On our third day of our week in Ireland we took our 2-car caravan and headed to Cobh. This was going to be the sentimental part of the trip for Mike and Dee. Cobh was the birthplace of their father and we were not only going to the town, but searching for the house where he was born.
The drive from Waterford to Cobh took about 2 hours and once again the roads were narrow and curvy. But the beautiful thing about traveling these country roads is not knowing what you’re going to see next.
We knew with each new bend in the road we were going to be treated to something gorgeous, scenic, quaint and breathtaking.
Cow pastures and sheep farms were standard. The grass is so green and lush.
This picture is a scene we saw over and over again but it never got old.
We found our way (thanks to the GPS) to Cobh after a taking a few very tight figure-8 style curves we found their father’s birthplace. 
Mike and Dee found the house and took a few photos in front of it. People were living in it so it was a pretty short visit but it was pretty cool that the home was still standing and they could visualize what their father’s life must have been like.
From there we went into downtown Cobh. Although it is a small town, pretty much a waterfront park and a long Main Street populated with pubs and a few hotels, it is also a port of call for cruise ships.
As we walked around exploring we realized this was also a historic place. Cobh, was formerly known as Queenstown, and was the last port of call for the Titanic on April 11, 1912. How interesting!
The actual dock is barely standing today but it’s still there. It is very beaten up and broken down with many missing slats and rotten wood. It was quite chilling to see, imagining all the happy passengers milling around walking up and down the pier, boarding the ship with no idea what was ahead. So sad.
Around the corner from the Titanic pier was a beautiful Catholic church, St. Colman’s Cathedral. The church was relatively new considering how old so many other buildings are in Europe, it was completed in 1915, and took 47 years to build. It stood on a slight hill and towered over the town of Cobh.
After a late lunch in Cobh, we decided to get back on the road and spend the night in Cork, about an hour or so away. Here’s where I got to say “I told you so.” Back when we were planning the trip Mike convinced me that we should try to be flexible and not over-plan every day. You know – “wing it” some days. While I like being spontaneous it’s not my nature. I have TV news producing blood which means I like to have a Plan A, B and C. I like to know what’s next. So “winging it” makes me very nervous at times. We were at the portion of the trip where we were without a definitive plan, basically, we didn’t know where we were going to stay that night. Cork is a fairly major Irish city so finding a hotel room should be fairly easy.
We arrived in Cork we found one of the 4 big hotels in the city and parked outside to go check on room availability. (By the way, time of day was now about 5:30pm.) That hotel was booked full for the night. Mike, Dee and I walked around a few blocks to find another hotel that was supposed to be nearby. We got a little lost but found our way and went in to see what was available. Oh – that hotel was booked full, too. The receptionist there couldn’t have been nicer. She felt my anxiety and went out of her way to try to help us find two rooms for the night. She even called the other two hotels that we hadn’t been to yet only to find they were booked, too. Apparently, the volcanic ash from Iceland had delayed flights out of Cork and all those passengers were filling up the hotel rooms. She even called hotels in the next village down the road and found those booked, too.
We walked back to the cars where Brian was watching the kids who were asleep. We were standing on the sidewalk trying to figure out what our options were. I was trying my best to not be mad because it wasn’t going to help the situation. As we were standing there talking, a woman walking by overheard our conversation and stopped to offer to help us. She owned a bed and breakfast and knew the area well. Unfortunately, her B&B was too far away but she called someone who owned one just about 2 miles away and he had vacancy! It was 6:30pm and we were now for sure going to have a bed to sleep in and I wouldn’t have to spend the night in the car on the side of the road, which was my nightmare.
The lovely little Killarney Guest House Bed & Breakfast just outside of Cork.
Needless to say, after that night I was allowed to book hotel rooms for the remainder of the trip.
Next up: Blarney Castle and Killarney
