Cobh (An Cóbh in Irish, derived from English the cove) is a seaport in County Cork, Ireland ().

The locality, which had had several different Irish-language names, was first referred to as Cove ("the Cove of Cork") in 1750. It was renamed Queenstown in 1849 to commemorate a visit by Queen Victoria. The name Cove was restored (with Irish spelling) in 1922 with the foundation of the Irish Free State.

Cobh is located on the south shore of the Great Island in Cork Harbour, on slopes overlooking the harbour. On its highest point stands the Cathedral of St Colman .

One of the major transatlantic Irish ports, Cobh was the departure point for 2.5 million of the 6 million Irish people who emigrated to North America between 1848 and 1950. On 11 April 1912 Cobh was the final port of call for the RMS Titanic before she set out across the Atlantic on her ill-fated maiden voyage. Crew member John Coffey, a native of Cobh, jumped ship, and seven lucky passengers also disembarked, although 113 boarded.

Several other notable ships are associated with the town:

• The first steamship to sail from Ireland to England left Cobh in 1821
• The Sirius , the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, left Cobh in 1838.
• The RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat while en route to Cobh in 1915. The survivors were brought to the town, and many of the dead are also buried there.

In 2002, Cobh had a population of 9,811.

The town is the effective southern terminus of the railway line from Dublin to Cork. Regular commuter services run between Cork city and Cobh, calling at Fota Island along the way.

The port was from 1922 to 1938 a UK sovereign base, see Treaty Port.

Cobh's most successful football team is Cobh Ramblers

See also

• List of towns in the Republic of Ireland

External link

• Cobh railway station
• History of Cobh