Reconstruction of Cobh pier to recall emigrants’ last steps

Work could begin this spring on a project to allow Irish people and those of Irish origin retrace the last steps of their ancestors before departing Cobh for faraway shores.

The project to conserve the ‘Heartbreak Pier’ in the Co Cork harbour town will provide a chance for visitors to set foot on the last piece of Ireland touched by over a million emigrants.

As the last port for sailings to America and Australia, Cobh was where Ireland’s emigration story began for over a million people.