Received (and passing along) this marvelous note re Cobh (Queenstown) Co. Cork Heritage Center: > I had the great fortune to have the opportunity of visiting Cobh for a day > during my trip to Ireland last summer. The visit had a profound impact on > me. > My ancestors did not leave Ireland until my parents' generation, but my > interest in the history of those who emigrated during the famine years until > after WW II drew me to the place where over 2.5 million sailed to Canada, > the States and to Australia... If you can see beyond all of the touristy paraphernalia (there's lots!), it's not hard to imagine what it was like when it was known as Queenstown. > St. Colman's Cathedral is an exquisite gem of Gothic architecture and has > undergone a complete restoration. It seems to magically cling to the town's > steep slopes as they sweep down to the sea. If you are lucky, as I was, and > get to hear the bells ringing, you will hear a Carillon of 47 bells. A > moving experience of itself. > The bronze statue of Annie Moore and her two little brothers, outside the > Cobh Heritage Centre, was unveiled by President Mary Robinson in 1993. Annie > Moore became the first ever emigrant to be processed in Ellis Island when it > officially opened on 1st January 1892. Annie and her brothers sailed from > Queenstown on the SS Nevada on the 20th December and arrived after 12 days > of travelling in steerage, arriving on Annie's 15th birthday. > The Cobh Heritage Centre gives a wonderful glimpse into Ireland's past. It > is built in the restored Victorian Railway Station on the Quay through which > all emigrants passed to embark and is a stunning multi media exhibition. A > visit to this exhibition is guaranteed to bring home to you the severity of > the times and the sadness of the port in those days. The town of Cobh has > tragic elements within its past. Themes in the Heritage Centre include The > Titanic, The Lusitania, Emigration & Famine. > If you are planning a trip to Ireland and your ancestors left from this > harbour, or any other really, I would encourage you to spend some time in > Cobh. If, like me, you have a love of Irish history, I again encourage you > to spend some time in Cobh. For anyone with these interests, one can't help > but be touched by the poignancy of the vision of the town, the sea, and the > dream of the hope beyond. My visit to Cobh is one I will never forget. > > Val - London, Ontario > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jean Rice" "Lusitania," Sunk off the coast of Ireland, May 7, 1915