I Am A Celebrity!: June 2026

Cobh, Ireland
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

COBH WAS established as a seaport for the British Royal Navy in the 1750's and was known as "The Cove of Cork." Renamed Queenstown in 1849 in honor of a visit by Queen Victoria, it remained so-named until 1920, when - during the Irish War of Independence - the town was reverted back to Cobh (a Gaelicisation of the English word: "cove"). It is a pretty little quintessential Irish village, with colorful gothic architecture which remains primarily a seaport.

Cruise Port - Cobh, Ireland
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

ST. COLMAN'S Cathedral, the cathedral of the Diocese of Cloyne, sits at the top of the hill overlooking the village and the port, and the steeple, at 300 feet, is said to be one of the tallest buildings - and is the tallest church in Ireland. Built in the late 19th century the neo-Gothic building is imposing and beautiful. Its height makes it a challenge to photograph, but it beckons to the photographer and I sure tried.

St. Colman's Cathedral - Cobh, Ireland
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

LOOKING AT most of my photos of Cobh, you can see that the cathedral plays a dominant part in almost all aspects of the town's landscape.

St. Colman's Cathedral - Cobh, Ireland
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

ON APRIL 2, 1912, The Titanic, the world's largest and to date most extravagant Ocean Liner, left Belfast, Northern Ireland on her first passenger - carrying voyage. She would sail to Southampton, England, where the White Star Line terminal was. From Southampton, she would sail briefly across the English Channel to Cherbourg, France where she would pick up additional passengers and then in just a couple short hours, set sail again, for Queenstown, Ireland. Then on April 11, 1912, she again set sail, this time for her final destination: New York in the U.S. We all know she never made it. Because at one time, Cobh was a major shipbuilding location, and was and remains an important Irish port for transatlantic voyages (primarily cruise ships these days), the town played a major historical part in the Titanic story. Personally, after having visited both the Belfast and the Cobh "Titanic Experience," I prefer the Cobh version. It is much smaller, less "Disney," and in my view - a more moving experience.

The Titanic Experience Exhibit - Cobh, Ireland
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

THE "DECK of Cards," is another semi-famous view in Cobh. A series of row houses make their way down the hill, with brightly colored paint adorning them. The "classic" view is the row houses with St. Colman's steeple in the close up background. Finding the location to make this shot was a bit of a challenge. I spent a couple hours walking all around it from up hill and down. I made a few other shots, but I ultimately found this one when a lady on a back street stopped to "chat" and I asked her what she knew. She told me about a park directly across the street. I had seen the park entrance, but is had never occured to me that the view would open up from street level in this park. It does!

"Deck of Cards" Row Houses - Cobh, Ireland
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

THIS VERY walkable little town is as photogenic a place as I can remember anywhere. It is little wonder that most of my memorable photographs were made in Cobh.

Cobh, Ireland
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

THIS PORT was an overnight stay for us, and on our second day, we found our way with private transportation to the famous Blarney Castle, and then back home by way of Cobh. There is a really cool little train from the Cobh village to Cork, which we took back to the ship. But for the morning, our destination was Blarney Castle, where we had entrances tickets at a set time.

Blarney Castle - County Cork, Ireland

THE BIG deal most people associate with Blarney Castle is the famed "Blarney Stone." The stone has a multi-storied history, depending on which story (if any) you might choose to believe. I won't rehash it all here, but it is probably worth asking your favorite "AI" chatbot these days. What I will say is that it has been widely said over the years that to "kiss the Blarney Stone" will bestow upon you the "gift of gab." The word "blarney," thought to be a term and meaning coined by Cormack McCarthy, lord of the surrounding lands and builder of Blarney Castle, connotes a kind of facetious flattery, often designed to mislead or stall. O.k. Two things:

to "kiss the Blarney Stone" will bestow upon you the "gift of gab."

FIRST, IF you ask anyone who knows me well, I am pretty well bestowed with the "gift of gab," though hopefully lacking the facetious part. 😇 So, as Bill Murray said in Caddyshack: "I have that going for me." Already. Don't need any help.

Waiting to "Kiss the Blarney Stone" - Blarney Castle - County Cork, Ireland
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

SECOND, AND perhaps the truly decisive reason for me: I am not really high on putting my mouth on a stone built into a medieval castle that has also been kissed (and who knows what else) by millions of other humans. For that very same reason, I enthusiastically abstained from kissing the Basilica Cistern Medusa Heads in Istanbul when we visited back in 2013. 😓 The stone is part of the parapet wall and in order to kiss it, participants must lie on their back and lean way down off the main wall, while being held by the proprietors of the castle. Nope. But it really was astounding how many people stood in line for as long as an hour for the "privilege." As they say these days: "you do you."

IN SPITE of the Blarney Stone hype, it really is a beautiful site and a majestic castle with some superb architecture both in the castle and some of the outbuildings.

an even more commercially corpulent retail and restaurant area immediately adjacent to the castle

THE GROUNDS were - likewise - beautiful, with flower gardens, woodland paths, and even an apiary. And, of course there is the obligatory commercial shops at the exit. And an even more commercially corpulent retail and restaurant area immediately adjacent to the castle that resembles something of an outlet mall. Want trinkets? Overpriced and underwhelming food. They have it there.

WE TOOK a taxi to Cork, where our driver dropped us off at the reknowned Linehan Confectionery, and introduced us to the owner. Afterward, we walked around for an hour or so, before finding the train back to our cruise port in Cobh. Cork is what, based on my medium sized sampling, I would call a pretty typical city in the Republic of Ireland. Originally the site of a monastery, it was conquered and build by the Vikings near the end of the first century. The second largest city in the Republic, Cork is also the county seat for County Cork. Situated on the River Lee, you can actually take a "ferry" from Cork all the way back to Cobh (though it looks like a fairly long journey). I didn't really make very many memorable photos in Cork. As usual, though, color and shape drew my attention to this shot of the row houses lining the river.

WE WOULD say good bye to Ireland for now. We would be back by cruise stop again. I have to say I absolutely love Ireland, its people, its culture and its beautiful landscape (both natural and man-made). We spent a full 10 days on the ground there in 2014, seeing - in addition to Dublin - Galway, Limerick, and a few much smaller towns. But probably my single most memorable place in the country is Cobh. I truly hope we have another chance to spend some time in this really great corner of Ireland. It is a true mix of village, seaport, and agricultural lands. My shot of the lighthouse as we sailed into the port in the early morning may best capture the spirit I felt there.

I Am A Celebrity!

Sunday, June 7, 2026

2019 - Cobh, Cork and Blarney Castle

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