Cobh

My last day in Cork City, on the recommendation of my hostel hostess, Tracey (Aaron Hostel, Cork City) I took the train from Cork City along the river for half an hour to Cobh, formally known as Queenstown, famously know as being the last Port of Call for the Titanic.

The second thing you notice after leaving the train, after the walls plastered with reproduction of old newspapers and posters proclaiming Queenstown as the last Port of Call for the Titanic and recalling the tragedy of events that occurred soon after she had left Ireland, is the massive cathedral that seems to float over the town.

Cobh, the town, is built on a steep hill, at the top of which the planners built a massive cathedral, so from the shore (where the town/land meets the water) it appears as though the cathedral's base is resting on the roofs of the houses and shops along the main street. Intrigued by this phenomenon, I proceeded to climb the backstreets of Cobh until I was able to gain entry to the front gates of the Cathedral guard.

Now, I would not considered myself a very religious person, but after 6 years of attending a religious school were I was not only required to attend services once a week in a cathedral, but also it was also mandatory to take classes on the building of said cathedral, I have a vast appreciation for the hard work and finances that go into building a religious monument. That being said, this beautiful cathedral in Cobh still had the ability to take my breath away.

I can be cynical about religious organizations, I admit, but when people believe so strongly that they pull strength from their beliefs to build temples that bring to mind mountains from nothing... well, I have to respect that.