Yesterday(Monday)was a bank holiday here in Ireland,easter weekend,so we made the short road trip to
Cobh in Co. Cork,to see the much heralded arrival of the
MS Balmoral which had sailed the previous day from Southampton in England to commemorate the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic.Passengers on board were dressed in the fashion of the time and seemed to be lending an air of celebration to the proceedings which gave rise to some objections to the whole affair being aired on local radio this morning!However on the quayside I believe there was a respectful ceremony held by those involved. It certainly brought out the crowds to the small town for a few hours and the weather held up for most of the day too.Traffic jams were the order of the day on leaving! First we made a call to the stately St.Colmans Cathedral which dominates the towns skyline and is so visible to all who sail in the harbour on their crossings to France and the luxury liners which have been coming here now in increasing numbers for years. On Holy Saturday night last Mass was televised on the national channel from St.Colmans and I am sure it led to a few extra visitors over the weekend.Cobh is a town notorious for hills and the following photo shows this row of houses in ascending order!
Intricate stonework on the exterior of the cathedral.
Not a great photo but you can see the lovely stained glass window,maybe it could be compared to that other famous Rose window in Notre Dame in Paris!
One of the many floral arrangements in the cathedral.
Confessional,do not think I would be brave enough!
The majestic interior of the Cathedral.
The bells ring out over Cobh and are truly beautiful!
Crowds lined the quayside to welcome the passengers and crew from the ship,the majority of people lined the upper streets which look down on the quay and some lucky people just stepped onto their driveways!
Storm clouds approaching!
The MS Balmoral,berthed at the quayside with a welcome marquee set up for the ceremonies.At this time a local band were playing on the quayside before the passengers disembarked,some dressed in the clothes of the time.
Just as we left the town a beautiful big rainbow arched itself over the ship!
Happy Gardening!
What a beautiful part of the world you live in. Thanks for taking us along. Happy Easter! Can't wait to see how your garden is growing.
ReplyDeleteCobh looks great in the sunshine, I saw the piece on the TV news about the ship visiting. Passengers dressed in the style of the time would I think add to the ceremony of the occasion.
ReplyDeleteYour photo of the houses lined up on a hill is beautiful. It reminds me of the song "Little Boxes," which I understand was written about a similar arrangement in Pacifica, California, just south of San Francisco. "Little boxes on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky-tacky, little boxes, little boxes, and they all look just the same..." I hope the houses of Cobh weren't made shoddily -- they look sturdier, at least, and are much more photogenic, especially against that colorful cloudy sky! Love the rainbow, too!
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see this but going on a cruise ship is not what it was about. Must have been fun for you to see everyone is period dress. Lots of the passengers got seasick in the gales we heard - amazing on a ship that size.
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