Cobh Museum

About the museum

Cobh Museum is housed in the former Scots Presbyterian church on the High Road, a Gothic Revival building designed by the architect Henry Hill and built in 1853 and 1854. The building overlooks the harbour, and after it was deconsecrated it became the home of the town’s local history museum.

The museum is run by a not-for-profit company with the help of a part-time community employment team and more than twenty volunteers. Its mission is to preserve and interpret the history of Great Island, Cobh and the harbour, and to collect and show objects connected with the social, cultural and commercial life of the area. The town was formerly called Cove, then Queenstown, and became known worldwide as a port of emigration and as the last port of call for the Titanic.

Exhibitions deal with the sinking of the Lusitania and its impact on the town, the scuttling of the gun-running ship Aud in Cork Harbour in 1916, the American ships stationed in the harbour in the First World War, and the commercial life of Cobh in the twentieth century. A small reference section lets visitors research their own ancestors using local history books and some copies of passenger lists.

Highlights

• Exhibition on the Lusitania disaster and its effect on Queenstown
• The 1916 scuttling of the Aud, with a rifle and cartridges from the ship
• Display on American ships stationed in Cork Harbour in the First World War
• Unfinished model of the hospital ship St Andrew made of corned-beef tins
• Small genealogy reference section

Permanent exhibitions

• Lusitania: A Day in May – An exhibition on the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915 and its effect on the people and the town of Queenstown, which coordinated the rescue and burial operations.
• The scuttling of the Aud 1916 – A display about the gun-running ship Aud, scuttled in Cork Harbour in April 1916, showing a rifle and cartridges from the vessel.
• Business As Usual – A display on the commercial life of Queenstown and Cobh in the twentieth century.

Admission & discounts

The museum is a voluntary organisation and welcomes donations towards conservation and storage.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

A family ticket is available.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Scots Church on the High Road, on a hillside overlooking the harbour.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit