Cobh Heritage Centre - The Queenstown Story

Located in Cobh’s beautifully restored Victorian railway station, the Heritage Centre allows your group to learn about Irish Emigration, the two ill-fated ships Titanic and Lusitania as well as Irish naval and military history.

Over three million Irish people emigrated to new lands from this port – some fled famine, some left in search of a new life in America, some were transported as convicts to Australia. Learn the fates of individuals who left for Virginia and Carolina and the forgotten Irish who endured forced labour in the West Indies. Jeremiah Burke, Margaret Drury, Frank Browne, Martin Mannion and many more – you can learn about their individual hardships here!

Epic Maretime History Tour - Group Visits to Cobh

As the RMS Titanic’s last port of call, Cobh, or Queenstown, as it was called back then since a visit by Queen Victoria I, has a special connection to the famous cruise ship. The ship left the harbour at 1.30pm on April 11, 1912 for New York, where neither the ship nor a majority of its passengers would ever arrive.

The RMS Lusitania, a liner on the way from New York to Liverpool, was sunk off the coast of Cobh by a German submarine. The sinking of the ship was a major reason for the United States’ entry into World War I, since American citizens were aboard.

Since these two ships have a strong connection to Cobh, the Heritage Centre has a strong focus on them.

Audio sets in various languages are also available for your group free of charge.

If you’re interested in the Titanic specifically, your group can also visit the Cobh Titanic Experience – a guided tour focussed on the famous cruise ship.