July 13, 2024

July 13, 2024

We got a late start today to help our body clocks adjust and to enjoy our nice hotel. Midmorning we strolled across Waterford past some ruins of the old city walls. Next to the Cathedral we encountered a modernistic statue of Strongbow and Aoife. Strongbow was an Anglo-Norman knight who was invited here in 1170 by the Irish regional king for help to recover his throne. As a reward Strongbow married the king’s daughter and inherited the kingship of Leinster. Unfortunately he brought along his friends and soon Norman knights were ruling most of Ireland. On the plus side they were also Catholic, married the local women and assimilated. So much so that they famously became “More Irish than the Irish”. This also explains why my Irish DNA analysis has a lot of Scandinavian. I have one ancestor with the Norman name Lovett. I don't know if it is a compliment or hubris that the Brits most popular cider is named Strongbow.

We finished our walk at the House of Waterford where we signed up for the Waterford Glass factory tour. With an Irish mother-in-law, our house has a large inventory of glass from this production site. Since we are early we start by exploring the retail shop. General production has been moved to Slovenia, with this site now only producing specialty products like sport trophies.

Waterford glass is lead crystal that is blown, shaped, and polished. Then comes the tedious process of grinding the cut-glass decorations. We see examples of the entire process.

After the tour, we return to our hotel, check out and drive west on the motorway. So much better than the winding roads of yesterday. Just east of Cork we briefly stop to see a unique sculpture titled Kindred Spirits. This relatively new installation has nine large metal feathers because it was made to honor the Choctaw Indians who donated to Ireland during the Great Famine. The Irish have a soft spot for other people who feel they also have been overrun by stronger nations.

Our next stop is the island city of Cobh in the Cork Harbor estuary. Named over the years, Cove, Queenstown, and now Cobh, it has been a major naval and commercial port. After parking by Cobh Cathedral, the tallest in Ireland, we walked down the very steep streets to the shoreline. Uhoh, we see that Cobh is still a major cruise port! The presence of a large ocean liner means we have difficulty finding a spot for lunch.

Our hunger satisfied, we walked the port of this tiny but cute town. My ancestors probably left Ireland from here. There is a memorial to Annie Moore, an emigrant who was the first processed at Ellis Island. All Cobh emigrants weren’t so lucky. This was also the last port of call for the Titanic. The White Star Line office is still standing and now holds a museum. A few blocks away is the old Cunard office. Three years after Titanic, Cunard’s Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat just off-shore. Most of the recovered bodies were buried here in mass graves. We visited the old cemetery on our way into town. The Lusitania is of special interest because Aimee and I both recently read Dead Wake, a stirring book about this tragedy.

From Cobh we bypass the city of Cork and finish in the port of Kinsale. We have a delicious Indian curry for dinner.