The port of Cobh (pronounced Cove) located on the south coast of County Cork in Ireland can occasionally be found on a British Isle cruise itinerary. If it’s one of your stops rejoice, as this is a beautiful area rich in history and culture, and a great place to spend the day.
If you have any Irish heritage then chances are your relations have already visited this area. Cobh was the departure point for 2.5 million of the six million Irish people who emigrated to North America between 1848 and 1950. It was originally named Queenstown after the visit of Queen Victoria in 1849, and is situated on Great Island in Cork Harbour, the second-largest natural harbor in the world.
The port city itself is lovely, with an amazingly large Catholic cathedral, shops and restaurants serving traditional fare, and a Heritage Centre that sports a small museum and some great souvenir shopping. It is also home to a rich archive with friendly staff ready to assist anyone looking to find more information about their Irish relations.
The most common and popular destination from this port is Blarney Castle, a must do for many travelers looking to kiss the Blarney Stone. We decided to avoid the crowd and took instead the tour into the city of Cork. After an orientation drive through the city we headed for our real destination and that is the Jameson Distillery in Midleton.
Most folks will tour the Jameson Distillery while in Dublin, but that location is no longer a working distillery. The real work happens in Midleton. In 1972 the distillery had outgrown its location on Bow Street in Dublin and moved to the new location. A larger more modern distillery was built on the site for the amalgamation of a trio of smaller distilleries. The traditional buildings were preserved and are now used for the tours.
We followed along in the process with an exuberant guide and historian to lead us. We learned all about cask aging
and what is meant by the term “angel’s share”. It certainly seemed more magical in the traditional setting. Following our tour and a short stop in the gift shop everyone was given a taste of their favourite. You do not have to be Irish to appreciate good Irish whiskey.
On our return we made a mental note to revisit this area of Ireland, beautiful and rich and full of significance, if we are ever in County Cork again.
