise and for which some paid upto $199,995. Wow!!!

Thousands flock the quayside

For all the crowds that came to Cobh on Sunday there was plenty to do. The Cobh & Harbour Chamber had organised one of their series of 'Summer Swing' concerts in the Promenade. The entertainment was great and there was a real carnival atmosphere with all the stalls selling everything from food, to trinkets and other gifts. As the ship left late in the evening, thousands lined the watersedge along the Promenade and gave her a good send off!!!

The Barrack Hill Ball Run

The weekend was rounded off on Bank Holiday Monday with the Barrack Hill ball run. This has now being running a couple of years and is now a firm date in the local calender. It is proving more and more popular with families of young children. This year was no exception as thousands turned out, despite the weather. It is some sight, though, to see the thousands of coloured balls descend down the steep Barrack Hill and no wonder it's so popular. Each ball can be sponsored/purchased for €2 and if your ball comes in first, second, or third you'll be in line for a cash prize!!! Every year substantial money is raised for cancer research and a few related charities so you can be assured that every ball you buy is making a significant contribution. What a great way for raising funds!!!

....and now that we're into August the capers don't just stop. In fact there are many more, particularly with the Cobh Peoples' Regatta just around the corner. However, we'll leave that for another blog post!!!

Special Summer Offers!!!

August Bank Holiday - things happening in Cobh....

Well there's a lot happening in Cobh this weekend. On Sunday the Queen Elizabeth will be docking in port and to coincide with its visit the Cobh & Harbour Chamber have organised one of their series of Summer Swing concerts in the Promenade. This will be the centre piece of yet another Fayre in the Promenade. All day Sunday there will be FREE entertainment for young and old alike. There will be music, face painters, stalls with a variety of goods for sale, a Carousel for the kids and lots more on offer. Its going to be another great day in the 'Prom.' Certainly, the 2,068 passengers that come off the ship will have plenty to do. Let's keep the fingers crossed that the weather plays ball!

Another great event is happening this Saturday. This one is a bit unique and has never been done before. As a fundraiser for this year's Regatta there will be an abseil from the heights of the cathedral by fourteen brave souls. The brainchild of local lass, Kathleen Geary, it sure is an innovative and spectacular way of raising funds. Kathleen roped in fourteen local volunteers who've never done a venture like this before. Hopefully, they've all a head for heights! Mind you they have been doing a bit of training on the cliffs of Ardmore recently so they should manage it. Nevertheless, it should be a great sight. Make sure you're down in Cobh early Saturday morning. Kick off is at 11am!

Last but not least, the Barrack Hill ball run takes place on bank holiday Monday. This is also a fundraising event and is in aid of cancer research charities. Since he started this event a number of years ago, local man, Paddy Histon, has seen support for this event snowball. Last year a massive crowd turned up to witness the thousands of coloured balls roll down the famous steep Barrack Hill. What a sight it is!

The ball run itself will take place at 4pm but from 2.30pm the heats of the hugely entertaining big ball uphill challenge will take place starting from near the bottom of the hill. Teams of three will have to roll a big exercise ball UP THE HILL in a relay. Teams can be of mixed sexes and ages with the aim of having great fun and providing a spectacle for people to enjoy before the main event.

There you go....there's plenty of things happening this weekend in Cobh. On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday there is enough to keep visitors of all ages entertained. If you fancy coming to Cobh this weekend we're doing some special accommodation packages - have a look at our Special Offers for more details.

Family Fun at Fota Wildlife Park - a wild day out!!!

We're so close to Fota Wildlife Park that using Cobh as a base for a visit makes sense! Fota Wildlife Park is one of Ireland's top visitor attractions and for good reason. The following extract from the Park's website explains all:

'Fota Wildlife Park is set on 70 acres on the scenic Fota Island in the heart of Cork Harbour, less than 10 minutes from Cobh. The Park is a unique place where you can come face to face with free roaming animals & birds from all parts of the World. So whether it's a Kangaroo that hops in front of you or a Ring Tailed Lemur which jumps down from a tree, each visit is sure to bring its own fantastic memories.

In addition to the wonderful array of free roaming animals, visitors also have the opportunity to see highly endangered species such as the Rothschild Giraffe, European Bison, Lion Tailed Macaque and Scimitar Horned Oryx, most of them without the obstacle of fenced-in exhibits. This is the most spectacular aspect of Fota Wildlife Park, and is the reason you'll want to spend a full day exploring Ireland's Wildest Attraction.'

One of Fota's favourite attractions is the Cheetah run. Cheetah runs exist in very few Parks or Zoos worldwide and its great to be able to see Cheetah's up so close and personal. This is one of the unique aspects of a visit to Fota and is one of the reasons the Park is so popular.

So if you fancy a visit to Fota this summer why not stay in Cobh! We're just 10 minutes away by car on another of Cork Harbour's islands....the Great Island! However, why go by car when you can go by train. Again Fota is only about 10 minutes away by train. Its the 3rd stop on the Cobh to Cork train (....some would say the Cobh to Dublin train). The train railway track hugs the shoreline of Great Island and then crosses by causeway and bridge to Fota Island. On your journey you're treated to some magnificent views of Cork Harbour - one of the World's largest natural harbours!


We're offering special packages for Summer stays in Cobh. While staying at the Commodore Hotel we can offer you discounted vouchers for visits to Fota Wildlife Park. For more details have a look at our Special Offers.

Queen Elizabeth

Wow, now this is one liner visit not to miss!!!

The Queen Elizabeth will be visiting Cobh on Sunday of the August Bank Holiday weekend. That's Sunday week, in fact, the 5th August. She's visiting Cobh as part of her 107-night world voyage which began on 10th Jan 2012. Some of the passengers paid upto $199,995 for the top suites on this trip. Wow!!!

What a beautiful ship the Queen Elizabeth is though. She was built to replace the QE2 which is now docked in Dubai as a permanently floating hotel and which, coincidently, visited Cobh on her final voyage.

Don't miss your chance to see her first hand. If you like to visit Cobh to see the Queen Elizabeth then we're doing some great Summer accommodation packages - have a look at our Special Offers for more details.

Port of Cork 2012 Liner Schedule.

Titanic Tea Party

Oooh,...well here's a bit of a special one. To compliment the festivities on Sunday afternoon, with the Titanic Tea Party in full swing, the Commodore Hotel are providing an Afternoon Tea service....in the best tradition of 'Afternoon Tea' but of course!

The Afternoon Tea Package will consist of tea or coffee, gourmet finger sandwiches and mini pastries. This will be served in the Captains Table Restaurant between 4pm - 6pm on Sunday and is priced at €10. Reservation is essential!!! Contact Eoin, Iona, Nicola, or Ronan on 021 - 4811277.

Summer Accommodation Special Offers.

Summer Liner Visits - MV Minerva

The MV Minerva docked earlier today. She is a relatively small liner compared to most liners that dock at the Cobh Cruise Liner Terminal but she does have beautiful lines. Many of her 352 passengers opted to go on sightseeing bus tours of county Cork and county Kerry but some did stay behind and wandered up through the town exploring the lie of the land, if you will.

The Minerva is the first of a number of liners docking over the next few days. For those liners that are in Cobh over the weekend their passengers will be able to enjoy the festivities of the Cobh Vintage Fair. On Saturday night this will kick off with the 'Vintage Speakeasy Evening.' All patrons are encouraged to wear vintage dress and attire while attending. There will be a drinks and canapé reception followed by live music of the era (1900 - 1950's). Tickets are available at the Titanic 100 Office at Westbourne Place, Cobh (021 - 4855623) and are priced at €10 per person or €15 per couple. It should be a great night!!!

This will be followed on Sunday by the Cobh Vintage Fair proper. A Titanic Tea Party will be held in the Promenade with a spill over into Westbourne Place, in front of the Commodore Hotel. This will feature food stalls, trinkets, gifts, titanic paraphernalia, with music of the era, vintage cars on display, and fashion and beauty in the Commodore Hotel. The ladies of the Cobh Animation Team, led by Claire Cullinane, will be dressed in their fabulous Victorian, Georgian, and Edwardian dresses and outfits and, as has been the case every time they've done so, you'd be forgiven for feeling transported back to a bygone age. Mark this weekend in your diary for a visit to Cobh!!!

On Wednesday 1st August the town hosts the 'Cobh Food and Heritage Day.' All the Cafes and Restaurants in the town will be participating by providing old fashioned menus and fayre. There will also be street theatre in several locations around the town centre. The scripts should be very entertaining and highlight Cobh heritage and strange connections to famous Irish people. A sneak preview indicated that this may feature a walk by Queen Victoria in the Promenade, the 'stoning' of James Connelly in the Square, Fr. Mathew will visit his home at Wilson's Pharmacy, Jack Doyle will rise again on the Commodore steps, and Margaret Rice and her 5 children, victims of the sinking of Titanic, will be at Cobh Heritage Centre.

Yes, the next few days should be a great time to visit Cobh. If you'd like to stay in Cobh we're currently doing some special Summer Accommodation packages; have a look at our Special Offers.

For a look at the remaining schedule of liner visits have a look at Port of Cork.

Titanic Tea Party and Vintage Fair

Yes, this weekend will certainly be a good weekend to visit Cobh. As part of the year long series of commemorative events to mark the 100th anniversary of Titanic's sinking there will be a vintage fair in Cobh celebrating the Titanic era.


The Cobh Vintage Fair will be five days of vintage and heritage orientated events happening over the weekend of the 28th and 29th July, right through to the 1st August. The Cobh Vintage Fair will, undoubtedly, attract visitors intrigued by the Victorian and Edwardian era and all those who want a great day out with family and friends. To promote the event the local Animation Team, the brainchild of Claire Cullinane, travelled to Belfast and visited the new Titanic centre. These ladies certainly cut a dash, dressed as they do in period costume. They've been dressing in period costume since the Titanic commemorative week in April. When visiting liners dock at the Cobh Liner Cruise Terminal these ladies, dressed in Edwardian, Georgian and Victorian garb, are there to greet the passengers as they come off the ships. Visitors to Cobh could be forgiven for feeling transported back to a bygone age, and that's the desired effect the team want to achieve this weekend. Here are a few selected pics taken of the ladies on their recent promotional trip (many kind thanks to Martin O' Leary of Cobh Camera Club for his kind permission to reproduce these here). 

The weekend will get underway with the Speakeasy at the Commodore Hotel on the 28th July. The Speakeasy will give you a chance to really go back in time and venture into a nightspot of yesteryear. With drinks and canapes flowing and live music of a bygone era, why not dress in outfits of 1900's - 1950's and enjoy a great night out! Tickets are €10 each or €15 per couple and are available at the Titanic100 office at Westbourne Place. You could always ring to book your tickets at 021 - 4855623.

The following day the Titanic Tea Party will take place in the Promenade. There will be plenty of stalls selling their wares from food, trinkets, fashion, gifts, card, and Titanic paraphernalia. There will also be vintage stalls at Westbourne Place, just in front of the Commodore Hotel, along with a vintage car display. In the Commodore there will an exhibition of photographs from the commemoration year so far, along with gifts and fashion items. Of course the ladies from the animation team will be around all weekend to add that special touch to a special weekend.

All in all it should be a great weekend. Why not come and visit Cobh! Avail of our special accommodation packages by visiting our Special Offers.