Cobh - Ireland

Bantry House and Gardens, Bantry, West Cork.

Annie Moore Statue on the dockside in Cobh.

Hello from Cobh!

Pronounced 'Cove', Cobh lies on the Great Island, one of the three islands in Cork Harbour, all linked by roads and bridges, The town commands one of the world's largest natural harbours, which has made it a a major port of call for all manner of sea going vessels. Many passengers went to visit Blarney Castle and the town of Kinsale.

Lots of places to gather to enjoy the 'craic'..........

Cork is a great mix of old and new. This is Lapps Quay in Cork City.

Cork City Goal.

Egan's Opticians where I got my new legs fitted to my glasses - thanks to Shelia for being so helpful and to Dominic Daley for making the arrangements - much appreciated.

One of many bridges in Cork City old and new.........

Enough of the Blarney James.............

I have always wanted to visit Ballymaloe House - home to Myrtle Allan and family and one of the most renowned County Houses in Ireland. The house is nestled in a 400 acre estate and 20 miles from Cork City and offers award winning cuisine which celebrates the best of local, seasonal produce.

Ballymaloe is a byword for timeless elegance and pleasures of days gone by.

I love the road signs in Ireland.....

Ballymaloe House - with 30 Bedrooms - simple country elegance in Grand Style. The house and farm were bought from the Simpson family by Ivan and Myrtle Allen in 1948. Ivan, a young fruit grower, grew tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers and apples at the same time, in partnership with Wilson Strangman who was the manager of Kirmoith in Shanagarry, which was inherited by Tim Allen and later became Ballymaloe Cookery School. They expanded into mixed farming and brought up their six children. Myrtle started a restaurant which developed into a hotel. Now, with 22 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren, many new family enterprises have developed.

The outdoor swimming pool.

It is amazing what you can do when you 'push the boat out' and hire a car for a few hours. Kate our Assistant Front of House Manager came with me and we enjoyed having a good look around. Nothing like a good front door with a fanlight!

Bright airy bedrooms with superb views of the countryside. There are no numbers on the doors, each room is named after a colour.......

A room with a view.......

I love old Irish Country houses...........

Beautiful windows.........and gold is never out of fashion!

I could host a good luncheon party here..........

We did buy some cook books, tea towels - as you do - only to dress the stove - not for using!

Driana Allen's Cookery School at Shanagarry.

Many of you will be familiar with Rachel Allen's cook books and recent TV Series. I bought the Ballymaloe Bread Book by Tim Allen - Driana's husband.

Perhaps one weekend I will come here for a course?!

The RNLI Lifeboat at nearby Ballycotton Bay.

We were just in time to see the catch of fish arrive on shore..........

The best way to see Ireland is by private car!

Thanks for a great drive - our Taxi Driver Ray................what a day to remember.!!

The unusual gangway configuration at Cobh. The ship is berthed on a floating pontoon.

A view from OCEANA's Bridge.

See how close we are to the town.....

The large cream painted building is the Commodore Hotel.

Brightly painted Terraces.......

The houses are built into the rock.

St Colman's Cathedral. The Neo-Gothic Roman Catholic Cathedral is on a high spot overlooking the town. It was built in granite between 1865 and 1915 at a cost of £235,000. The most distinctive feature is the 287 foot spire with the largest carillon ( 47 bells ) in Ireland. On the way up to the Cathedral is the Lusitania Memorial - a poignant carving of an angel flanked by two sailors.

There are many desirable detached residences on the hillsides overlooking the harbour.

In 1849 Queen Victoria arrived in Cove on her visit to Ireland and the town was renamed Queenstown in her honour until 1921 when it reverted back to Cobh. On 11 April 1912 the Titanic, on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, made her last call at Queenstown to pick up 123 passengers...............the rest as they say is history.

The Lusitania on a voyage from New York to Liverpool was sunk off nearby Kinsale by a German submarine on 7 May 1915, an event which greatly contributed to the USA entering World War 1. The survivors and the dead were taken to Queenstown. 1,198 lives were lost. 150 victims are buried in the old church Cemetery, 80 of which were never identified.

The last time I was here Commodore Steve Burgoine and I went to the Jameson Heritage Centre in Middleton which is well worth a visit. There are also a lot of good golf courses around here for those who play the game. There is a magic about this area of Ireland which will keep me wanting to return for many days to come.......warm friendly people, gentle scenery and a magnificent heritage looking to the future.

This concludes our visit to Ireland and we are now on our way to Bilbao in Spain!

Best wishes meantime,

James.

Why rush? Consider the diamond. It began as a patient lump of coal.