Latest news with #TitanicExperience
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
East Cork venue to launch shuttle bus service to address ‘lack of rural transport at night'
The 'Sea Church Express' will collect gig-goers from the Titanic Experience in Cobh and Midleton Railway Station and drop them off in Ballycotton approximately 90 minutes before events start at the venue. The service will operate 30 minutes after events end at Sea Church, returning passengers to Cobh and Midleton. Matthew Sisk, events manager at Sea Church, told The Corkman that alleviating customers' need to drive to the venue was the 'catalyst' for the Sea Church Express. 'Because we are an intimate venue, we would get maximum 200 people in there, about 50 of those people are designated drivers, so we thought of tackling that by getting a shuffle service going,' Mr Sisk said. 'A lot of couples would not bother going out if only one of them is able to drink, and if you're coming from Cobh, you're probably spending €40 for a taxi one-way.' The Sea Church Express return journeys will cost €20 per person regardless of pick-up location. Oliver Falter, general manager of Flynn Cush Hospitality Group Ltd which runs establishments in Ballycotton said the new bus service will help to address 'the lack of rural transport at night'. 'It means that gig-goers can come to Ballycotton with the peace of mind of knowing they will be brought safely back to Cobh and Midleton,' he said. The service will make its debut voyage for the Flashdance 80s vs 90s Disco event on July 11. For more details and to book a place on the bus service as part of a gig experience, visit
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
I'm in Ireland, looking to meet my cousins, and I find a church my great great grandfather built
We asked Star readers to tell us about trips they have taken and to share their experience and advice: Where: Ireland and Northern Ireland When: May 2025 Trip Rating: 4/5 What inspired you to take this trip? I have Irish heritage from both my parents and was interested in exploring the north and west coasts of Ireland in particular, as my maternal grandmother came from Belfast to Canada after she was orphaned at age seven. We had also discovered some cousins through Ancestry. They lived in Dublin and Wicklow, and were eager to meet in person. What was the best sight? The most memorable experience I had in Belfast was seeing and touching the walls of a church hall that had been designed and built by my great great grandfather in 1859. It had been standing for more than 100 years before I was born. I reflected on how he imagined it, sketched it and built it 175 years ago. Even though he is long gone, his art remains. What was your favourite activity? After two days in Belfast, we drove to the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal, where we stayed two nights at the Redcastle Golf & Spa Hotel on Lough Foyle. A round of golf by the lough was a highlight of our trip. What was the most delicious thing you ate? We had beer-battered haddock and a Guinness after our round of golf. Fabulous! What was the most memorable thing you learned? In Belfast, we spent two hours in the immersive Titanic Experience museum. It honours those who built the ship, as well as the victims and survivors of her deadly sinking. We also took a hop-on, hop-off tour that vividly demonstrated the historic divisions of Catholics and Protestants that linger to this day. What is one piece of advice you'd give? Be prepared for frustrations with technology. We bought a SIM card in Dublin that did not work in Northern Ireland. Our rental car was so new, it required a USB-C cable, which we had to purchase. Also, there is an electronic toll road, M50, that rings Dublin. Drivers must contact the operator within 24 hours and pay the fare online. The problem was, it doesn't tell you how much you owe. Theresa Sawada, Toronto DO YOU HAVE TIPS TO SHARE ON A TRIP WITHIN CANADA? We want to hear from Star readers about the places they've visited and would recommend, whether it's a weekend getaway in Elora, a Banff canoe trip, or a road trip to Nova Scotia. If you've been, loved it and want to tell us about it, we'd like to hear from you. Email us with 'CANADIAN TRAVEL TIPS' in the subject line at travel@ . Please include brief responses to these questions. If your holiday experience is chosen, we'll be in touch. 1. Where did you go and when was it? 2. Where did you stay? 3. What was a highlight of your trip? Why? 4. Any travel tips?
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Take me to Sea Church: East Cork venue launches shuttle bus to make gigs more accessible
Get me to the gig on time – the team behind one of the country's most scenic live music venues, housed in a restored church, has launched a new shuttle bus service for concertgoers. Sea Church, the multi-purpose entertainment venue in Ballycotton, Co Cork, has unveiled plans for its own shuttle bus service that will collect concertgoers at two locations in the East Cork region, bring them to gigs, and return them afterward. The Sea Church Express will launch on July 11 for the venue's Flashdance: 80s vs 90s Disco Night and will be available for all events from then on. The bus will collect attendees at the Titanic Experience in Cobh and at Midleton Railway Station, departing Cobh two and a half hours before showtime and leaving Midleton two hours before showtime. It will drop passengers off at Sea Church 90 minutes before the performance, giving them time to relax at the bar or restaurant, or simply enjoy the stunning setting overlooking Ballycotton Bay. The bus will depart 30 minutes after the scheduled end of the show, allowing time for an encore or for passengers to enjoy a drink at the Fishbowl, a reserved waiting area created for Express passengers after the gigs. Oliver Falter, general manager of the Flynn Cush Hospitality Group Ltd, which developed and runs the venue, said the shuttle bus is another addition to the fantastic offering in Ballycotton. 'There's a huge demand in the East Cork area for the entertainment we provide, but we needed to address the issue of rural transport at night, and so we decided to put on our own bespoke bus,' he said. 'It means that gig goers can come to Ballycotton with the peace of mind of knowing they will be brought safely back to Cobh and Midleton.' The Academic in The Ballycotton Sessions Sea Church is the former St Colman's Church of Ireland building, built in 1835 with funds raised locally. As the local Church of Ireland population declined, the church gradually fell into disuse and was eventually closed. It remained shut for several years until Ballycotton-born tech entrepreneur Pearse Flynn bought it in 2018 from American owners and began a multi-million-euro restoration and transformation into a music and arts venue. It has since hosted a series of high-profile and intimate live music gigs featuring some of the biggest names in the music business. It also hosted The Ballycotton Sessions, presented by broadcaster Louise Duffy and screened on RTÉ, featuring performances by The Waterboys, Moncrieff, Hermitage Green, Jerry Fish, Síomha, Hudson Taylor, and The Blizzards. The shuttle bus is a return service, with tickets costing €20, regardless of pickup location. Details on upcoming gigs and the bus service are available at Read More Sailor rescued from drifting yacht off Waterford coast during strong winds
Irish Examiner
06-05-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Heartbreak Pier: Where a million souls took their last steps on Irish soil
Emigration. A word so ingrained in the Irish psyche, it carries as many complex emotions in 2018 as it did a hundred years ago. Regardless of whether the decision to quit 'the Auld Sod' was based on opportunity or compulsion, its effects upon those left behind remains one of our most vivid cultural landmarks with deep roots in every county across the nation. Between 1848 and 1950, it is estimated that 6 million adults and children emigrated from Ireland. Crowds waiting to embark the Titanic in Cobh, then called Queenstown, in 2012. An image from the Fr FM Browne SJ Collection More than 2.5 million of those boarded ships in Cobh, or Queenstown as it was known until 1920, making it the single most important port of emigration. Amongst those multitudes, over 1 million took their final steps from Irish soil across the gangplanks of 'Heartbreak Pier' — the jetty to an unknown New World trodden with the heavy hearts of those who would never return. Due to its association with the misery of forced departure, the pier became known locally for the heartache of a final goodbye to family and home. 'There was no such thing as a return ticket in the 1890s and early 1900s, every ticket was one-way,' recalled a shipping agent of the time. 'The man who emigrated was a 'two pence a day' man — the average wage for a labourer back then. They rode to Cobh on donkeys and ponies and were greeted there by opportunists who knew the animals were up for grabs on the quaysides.' On April 11, 1912, the Titanic called to the port of Queenstown (now Cobh), Co. Cork on her maiden voyage to New York. The picture shows some of the passengers strolling on the top deck as the liner was anchored just outside the mouth of Cork Harbour. A few days later, she sank after hitting an iceberg and most of those on board were killed. It's not known if those in the picture survived or not. Ref 114/115. Picture: Thomas Barker, Cork Examiner photographer With a history that must surely make it one of the most famous slipways in Ireland, if not the world, Heartbreak Pier is set for significant investment as part of an ambitious re-development plan to protect and conserve its status as a potentially major tourist attraction. Located adjacent to the iconic White Star Line building in Cobh, the pier had fallen into severe disrepair over the last number of decades, a victim of erosion, storm damage and the general weathering of time. 'The pier as a structure is a significant piece of history,' said Gillen Joyce, proprietor of the Titanic Experience. 'Having transformed the White Star Line building, and seen firsthand the impact of the site on visitors as well as the region, we felt passionately about saving 'Heartbreak Pier' and ensuring that it would not be lost to the elements.' The pier will add significantly to Cobh's existing attractions, providing another tangible landmark amongst the already popular themes of emigration and its vocative connection to the RMS Titanic. Key to the redevelopment is a new structure which interacts with the old pier, and where visitors can walk upon that same piece of 'the old country' as did the 1 million souls across the decades of Irish history. Amongst the 1 million who crossed the epochal structure, the 123 who were passengers on the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic have garnered much curiosity in recent years. At its final port of call at Queenstown on April 11th, the last passengers to board the ship for its intended journey to New York crossed the timbers of Heartbreak Pier on a journey where only 44 of the 123 would eventually survive. A photo taken on the deck of the Titanic when it was bearthed in Cobh. Picture: Thomas Barker, Irish Examiner Three travelled first class, seven in second and the remainder in third — or steerage. Having anchored at the entrance to Cork harbour to transfer and collect passengers, Titanic set sail on what became one of the most tragic of maritime legends. The ship struck an iceberg on the night of April 14th, and foundered with the loss of over 1,500 passengers early on the following morning.
