Cobh Compass
    Cobh facts
    • Cobh was known as Queenstown from 1849 to 1920.
    • Over 2.5 million Irish emigrants departed from Cobh harbour.
    • RMS Titanic's final port of call was Cobh, on 11 April 1912.
    • St Colman's Cathedral carillon has 49 bells — among the largest in Europe.
    • Lusitania victims are buried in the Old Church Cemetery.
    • Cork Harbour is one of the largest natural harbours in the world.
    • Cobh was known as Queenstown from 1849 to 1920.
    • Over 2.5 million Irish emigrants departed from Cobh harbour.
    • RMS Titanic's final port of call was Cobh, on 11 April 1912.
    • St Colman's Cathedral carillon has 49 bells — among the largest in Europe.
    • Lusitania victims are buried in the Old Church Cemetery.
    • Cork Harbour is one of the largest natural harbours in the world.

    Cobh history archive

    Cove · Queenstown · Cobh.

    Cobh is not a one-story town. It is a harbour, a departure point, a naval landscape, a place of mourning, a cathedral skyline and a modern visitor port. This archive connects the eras so visitors can understand why a small Cork town carries such a large Atlantic memory.

    1750
    First settled as the Cove of Cork
    2.5M
    Emigrants departed for the New World
    1849
    Renamed Queenstown after Victoria's visit
    1922
    Restored to its Irish name, Cobh
    Black and white view of Queenstown harbour with sailing ship and steamers
    Queenstown harbour · c. 1890s
    St Colman's Cathedral rising above the Cobh waterfront, sepia print
    Cathedral over the docks · c. 1880
    Hand-tinted postcard of West Beach, Queenstown with strolling figures
    West Beach, Queenstown · postcard, c. 1905

    Harbour

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    archive entries

    Emigration

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    archive entries

    Titanic & Lusitania

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    archive entries

    Defence & prison

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    archive entries

    Editorial history is being written

    We're publishing original short essays on each era of Cobh's history. Check back soon.

    From the archive

    Photographs, postcards and harbour fragments.

    Weathered wooden pier remains over Cork Harbour
    The old emigration pier today
    Restored Victorian railway buffet at Cobh Heritage Centre
    First Class Refreshments Room · Heritage Centre
    Cobh promenade bandstand and cannon with Commodore Hotel terrace behind
    Cobh seafront bandstand · 2006
    Visitors at the Cobh Heritage Centre cafe under the iron and glass roof
    Inside The Queenstown Story · Cobh Heritage Centre
    Hand-tinted postcard of West Beach, Queenstown with strolling figures
    West Beach, Queenstown · postcard, c. 1905
    Red brick railway sheds along Cobh waterfront
    Cobh railway buildings · c. 1980s

    Contribute

    Have a Cobh photo or family memory?

    We're collecting harbour photographs, postcards, ship manifests and emigrant stories for the archive. If you have something to share, we'd love to hear from you.

    Send to the archive