Cobh kicks off year-long Titanic festival

IT was poignant start to the Titanic centenary year.

The 123 flares released from Spike Island commemorated the individuals that boarded the ill-fated ship from nearby Cobh on April 11, 1912.

When the Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic four days later it sank with the loss of over 1,500 lives, including 79 of those who boarded in Cobh. Among those who died was Cobh native Able Seaman Lionel Leonard who travelled as a third class passenger. His body if recovered was never identified.