As one of Ireland's port villages, Cobh in Co Cork has a rich history. If you claim Irish descent, then there is a good chance that your ancestors left Ireland through Cobh (pronounced Cove) on the south coast of Ireland. Cobh was the departure point for 2.
5 million of the six million Irish people who emigrated to North America between 1848 and 1950. Cobh, originally named Queenstown after the visit of Queen Victoria in 1849 , is situated on Great Island in Cork Harbour, the second-largest natural harbor in the world. It is accessed by a single road bridge, train or car ferry.
Further out in the harbor is Spike Island , one of Cobh's newer tourist attractions. It has a star-shaped fort and was a former penal colony where convicts waiting to be transported to Barbados or Van Diemen’s Land were held. Cobh was listed as one of Ireland’s top ten tourism towns in 2013 and as a top-four large tourism town in 2014.
This Fáilte Ireland competition recognizes towns that are embracing tourism with exceptional experiences and a warm welcome to visitors. Cobh is at the top of its game along with Killarney, Westport, and Kilkenny. Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! Annie Moore was the first immigrant to pass through the Ellis Island immigration facility in New York Harbor on Jan 1, 1892.
She had traveled from Cobh on the steamship Nevada with her brothers Anthony and Phillip. The statue of Annie Moore and her brothers in Cobh (Ireland's Co.
