07-01-2023 Visiting the Delightful Port Town of Cobh, Ireland

Since I took this photo in 2015, the port at Cobh has been dredged to make room for bigger ships

When Mo and I visited Ireland in 2015, we spent some time in Cobh as part of our land tour from our hotel in Killarney.  Reading about the tours offered by Oceania for our short time in Cobh, I realized we had done most of what was offered on our last visit.  I had already kissed the Blarney Stone, we had ridden in a horse-drawn carriage in Killarney National Park, and seen much of the countryside of County Cork. You might enjoy reminiscing with me about what we saw in Cobh on that trip by clicking on the link to the blog for that day here. 

Sue and Mo in 2023 in Cobh, Ireland

In addition to me trying to lean backward toward the Blarney Stone, you will see photos of us 8 years ago standing next to the same statue of Annie Moore that Mo and I posed with today.  Annie Moore, at 15 years old, was the first immigrant to be processed at the newly opened Ellis Island in New York in 1982.  

What I realized as I looked at our photos from 2015 and read my blog is that back then we were longing to have more time in the little town of Cobh to explore.  Tada!  We needed no formal tour on this day.  We planned to enjoy our time walking the town and hopefully finding the legendary Irish potato "chips", and a Guinness.

This morning we disembarked easily at the dock where we anchored right at the edge of the colorful, and charming town.  We had no need to visit the wonderful Cobh Heritage Center because we did that the last time.  Instead, we decided to walk the streets of the town and enjoy the shops and eventually reach the cathedral at a high point above the town.

Cobh is incredibly colorful and picturesque.  On this day, it was also very busy with tourists from the cruise ship and I was grateful our ship only carried 1200 passengers and not 5000.  With a population of just 12,800 people, I can imagine that the influx of tourists from a big ship might be overwhelming.

What I didn't know as we walked the charming streets along the river Lee, is that this would be our only chance to "shop" for the rest of the cruise.  While shopping isn't high on my list of priorities, I did hope to find a few keepsakes and possibly some small gifts for friends and daughters.  We stopped at a little place with a slightly grumpy proprietor who cheered up considerably when I actually bought something.  Three pretty Irish dishtowels hardly qualified as a big purchase, but he appreciated it. 

He gave us directions for reaching the cathedral at the top of the hill that avoided the steep stairs leading there directly from the city center.  Our meandering route wasn't difficult, and I did manage to maneuver my walker along the narrow sidewalks and up the hill. 

Once we reached our destination, the view of the port was wonderful, with the sleek and elegant Riviera docked below. I loved the colorful houses stair-stepping up the hill behind the cathedral with small gardens along the pathways in front of the houses.

St Colman's Cathedral was built on the site of the existing parish church built in 1808.  The planning stage for the "new" cathedral lasted ten years, from 1857 to 1867. The first mass was held in 1879 and the church was restored between 1992 and 2002.  As European churches go, it is a fairly young building but very lovely with the afternoon light illuminating the many stained glass windows.

After a leisurely visit to the cathedral, Mo and I retraced our moderately sloping route back to the center of town, skipping the steep stairs once again.  Near the main square, we found a small pub and slipped inside to sit at the bar for a brew.  We had hoped for some of the famous Irish fries, but the pub didn't have a kitchen.  The bartender was very helpful, however, and pointed us in the direction of a place that just might have some original chips, but said that most of the pubs didn't actually have kitchens, so finding both beer and chips in one place might be difficult.

I took a photo of the two of us in the bar mirror which has become somewhat of a tradition for us when we find ourselves something to drink in a bar.  This is one of many over the years, but wouldn't be the last one on this trip.

After relaxing and listening to the lilting voice of the barmaid as she chatted with her customers, we left the bar in search of the chips part of beer and chips.  

With just a little bit of walking, we saw some folks enjoying what looked to be fresh burgers with some perfect-looking chips.  Sure enough, we finally had our Irish chips as we sat and enjoyed people-watching in the square.

We returned to the ship in time to rest a bit before dressing for the evening meal in the Grand Dining Room.  Oceania doesn't require reservations for dining in this venue, and we were happy to see that there were several tables for just the two of us.  

Mo and I don't particularly enjoy sitting at a large table for six or eight dining with people we don't know.  Some people love this aspect of cruising, with a chance to meet and visit with people from all over the world.  Sometimes it can be interesting, but sometimes it can be a bit of a nightmare, and you never know what it might be.  We still remember our first cruise where we had to sit with the same truly boring and tiresome people every single night.  Another time on our cruise to the Panama Canal we were seated at a table for eight where one person ruined the dinner for everyone with her obnoxious very loud voice dominating the entire evening.  So, no, we will do whatever we can to be seated at a table for two where we know we will enjoy the company. 

Our meal in the Grand Dining room was nice, if not spectacular.  The ship sailed at 7 and it took nearly three hours for us to complete our meal, including dessert.  I cannot remember what we ate, and I didn't keep track of the menu in my notes.  Who knows.  I do not remember what this dessert was called but the name was enticing.  The dessert was ok, but not nearly as exciting as the creme brulee I had on the previous night.

We were tired from our day of walking the town and decided that staying up until the 9:30 show in the Riviera Lounge was a bit too much.  In retrospect, I wish I had researched the show more than I did.  The artist was a well know flautist, performing "Irish Party in Third Class".  I saw "flautist" and let it go at that, thinking there was no way I would stay awake.  I later read that this may have been the most truly Irish entertainment we might have experienced on the cruise.

Instead after our dinner, we settled happily into the incredibly comfortable bed and let the ship rock us to sleep as we made our way to our next port in Bantry, Ireland. Cobh was one of my most favorite ports on this cruise.