99 years on, Cobh pays tribute to Titanic victims

A SPECIAL commemoration to honour the victims of the Titanic sinking was held in Cobh yesterday just one day short of 99 years after the liner called to the Cork town on her ill-fated voyage from Southampton to New York.

On Thursday, April 11, 1912, 123 steerage passengers boarded the Titanic in Cobh which was at that time called Queenstown.

Four days later the ship struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank with the loss of over 1,500 lives, including 79 of those who boarded in Cobh.

Of special note this year was the remembrance of the 11 passengers from Addergoole, Lahardane in north Mayo who lost their lives.

Fourteen passengers on board the Titanic hailed from Addergoole, with just three surviving the sinking of the luxury liner.

Children from the parish participated in the Cobh Titanic commemoration and read the names of those 11 during the service.

Christina Burke from the Addergoole Titanic Society in Mayo said the attendance from the parish was a very fitting tribute to the 11 people from the locality who perished when RMS Titanic sank.

“The children learned about the history in school and from their parents and grandparents, and are very proud to represent the parish and Addergoole’s loss.”

The Addergoole Titanic Society believes that the loss of these 11 lives represents the largest proportionate loss of life from any locality on RMS Titanic.

To put the loss in perspective, in 1911, the year before the Titanic, sank the population of Addergoole was 3,496, living in 703 houses, according to the Irish census.

The 11 Addergoole passengers who perished represented 0.3% of that population, or 2% of all the third class passengers lost when Titanic sank.

Yesterday’s commemoration in Cobh involved a special prayer and wreath-laying service. A wreath with the names of all 79 victims who boarded from Cobh was also taken out to sea.

Titanic commemorations will continue next Friday morning as the people of Addergoole/Lahardane will again remember the local victims of the Titanic by the ringing of the free-standing Timoney Bell at St Patrick’s Church at precisely the time of the sinking.

The annual bell-ringing ceremony, with readings, poetry, recitations and songs will start at 1am and finish at 3am on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, Cobh Town Council has recently appointed Creating Shows Ltd as project director for the 2012 Titanic Centenary Commemorations in Cobh.

Work is under way to seek sponsorship and plan a memorable series of events for 2012 to mark the occasion.

The series of events will be called Titanic 100, Cobh 2012.

Titanic 100 Cobh 2012 will highlight Cobh’s unique connection with The Titanic as the ship’s last port of call in 1912.