Day 4 if the Cruise
We were supposed to stop in Waterford Ireland today, but the sea was again too rough to make the stop. Instead, we went further south to Cork Ireland, well not actually Cork but a place called Cobh, pronounced Kohv. Under British rule the town was known as Queenstown. It is a seaport on the south coast of County Cork. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour and home to Ireland's only dedicated cruise terminal. Which is where we were able to safely dock for the day.
Docking was late and the whole excursion schedule was thrown off. We only had one excursion at 13:30 which was pushed to 14:30. It supposed to be for three-and-a-half hours, and the ship was supposed to push off at 18:00. They assured us that because of the late arrival that the ship would wait for our return.
Cobh was one of the major transatlantic Irish ports. The town 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, as Queenstown, it was the final port of call for the Titanic before she set out across the Atlantic on the last leg of her maiden voyage. She was assisted by the P.S. America and the P.S. Ireland, two ageing White Star Line tenders, along with several other smaller boats delivering first-class passengers' luggage. Some sources and local lore suggest that a Titanic crew member, John Coffey, a native of Cobh, left the ship at this time, thereby saving his life. 123 passengers boarded at Cobh, with only 44 surviving the sinking.
Another ship to be associated with Cobh was the Cunard passenger liner RMS Lusitania. The Lusitania, was sunk by a German U-boat off the Old Head of Kinsale while en route from the US to Liverpool on 7 May 1915. 1,198 passengers died, while 700 were rescued. The survivors and the dead alike were brought to Queenstown, and the bodies of over 100 who perished in the disaster lie buried in the Old Church Cemetery just north of the town. There is a Lusitania Peace Memorial located in Casement Square.
The motor coach did drive by the Statue of Annie Moore and her brothers. Annie Moore was the first person to be admitted to the United States through the then new immigration center at Ellis Island on January 1st 1892.
The excursion was a panoramic drive to Blarney. Not the castle, although we did get a view of it from the motor coach. Yes, it is the home of the Blarney Stone. There are several stories about the Blarney Stone. The first story involves the goddess Clíodhna and Cormac Laidir MacCarthy. Cormac was troubled with a lawsuit and feared the ruling would be against him. He prayed to the goddess Clíodhna and she told him to kiss the first stone he finds on the way to court. In the morning, MacCarthy kissed the first stone he found and immediately was given the ability to speak with eloquence. MacCarthy won his case and afterward brought the stone to be incorporated into the parapet of the Castle.
A second and perhaps more plausible of the tale involve Queen Elizabeth I and Cormac Teige McCarthy. Queen Elizabeth, I, wanted Irish chiefs to ‘occupy’ their own lands under title from her. Cormac Teige McCarthy, the lord of Blarney, was able to use his words and wit to keep the queen satisfied without officially signing over the rights to his land. Some assert that the stone gave Cormac the gift of eloquence after an old woman told him of the stone’s power while others believe no magic to having gone into Cormac’s ability to avoid the Queen’s wishes without offending her.
The one I liked best is also the official Blarney Castle website explanation. It says that “we believe a witch saved from drowning revealed its powers to the MacCarthys.” As the story goes, the witch simply told the MacCarthys of the stone’s great power in thanks for saving her life.
Moving on, Blarney is also home to the Blarney Woollen Mills. Built in 1823, Blarney Woollen Mills was originally known as Mahony's Mills and provided valuable employment to the people of Blarney and surrounding areas. The Old Mill went into decline, and it finally wound down production and closed its doors in 1973. The huge stone buildings became bare and empty, and the machines were dismantled and removed. Five hundred people lost their jobs. For two years the great mill lay silent and derelict. Nobody wanted it.
Christy Kelleher, who had worked here as lad in 1928, visited the site many times and slowly an idea began to grow - he would buy the buildings and turn the mill into the biggest Irish shop in the world and a magnificent showcase for Irish products. In 1975, the souvenir business transferred from a thatched cottage into the Mill and Blarney Woollen Mills as it is known today. The business has developed into the largest Irish shop in the world and sells products from every county in Ireland.
We managed to find a wonderful woolen Irish green knit sweater, a nice pair of pants, made in Germany, and a pair of woolen socks for me. Mike managed to find three caps for himself. They also offered us Irish Coffee as a reward for visiting. It was really good but had nothing to to with being relaxed to make purchases. They claim that half a million visitors pass through the mill annually. Given today’s attendance that seems about right.
The Irish weather was doing its usual thing – rain, no rain, rain, wind, cold but not freezing. Everything was Irish green. It was as beautiful as ever. Back at the ship we had dinner in the Compass Rose. Then it was an early night and off to bed.
Buonanotte e ciao, Enrico e Maria.
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