Cobh
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Image:Cathedral of St Colman.jpg Cobh (An Cóbh in Irish, pronounced "cove"; derived from English the cove) is a seaport in County Cork, Ireland (Template:Coor dm).
The locality, which had had several different Irish-language names, was first referred to as Cove ("the Cove of Cork") in 1750. It was renamed Queenstown in 1849 to commemorate a visit by Queen Victoria and so remained until the name Cove (with Irish spelling) was restored in 1922 with the foundation of the Irish Free State.
Cobh is located on the south shore of the Great Island in Cork Harbour, on slopes overlooking the harbour. On its highest point stands the Cobh Cathedral,St. Colman's, seat of the diocese of Cloyne.
One of the major transatlantic Irish ports, Cobh was the departure point for 2.5 million of the 6 million Irish people who emigrated to North America between 1848 and 1950. On 11 April 1912 Queenstown was the final port of call for the RMS Titanic as she set out across the Atlantic on her ill-fated maiden voyage. Crew member John Coffey, a native of Queenstown, jumped ship, and seven lucky passengers also disembarked, although 113 boarded.
Several other notable ships are associated with the town:
- The first steamship to sail from Ireland to England left Cove in 1821
- The Sirius, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, left Cove in 1838.
- The RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat while en route to Queenstown in 1915. The survivors were brought to the town, and many of the dead are also buried there.
In 2002, Cobh had a population of 9,811.
The town is the effective southern terminus of the railway line from Dublin to Cork. Regular commuter services run between Cork city and Cobh, calling at Fota Island along the way.
From 1922 to 1938 the port was a UK sovereign base, see Treaty Port.
Cobh's most successful football team is Cobh Ramblers, the club where Roy Keane (one of Ireland's most successful footballers) made his name and earned a transfer to English side Nottingham Forest.