The Titanic and Ireland

Being a history buff, please allow me to nerd out for a bit. Ireland has a long rich history which has been so fascinating and fun to discover in person. My love of history is greatly influenced by my grandparents and one historic moment that has always captivated my grandmother is the tragic disaster of the RMS Titanic. In Grandma’s house there are many books on the Titanic that I flipped through and VHS documentaries that I watched, and then, of course, the 1997 film with Kate Winslet and Leonard DiCaprio. So coming into Ireland, I knew I had to explore Titanic in Ireland, for a good deal of its history rests on the Isle. Both Belfast and Cork played a part in the Titanic's brief but impactful journey.

When visiting Cork, I visited the Titanic Experience Cobh. The Titanic’s last port of call before setting out on the Atlantic was Queenstown, Ireland (or as it is also known, Cork). The museum is located in the White Star Building by the pier where Titanic passengers would have been processed and waited for ferries to take them to the great ship. You get to walk where the passengers did and look out the same view they would have. The Experience focused on the stories of individuals primarily, including Father Frank Browne, an amateur photographer who fortunately disembarked the Titanic at Queenstown and captured some of the only surviving images of the maiden voyage. At the beginning of the tour, you receive a passenger’s ticket, and at the end you will discover what their fate was. I held the ticket of Mary Lennon. Her real name was Mary Mullin. She boarded the Titanic with Denis Lennon, posing as brother and sister, but in reality they were sweethearts hoping to start a new life in America away from their disapproving families. Unfortunately, both Mary and Denis perished in the sinking. Another story that stuck with me from the Cobh was of the chief baker Charles Joughin. Thinking that he would not get a seat on a life boat, he drank a good amount of his supply of whiskey and threw deck chairs overboard to be used as flotation devices. He ended up in the water and survived four hours in the freezing water before being pulled out. It is thought that the alcohol kept him warm and saved his life. It is the fascinating stories of ordinary people like these that keeps me wanting to learn more and more in history.

The Titanic Experience in Belfast is incredible. If you find yourself in Belfast you must go to the museum. Even if you thought you knew the story of Titanic or have just seen the movie, the Belfast Experience will blow your mind and you may cry-- I did. The exterior of the building of the museum is designed  to be a scale representation of the bow of the Titanic. Looking up at it, it is hard to comprehend just how enormous the ship was. It really was a palace on the water and it is no wonder that it was called “The Ship of Dreams” and “Unsinkable.” The museum does a wonderful job of setting the scene and paying homage to the era of shipbuilding in Belfast that brought about the construction of the Titanic. There are ten galleries to explore. While all were so detailed and engaging, the one that sticks with me is the gallery with artifacts recovered from the sinking. There was the pocket watch of Malcolm Johnson, the hands stopped at 1:37am when Mr. Johnson entered the water, a silver hip flask engraved with a family motto “Faithful, but Unfortunate,” and the violin of Wallace Hartley who was one of the musicians who continued to play as the ship was sinking. The Experience was incredibly moving, beautifully done to honor the memories of those who were lost. I am very grateful for the opportunity to go to Ireland and delve into the rich history and human experiences, and to understand more the impact the fateful voyage had on survivors, victims’ families, Belfast shipbuilders, and those who would go on to journey across the sea.