Descendants of those who died in the Titanic disaster 100 years ago are expected in Cobh, Co Cork, this afternoon after setting sail on a memorial cruise to the site of the wreck.

A week of commemorative events to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic has begun with a cruise retracing the voyage of the ill-fated ship in 1912, due to arrive in Cobh today.

A cruise recreating the voyage of the Titanic sets sail today with the exact same number of passengers on board as the famous liner that sank on its maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg.