Cobh enters €30000 Bursary competition

Cobh Tidy Towns committee have entered the Super Valu/The Star Community Bursary competition worth €30,000. Five entries will be shortlisted by Saturday 12th June 2010 and voting by the public to choose the winner will conclude on Wednesday 16th June. Voting will be on www.supervalu.ie.

The entry reads:

When the people of Ireland think of Cobh, County Cork they think of a great island, a great town and great ships! Nestling at the shores of the northern hemisphere’s largest natural harbour – Cork Harbour – they picture a town that is beautiful, scenic, historic, laden with heritage and a town synonymous with cruise ships and transatlantic liners. They think of the last port of call of the most famous ship of all time – the Titanic!

Not only that but they picture the idyllic setting of the town in the shadow of the majestic and iconic St. Colman’s Cathedral. They recall fondly the exploits of sporting legends like Sonia O’Sullivan, Stephen Ireland and the “Gorgeous Gael” Jack Doyle. They think of the emigration of 2.5 million Irish people from the port of Cobh as they set out to make a life for themselves in the new world.

The Victorian streetscape, the quaysides and the brightly coloured buildings of Cobh exude history. The town has seen the might of the British Empire, the transportation of convicts, the terrible sadness of emigration and the heart wrenching tragedy of the sinking of the Lusitania. Cobh has seen the world’s greatest ocean liners come and go and now once again welcomes the largest cruise liners in the world despite the harsher economic times. Cobh is once again at the top of its game as recognised in the Lonely Planet’s designation of Cork as one of the top ten cities in the world to visit in 2010.

The centenary of the sinking of the Titanic in 2012 will shine the international spotlight on Cobh as the ill fated ship’s final port of call. Cobh is readying itself for up to 1 million Visitors and Tourists in 2012 as this year presents us with an incredible opportunity to market not just Cobh and The Great Island, but the entire island of Ireland to a worldwide audience. The Titanic centenary in 2012 is another great reason for international tourists to single Ireland out as a “must see” destination.

Titanic is instantly recognised everywhere in the developed world. Titanic the movie made over $1.8 billion worldwide at the box office alone. It is estimated that between 300 and 500 million people have seen it. In addition, over 22 million people have seen Titanic: The Artifact exhibition, so the worldwide appetite for all things Titanic is proven beyond doubt.

It is entirely appropriate then that people should have a place to visit to contemplate the scale of the Titanic disaster, to pay their respects to the 1500 people who perished when the ship sank and to view the exact spot from where Titanic set out on her final fateful voyage. That place is the proposed Titanic Garden of Remembrance (Titanic Memorial Park) in Cobh.

The proposed site is Bishop Roche Park, situated within the confines of what was once Cove Fort. Formerly used to protect the harbour from enemy attack and then as a recreational park, this area is in the famous Holy Ground area at the east end of the harbour town of Cobh. The Holy Ground got its name from the preponderance of pubs and other establishments catering for the needs of sailors and has been immortalised in the song “The Holy Ground”. From here, the anchorage near Roche’s Point where Titanic lay awaiting the arrival of the tenders “Ireland” and “America” with 123 passengers and mail on 11th April 1912 can be viewed. The battlements of the fort are clearly visible, the area is quiet and tranquil apart from the gentle lapping of the waves below and there is an uninterrupted 180 degree view of Cork Harbour, Spike and Haulbowline Islands and the seafront of Cobh.

The focal point of the Titanic Memorial Park will be a glass memorial wall, through which the anchorage point of Titanic off Roche’s Point is directly visible. Made from 50mm laminated glass and flanked with copper sheets it will be virtually indestructible. Onto this Glass Wall will be etched the iconic image of the Titanic as well as the names of the 79 Irish Passengers from throughout Ireland who gathered in Queenstown (now Cobh) to board the Titanic and died less than four days later. The inscribed names of Buckley, Connaghton, Doyle, Hegarty, Kelly, McEvoy, Moran, O’Neill, Shaughnessy, Tobin and many others will resonate with those who travel from around the globe to see the original White Star Line offices, quayside, cathedral, churches, shops, hotels and pubs that were frequented 100 years before and allow a new generation to follow in their footsteps and imagine the dreams and aspirations that were with these unfortunate passengers in their final days.

The opening of the Titanic Garden of Remembrance (Titanic Memorial Park) in Cobh will be the pinnacle of the Titanic Queenstown commemorations in 2012 and will immortalise forever the story of Titanic, her connections to Ireland and the memory of her passengers and crew – now that’s Real Food for Thought – Real People.