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.

    1849

    Cove becomes Queenstown

    The town was renamed Queenstown after Queen Victoria's visit, tying the harbour to empire and passenger travel.

    In the nineteenth century, Cove became Queenstown. The name marked a public connection to the British monarchy and to the wider imperial world moving through Cork Harbour.

    The name lasted into the revolutionary period, but its memory remains useful: many Titanic, Lusitania and emigration stories happened in Queenstown, while modern visitors know the same streets and quays as Cobh.

    Source recordedVerified 10 May 2026