Early tourism season boost for Cobh thanks to Titanic history buffs

The enduring fascination with the sinking of the ill-fated Titanic 114 years ago will see hundreds of history buffs come to East Cork to provide an early tourism boost before the summer season.

Cobh is to host a prestigious conference by the British Titanic Society (BTS) in April, with accommodation in the town already filled up ahead of the event.

Cobh, then known as Queenstown, was the last port of call for the ill-fated liner before it sank after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic in 1912.

Hundreds of Titanic buffs from all over the world, many dressed in period costumes from the era of the sinking, will descend on the town for the BTS annual conference which runs from Friday, April 9 to Sunday, April 12.

The Commodore Hotel will be the headquarters for the event with a number of lectures planned there with expert speakers.

BTS was founded in 1987 — just two years after the discovery of its wreck deep at the bottom of the Atlantic by famed explorer Robert Ballard.

The supposedly ‘unsinkable’ White Star liner — which was the most impressive and luxurious ship of its day — set out on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April 10, 1912.

It first went to pick up passengers in Cherbourg, France and then arrived in Cobh where it picked up a further 123 people who had queued to get tenders from the old pier which is located at the now Titanic Experience centre in the town.

In total more than 1,500 passengers and crew died when the liner sank, most succumbing to hypothermia in the freezing waters. Of the 123 who boarded in Cobh, 79 perished.

BTS said the convention programme for its members will include lectures in the Commodore Hotel, a gala dinner there and visits to a number of historic places around the town which have major connections with the ill-fated liner.

Cobh Tourism chairwoman Jackie Coakley said all accommodation in the town is fully booked.

“Throughout the weekend, local musicians will entertain the delegates, and the Cobh Animation ladies will add a touch of Victorian glamour to the proceedings. 

"Shops, cafés, bars and restaurants across Cobh are preparing to extend a warm Irish welcome, recognising the valuable boost the convention brings to the local economy,” Ms Coakley said.

She said the people of Cobh hold a solemn responsibility to remember the lives lost in the tragedy. Each year, Cobh Tourism marks the anniversary of the Titanic’s final port of call with a commemorative ceremony. 

This year, the participation of the BTS delegates adds an additional dimension to the event which will take place at noon on Sunday, April 12, with the laying of wreaths and the reading