Cobh Town History and Tours with John Flynn

17/07/2024

70 years apart

1954/2024
Visit Cobh Cork Ireland for an amazing experience on tour contact me

16/07/2024

More Cobh Memories. Come visit Cobh Cork Ireland ☘️☘️

04/07/2024

Happy 4th July Independence Day to all our American friends.

COBH TOWN TOURS
Visit St Colmans Cathedral Cobh
The 49 Cathedral Bells
Under Cathedral to the Crypt
The Bridewell Prison History
The Lusitania Story
Cork Harbour History

COBH TOWN TOURS
As you walk along the Grounds of the Cathedral hear the History of Cork Harbour and the effect the Lusitania sinking had on the Town. A photo display of the Bridewell Prison and lusitania will also be available. This Tour last 90 Mins and the walk is within the Cathedral ground, walk Cobh Town and also a trip to the Lusitania Monument. See the great views of the Harbour. The Crypt is under the Cathedral where you can see where Bishops and Priest are buried,also see how the 49 bells Carillon work in the Cathedral and hear about thre Prison where the cells are still under the Road today by the Cathedral. See the Buildings that hold all the Stories when the Town was effected by the Sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. A fascinating Tour in Cobh Cork Ireland where so much History is told while you view the the beautiful Harbour and walk this Historic Town which at one time was called Queenstown.

30/06/2024

Amazing weekend in Country Kerry, was invited down to do a talk on Little Nellie of Holy God, and to do a talk on Cobh , and all the tourist attractions that Cobh has to offer. Really great experience

28/06/2024

In Cobh today doing Cobh Town History and Tours with John Flynn

23/06/2024

Come visit Cobh Cork Ireland ☘️

The small town with the big history

18/06/2024

Thinking of coming to Ireland ☘️. The history, the castles, the beautiful coast. The Irish famine, Titanic, Lusitania and much much more

Did your ancestors leave from here, If so hear what would of happened during that time.

The Irish fairies, leprechauns and folk stories while enjoying a Guinness, Irish music and food

Visit Ireland Cork Cobh

The small town with the big history

Contact me for tours and experience a true Irish story

11/06/2024

Had an amazing day today with this couple who had booked me off the cruise ship for a private tour of Cobh and Blarney Castle

Great stories connecting Cobh and Australia

Great to meet you and thanks

16/04/2024

Outdoors and nature today, was amazing

If coming to Cobh Cork Ireland PM me for tours

12/12/2023

81 year's ago today 🙏

On 12th December, 1942, the vessel was involved in a tragic accident in Cork Harbour whilst proceeding to drydock at Rushbrooke. Two launches, a pilot launch and an examination launch, collided at the stern of the ship and became locked together. They were dragged under the stern, struck by the ship's propeller and sunk. Five men were lost as a result of the accident. They were William Duggan, Frank Lloyd, Frank Powell, Patrick Wilshaw and John Higgins, all from Cork
The Second and Third Officers on the Irish Poplar at that time were Dermot Murphy of Dublin and Horace Curtis of Cork. Sadly, Horace Curtis was later to lose his life in another tragic accident in Cork Harbour, whilst serving on an oil tanker.
The Irish Poplar completed eighteen transatlantic voyages during the war years to May, 1945, and continued in service until October, 1949. She was then sold to Turkish owners and renamed Taskopru and resold to other Turkish owners in 1952 changing her name to Mehmet. In April, 1961, she was scrapped at Split, in Yugoslavia, thus ending almost fifty years of eventful seagoing service.

06/12/2023

Have my January and February sorted for adventures, all going well

Paranormal Places

Family Friend
Location: Ballingarry Thurles - Old Church graveyard
Type: Post-Mortem Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 1999
Further Comments: Two brothers, aged eight and ten years old, noticed a man peering over the wall of this graveyard. His head and shoulders were visible, and the figure wore a white shirt with dark glasses and had curly hair. The man also looked like he had been crying and ignored the children when they spoke to him. The children told their father, who pointed out the wall was eight feet high; upon hearing the description of the figure, the father recognised it as being a friend of his who died four years previous.

Music
Location: Cahir - Knockgraffon Motte
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Fairies could once be heard making music under this artificial hill.

A strange black blob grabbing the handlebars.
A strange black blob grabbing the handlebars.

Black Blob
Location: Cappagh White (or Cappawhite?) - Road approaching Ironmills bridge
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 1910
Further Comments: While travelling on his bicycle, Thomas Fahey stated that a strange black blob landed on his handlebars. The weird entity slowed the bicycle down considerably, before moving off and disappearing along a path.

Coach
Location: Cashel - Rectory
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Likely to be nineteenth century
Further Comments: The rector living here reported hearing what sounded like a coach being driven in the hallway, always between 20:00h and 00:00h. A phantom horse and trap were sometimes seen outside of the building.

Ambush
Location: Clogheen - Knockmealdown Mountains, close to the monument site
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The sounds of fighting and gunfire is occasionally said to repeat in this area.

Petticoat Loose. The Vee

Petticoat Loose
Location: Clogheen - Large pond in the Knockmealdown Mountains
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The monster known as Petticoat Loose has a body like that of a horse, while the head takes the form of a woman. When it appears (which is rare), the creature asks, 'When will the day of judgement come?' before disappearing back under the water.

Princess Orloff
Location: Clogheen - Shallardstown Mansion (no longer standing)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Early twentieth century
Further Comments: The shade of Orloff, a former Russian Princess, was reported by a caretaker who looked after the building after it fell empty. Her coach could also occasionally be heard setting off along the driveway, driven by her loyal butler.

Strange Voices
Location: Clonmel - Former drapery shop, O'Connell Street
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Circa 1906
Further Comments: The strange voices and sounds heard by occupants of the building transpired to be only the beginning. Over a period of weeks, screaming, laughing were reported from the site, together with bedclothes thrown through windows and furnishings knocked over. The constabulary and the sightseers who flocked to the site were unable to find who were responsible, and the outbreak suddenly ceased.

White Woman
Location: Clonmel - Unnamed road leading southwards, passing over a bridge
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late nineteenth or early twentieth century
Further Comments: Walking to a friend's house late at night, this witness spotted a glowing woman in white with long hair cross a bridge ahead of him. The girl vanished without trace, and upon mentioning it when he arrived at his destination, his friend told him that the same figure had appeared at the foot of his bed a few nights previous.

Hound
Location: Donohill - Road outside rectory
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A black dog haunted this stretch of road, although there have been no sightings for at least one hundred years.

Flying Coke
Location: Fethard - McCarthy's public house
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 2006-2015
Further Comments: A few strange occurrences are said to have occurred here, such as doors which open and close unaided, a Coke bottle which flew through a doorway, and heavy items which move themselves in the kitchen. One barmaid claimed to have seen a man in the bar who had died two weeks previous - he tipped his hat to her before leaving the room.

Secret Tunnel
Location: Lorrha - Friars Lough
Type: Other
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A secret tunnel said to exist between Friars Lough and the village contained treasure hidden by monks.

Edmond Roe O'Kennedy
Location: Lough Derg - Annagh Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1975
Further Comments: Edmond was murdered in the sixteenth century before telling anyone where he had concealed his hidden treasure. Since his death, Edmond's shade has appeared to visitors at the ruined site, blood leaking from a large slit in his throat.

Fire Breathing Hound
Location: Lough Derg - Castle Biggs
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This abomination with cloven hooves protects a hidden hoard of treasure somewhere near this house.

Galley
Location: Lough Derg - Waters of the lake
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Always travelling north, this phantasmal vessel traverses the lake with gentle singing emanating from it.

Finn the Monster Killer
Location: Lough Derg - Waters of the Lake and surrounding area
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A legend tells of how the Warrior Hero Finn fought and killed a huge monster which lived in this lake - two hundred men climbed out of the beast's belly once Finn sliced it open. Some say a (smaller) lake creature still lives in the water.

Su***de
Location: Loughmoe - Loughmoe Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The ruins of this castle are reputedly haunted by a man who killed himself within.

No Females
Location: Roscrea - Inishnameo, ruined church (may also be known as Monahinsha?)
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Two islands could be found here. On the larger island, it was said that no female of any species could land upon it. On the smaller island, no one could die - the sick would become worse until they could not stand the pain, only dying after being removed from the site by friends.

Night Coach
Location: Roscrea - Timoney Park
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Carrying the shades of the Parker-Hutchinson family, this phantom coach travels towards their former home.

Screaming
Location: Sopwell - Sopwell (or Killaleigh) Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Screams followed by the sound of a body being dragged down a staircase persist in haunting this castle, thought to be the result of a body being dropped down the stairs.

Broken Tooth
Location: Templemore - Devil's Bit (mountain)
Type: Legend - Old Nick
Date / Time: Rock still present
Further Comments: This mountain is so named after Old Nick took a bite from it - he broke a tooth in the process, which formed the Rock of Cashel.

Dyer
Location: Timoney - Area around old barracks
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Years following 1860
Further Comments: A policeman named Dyer once swore to protect the area 'dead or alive'. After his death in 1860, locals reported his ghost carrying out his promise.

03/10/2023

A few of us will be cleaning the grotto on Saturday 14th from 12 noon on, if anyone wants to join us thanks

14/09/2023

Horrible day, and nights drawing in, still got out for a hike, first day of wet gear. Any friends in the sun want me to visit for next 6 months 🤣🤔🤨🤣🤣

14/09/2023

John Arnold recalls an encounter with a tourist who disembarked from a cruise liner in Cobh recently

26/08/2023

Many thanks to everyone who attended today at Little Nellie's grave, was great to see you all, and chat with you all, great day thank you prayers will be said for you all

24/08/2023

Hi all

Seen as little nellie will be 120 on the 24th of August, we would like to hold a mass on the Saturday 26th at her graveside to celebrate her Life .We look forward to seen you all there

22/04/2023

East side of Cobh today

21/09/2022

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mercy-after-dark-tickets-423720729107?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Tickets on sale now ....

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mercy-after-dark-tickets-423720729107?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

14/09/2022

Coming Halloween week.

MERCY AFTER DARK

Convent tour

Cobhs oldest convent never accessed before Walks the halls and through the door's
Hear the stories never spoken before .

24th to 31st of October nighty.

Times to be confirmed
Price 24.99 per person

06/05/2022

29/04/2022

Exclusive

The Kennedys
March 1938: A full-length portrait of Rose Kennedy (center), the wife of U.S. Ambassador to England Joseph P. Kennedy, and her children (left to right) Kathleen, Patricia (1924 - 2006), Edward, Robert, and Jeanne standing on board the S.S. Washington at Cobh, County Cork,

31/12/2021

Happy New Year everyone. Would you believe we are going into the 10th year of this group . 2012-2022. Thank you all for sharing and chatting . May 2022 be a great one .

30/12/2021

The Spanish Flu starts of Coast of Cobh.

Troops sailing home took the flu into Dublin and Cork. The first recorded outbreak was on USS Dixie off Cobh in May.
From the ports the disease swept across Ireland in three waves: mild in spring 1918; lethal in autumn 1918; and moderate in early 1919.
The Freeman’s Journal described its arrival in military terms as “the advance guard of an invasion of disease”, against which health authorities would have to direct their “barrage”. In October 1918 The Cork Examiner recorded it spreading at an “alarming” rate: “Scarcely a household” in Clonakilty did not have at least one person in bed with flu. At Carrigaline no letters were delivered “owing to the local postman being confined to his room with the disease”. Many policemen were laid up in Tipperary; and all over Ireland the number of prison warders off sick was thought to make escapes more likely. Doctors were “on foot night and day”, reported the Tipperary Star, but were baffled how to cope with the “mysterious malady”.

Spanish Flu' killed more than 20,000 people in Ireland and more than 50 million worldwide in under 10 months.

More than 800,000 people in Ireland became seriously ill as fear swept through the nation.

'The Big Flu' killed far more people than The Great War of 1914-18. The deadly virus gathered strength among the miserable masses of soldiers living and dying at close quarters during the war.

The virus made its way along the routes home from the battlefields. In many a hometown, families died. And it took a particularly devastating toll on young adults.

11/12/2021

31/10/2021

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

It is believed that modern day Halloween originated from the ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain. The Pagan Celtic celebration of Samhain took place between October 31 and November 1 and marked a pivotal time of year when seasons changed. More importantly however, observers believe that the boundary between the world of the living and that of the dead became thinner during this period - enabling the Celts to connect with the dead.

The Celts celebrated this period to welcome in the harvest while they dressed up and lit bonfires to scare away malevolent ghosts and spirits.Over the centuries as the Celts turned towards Christianity, many of the basic traditions of the holiday remained and became part of the celebration that we now call Halloween.

As such, many of today's Halloween traditions originated in Ireland.

Barnbrack

The traditional Halloween cake in Ireland is the barnbrack, which is a quick bread that contains sultanas and raisins and sometimes other fruits.Each member of a Halloween party gets a slice and great interest is taken in the outcome as most cakes contain a piece of rag, a coin and a ring. If you get the rag then your financial future is doubtful. If your piece contains the coin, then you can look ahead to a prosperous year. Receiving the ring is a sure sign of impending romance or continued happiness.

Costumes and Trick or Treating

On Halloween night children dress up in scary costumes and go house to house in search of sweets. This tradition of wearing costumes also dates back to Celtic times. Celtic Druids would dress up in elaborate costumes to disguise themselves as spirits and devils in case they encountered evil entities during Samhain. By disguising they hoped that they would be able to avoid being carried away at the end of the night.

Bonfires

Samhain also marked the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. On the eve of Samhain, young people would gather kindling for bonfires. The following day, November 1st, people would extinguish their hearth fires and gather together to light large fires on sacred hill tops in honor of and to make offerings to the gods. Crops and the bones of animals which had been culled were burnt in the fires as offerings. Our modern word, bonfire, comes from the words bone and fire meaning "fire of bones" and refers to this practice. Personal and symbolic items were also burned as offerings for relief from sickness or bad fortune. The sacred fires were believed to have the power to scare away these evil spirits and people stayed close by them often wearing costumes of animal heads and skins as disguises to frighten away those spirits.

Jack-O’-Lanterns

The name 'Jack-O’-Lantern' comes from an Irish folktale about a man named 'Stingy Jack Originally, turnips and potatoes were used to make 'Jack-O’-Lanterns' - when Irish immigrants moved to America they discovered that pumpkins were better suited. According to the story of 'Stingy Jack', Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that he could use to buy their drinks. Jack instead decided to keep the coin for himself and put it in his pocket beside a silver cross - which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not be bothered by the Devil for one year, and that should Jack die, his soul would not be condemned to hell. The next year, Jack tricked the Devil into climbing up a trick to pick a piece of fruit, while he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down unless he promised to leave Jack alone for another ten years. When Jack died, God would not allow him to enter heaven. The Devil could not send him to hell but was annoyed by the trick that was played on him. He instead sent Jack's soul into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way - he put this coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth ever since.

27/09/2021

SM UC-42 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. On the 10th of September of 1917 UC42 was laying her deadly cargo of mines at the entrance to Cork harbour when a terrific explosion occurred which sent the vessel to the seabed and the 27 German Submariners aboard to a horrifying death

On November 2nd of that year, hardhat divers from the Haulbowline dockyard dived the area. The divers reported a German U-boat lying on the seabed with her stern blown off, and a brass plate on her conning tower reading "C42, 1916" identified her as UC-42. No survivors were ever reported even though some of the hatches were found to have been opened. It was thought likely that the submarine had been sunk by one of her own mines detonating under her stern while minelaying.

It was widely believed that in July 1919 divers using explosives from HMS Vernon torpedo school had destroyed the submarine with the remains being dispersed on the seabed by wire sweeps.

The actual wreckwas relocated by two local divers Ian Kelleher and Niall O Regan on 6 November 2010 in 27m of water just off Roche's Point. It was found with "little obvious explosive damage".

As they descended a shot line to see the menacing sight of the hull of a German U-boat emerge from the shadows, both divers were very surprised and ecstatic to find a fully intact World War I U-Boat just outside Cork harbour.

31/08/2021

Hello everyone. Not that the sun is gone, but I want to let you all know that in October to celebrate the pages 9th year, we will have podcasts of people from Cobh talking telling their stories and history about their work life family life etc . I wanted to bring this idea back to the days where people listened to the radio as it is a much better experience in storytelling . The winter nights with a good old story. . It be once a week at 8 30pm on a Monday night . First date will be 12th October when I first started this page 9 years ago.

I hope you all will.look forward to this thank you all.

30/08/2021

119 years ago today August 30th 1902

Postcard sent from Salem, Mass, on 30th August 1902 to Dublin, Ireland, and cancelled on board the Queenstown to Dublin train in September 1902. The card is franked with a 2 cent US stamp to pay the UPU surface postcard rate.

The TPO from Queenstown via Dublin to Kingstown ran as required to meet the eastbound Cunard and White Star mail boats from the USA. The sorting service on the Queenstown to Dublin TPO commenced in 1869 once sorters had been withdrawn from the Cunard transatlantic service.

Initially called the "Dublin and Queenstown T.P.O (American Mail)", from July 1898 the service was simply called the "Dublin and Queenstown T.P.O". This type of handstamp is recorded as being used from 1892 to 1907.