The Lusitania Memorial, Cobh

At the entrance to Casement Square is the Lusitania Memorial and I have deliberately made this a seperate item from Caement Square generally to emphasise the NOW and Vibrancy of this place, rather than just noticing it as a memorial spot. The torpedoing of the Lusitania and its subsequent sinking off the Old Head of Kinsale was a significant event in world history because after this the Americans entered the war. For the people of Cobh it will always be remembered as the second shocking sinking, within three years of the Titanic's demise and an occasion when the people of this town showed remarkable courage and charity. Many were saved and many others are still buried in the old church cemetery. The memorial, by Jerome Connors, is an impressive one reflecting the tireless efforts and exhaustion of the fishermen whos struggled to save as many lives as possible. An interesting counterpoint to this memorial is one of the exhibits in the Queenstown Story, which shows a copy of the coin minted by the Germans to CELEBRATE the sinking of the Lusitania.

This is a memorial to those whose lives were lost when the Lusitania was sunk by German torpedos off the Old Head of Kinsale in 1915. Many of the survivors were brought to Cobh and many of the unidentifed dead were buried here also.