A 'Titanic' tour in Cobh was good on the history of the ship, but much less impressive when it steered off course, writes Brian O'Connell
It was a few minutes before 11am on a Saturday, and so far I was the only customer who had turned up at the Commodore Hotel in Cobh for the daily Titanic Trail Walking Tour. I was beginning to get a sinking feeling. Yet, as if on cue, three tourists who had recently disembarked from a cruise ship arrived, followed by Mike, a businessman from New Jersey, and an Irish couple from Greystones, Co Wicklow.
Pat, our tour guide, originally from Coolock but living in Cobh for several decades, greeted us all, collected the €9.50 charge, and proceeded to deliver a potted version of Irish history. “Ninety-five per cent of the population was made up of the Celtic race, which accounts for the language and red hair,” he said, giving revisionist historians a wide berth. “That was until the Vikings came along and gave us a demonstration in rape, robbing and pillaging. We outbred them in the end, though, which was far more enjoyable.”
One of the first stops along the route had nothing to do with the Titanicat all, but related instead to the second most famous shipwreck in maritime history – the Lusitania. We stopped at a monument that was erected in 1932, and Pat told us of the townspeople's involvement in rescuing survivors from the wreck. He also neatly brought the story up to the present by pointing out two fresh wreaths left at the site a fortnight earlier by the captain of the Queen Victoria. Every time a Cunard vessel docks in Cobh, Pat told us, the captain lays a wreath.
The tour took in the original pier from which Titanicpassengers boarded, as well as the ticket office. Sadly, the area and associated buildings have fallen into disrepair due in part to a lengthy court battle.
Pat took some pictures from his folder that showed the pier as it was 25 years earlier – in a pretty similar state of disrepair, which made some of the tour participants question the commitment to promoting the town's Titanicheritage. "That's a real wasted opportunity," said Mike.
The former Cork Harbours Office, now the Wan Fu Restaurant, was where the Titanic's last details were recorded on land, but the building was off limits. Pat knew his boats, and gave a good insight into how the Titanicentered the harbour, and what happened while it was berthed. It took only 90 minutes for the Titanicto dock in Cobh, and in that time it allowed for a visiting party on board and hundreds of bags of mail to be loaded. It puts modern airport screenings and check-in delays in perspective.
However, Pat was less impressive when he moved off topic. Walking up the hill towards Cobh’s great St Colman’s Cathedral, he began the story of Jack Doyle, the boxer, actor and singer, whom he described as “harmless” – even though Doyle had a history of violence and served time in Mountjoy for assaulting a garda. He was inaccurate, too, when he said Doyle died in the back seat of a cab in London. Doyle died in St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington in 1978.
The tour had a regurgitated feel to it, and finished, one hour later, at Jack Doyle’s Bar, where a complimentary drink was offered.
“It could have been delivered with more humour and panache,” said Brian Emerson, one of the participants.
My favourite moment was when a local shouted at the tour guide, “I hope you’re telling the truth now, Pat?”
The TitanicTrail Walking Tour in Cobh runs twice daily from the Commodore Hotel, at 11am and 2pm. titanic-trail.com
