Titanic Trail

Members of the Cobh business community have been invited to attend a special briefing on The Series of Events planned to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic next year.

Marc Anderson, Project Director of Titanic 100 Cobh 2012, will outline the event schedule in detail next Monday, 21^st November, at 6 p.m. in the Commodore Hotel. Giving all Cobh businesses the opportunity to understand what is proposed, the reasons for the initiative, and to receive feedback from the business sector on the planned events.

As Cobh was the last port of call for the Titanic and the town plays a very significant part of the Titanic story.  Titanic 100 Cobh 2012 will mark this globally recognised occasion. The series of commemorative events will run throughout 2012 and many of them will be outdoors in locations such as the promenade and adjoining streets in town. There will be a requirement to close some of the roads to traffic within the main town area at various times, so it is important that local businesses attend this meeting so they are aware of the proposals.

“Titanic 100 Cobh 2012 is a series to remember the Titanic and the people associated with her in a major way,” noted Marc. “The centenary only comes around once and we must make the most of this opportunity as there is only one ‘last port of call’. We would like as many people in Cobh to be involved and we look forward to their support.  Not only will we have the opportunity to remember the Titanic, it is our chance to bring more visitors into the area and boost the local economy. We want to commemorate the magnificent Titanic and the people involved with her in a special way. We want the people of Ireland and abroad to be more aware of Cobh’s significance in the story of Titanic. We want our beautiful town to continue to prosper in the same way as other towns that rely on tourism do.”

Cobh Business Community Briefing details:

When: 6 pm – 7 pm Monday 21^st November

Where: The Commodore Hotel — The Jack Doyle Room

A new BBC documentary scheduled to air in April 1912 was being filmed in Cobh recently.

Dr Martin with 360 productions film crew and Helen Kiernan

Entitled ‘Titanic and me’ the story line concentrates on Helen Kiernan from County Longford whose two Grand Uncles, Philip and John were lost when the Titanic sank in April 1912.

Dr Martin and Helen Kiernan

They had boarded the ship in Cobh (then Queenstown) with friends and neighbours from home. In the Documentary Helen comes to Cobh for the first time ever and is met by Dr Martin who takes her through the town, showing her the places and buildings where her relatives would have visited and seen before they embarked on that fateful journey.

Helen said on the day ‘it’s very moving to be shown the actual buildings they embarked from and to be in the harbour they were in before they left’.

Dr MIchael Martin examining the shot

The Failte Ireland “Flavours of Ireland” event in London brought many influential GB-based incoming tour operators to a workshop with over 70 Irish tourism partners.

Dr Martin meeting prospective tour operators in London.

The London Russell hotel was the venue this year for the annual ‘Flavours of Ireland’ Tourism workshop. Product providers pay Tourism Ireland a fee to participate in the event which seeks to bring together the tour operators that send people to Ireland with the product providers. There were over 170 UK Ireland incoming operators there to meet more than 40 business interests including the Titanic Trail. Dr Martin engaged with many of the operators in the hope of bringing new business to Cobh. The entire event was themed around the Titanic centenary for next year.

Delegates attending the workshop in London

The Carlton Hotel Group and Dr. Michael Martin’s ‘Titanic Trail’ are delighted to sponsor a new photographic competition, the ‘Cork Harbour Legacy & Legends Photographic Competition,’ which will run until the end of the season. The winning prize is a fantastic two day break, with dinner one night, at any Carlton Hotel of choice in Ireland, plus €200 cash. This competition is open to Munster based Camera Clubs and it is hoped that this will develop into an annual event, focusing on a different aspect of Cork Harbour every year.

The idea for the competition came about due to the rich diversity of themes that present themselves to visitors to the island. The organisers have selected four categories for submission to the competition, which are:  Ecclesiastical/Historical; Architectural/Military; Flora/Fauna; Seascapes/Seashore. Category winners will receive a certificate of achievement and it has been indicated that Cork County Council could well exhibit selected entries in public areas inside Fort Mitchel on Spike Island.

To date, three local camera clubs have taken part in a special photographic tour of the island to compete in the competition. These were the Cork Camera Club, the Clonakilty Club and the Cobh Camera Club. Unfortunately, amateur photographers who are not members of a camera club cannot be facilitated to enter the competition as there is a minimum requirement for numbers on these specialised tours.

The Cork Camera Cub return from Spike Island

Interested camera clubs who wish to compete in this competition should contact Michael Martin at their earliest convenience as the season is drawing to a close.
Tel. 021 4815211 or email info@titanic.ie

On Sunday, 18th September, Dympna O’Donoghue visited  Spike Island for a special family outing. Dympna is the daughter of Matthew Carroll, who was the Comdt of Coastal Defences on Spike Island in 1938, immediately after the British forces departed from the island.

Dympna O'Donoghue ( Centre in red jacket) and famiy

Dympna and her family lived in ‘Bleak House’ on the Western side of the island and her father was the first Irish officer to serve as Commandant of the island. When asked about the house, Dympna recalled that it was in fact a very bleak house and a little scary too! Dympna also recounted that she had been the first female to take a trip on the newly acquired Motor Torpedo Boat (MI) (In 1939 the Irish Government ordered two Motor Torpedo Boats from Vospers UK when World War II began in 1939)

Eighty six year old William Barrow returned to Spike Island with family and friends on Sunday. William was among the group of Army Corps of Engineers who worked on Spike Island in the 1940s.

Will Barrow returns to Spike Island

In addition to general maintenance William was involved in the building of the representative cemetery on the western side of the Island. The 4 walls and Celtic cross were built in 1947 to commemorate the centenary of the great famine which resulted in numerous deaths on the island. The ‘cemetery’ adds dignity to the area where so called convicts had been buried anonymously. William was warmly welcomed on the tour by Dr Michael Martin who led the tour himself on the day.

Gerry and Mary Buckley are proprietors of ‘Complete Traveller’ a Kansas based specialist company that tailors trips to the needs of their customers. An Irishman himself, Gerry takes great pride in their tours of Ireland which provide intimate insights into the best of what the country has to offer.

Michael Martin with Gerry and Mary Buckley

Gerry and Mary have been bringing people to Cobh for the Titanic Trail as part of their Irish tour routine for a number of years and on one occasion brought Dr Michael Martin to their loyal customers in Kansas ! Gerry says ‘the quality of the information on Michael’s tour, his delivery and accuracy just cannot be matched’.

Visit our Audio link and listen to Gerry speaking about his tour on the Titanic Trail with Michael Martin: Here

Also enjoying the Titanic Trail and taking part on this tour was Gregg Lewis, President of First Option Bank in Osawatomie Kansas. Gregg’s group were all amazed that Michael had visited Osawatomie in Kansas with Mary and Gerry a few years ago. Some of the group also met the Mayor of Cobh Councillor Jim Quinlan who stopped to talk to them while they were waiting for the Titanic Trail to start.

Gregg Lewis, President of First Option Bank in Osawatomie Kansas with Dr Michael Martin

A new documentary on Spike Island  was broadcast on TG4 on Sunday, 28th August.
Céad Seans: Spike: Ceart agus Coir.
The film is broadcast in English and Irish  and examines the history of the island and the plight of convicts on the island during the famine.

Episode One of the Podcast can be watched HERE
Episode Two can be watched HERE

TG4 Documentary on Spike Island

Dr Michael Martin was centrally involved in providing research and information to the Waterford based  production crew.  The theme was decided by Aoife Daly a senior media and films student and was inspired by her participation in one of Dr Martins walking tours of Spike last year. Fellow students and local Cobh actors were utilised in the production.

Dr Michael Martin, interviewed on TG4: Céad Seans: Spike: Ceart agus Coir

Recently, Dr. Michael Martin was interviewed on TV3′s Morning Show.

The Morning Show  with Dr. Michael Martin

This interesting discussion recounts the story behind Dr Martin’s campaign  for a post humus  pardon for the famine victims who were buried like dogs on Spike Island.

To listen to the interview, click on the link above :
(NB – there is a slight pause at the beginning of the audio clip)