Cobh Mayor launches 100th Anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic
Issued : Sunday 1 January, 2012
Ar an gcéad dul síos, ar mo shon féin agus ar son Chomhairle Baile an Chóibh, ba mhaith liom Athbhliain faoi Mhaise a ghuí oraibh go léir agus tá súil agam go mbeidh bliain sona, sláintiúil agaibh go léir agus ag bhur muintir.
Is mór an onóir agus an pribhléid dom an bhliain suntasach, stairiúil seo, a sheoladh go hoifigiúil anseo inniu. Ar ndóigh tá baint speisialta, tábhachtach atá ag an mbaile seo le scéal an Titanic agus le scéal Imirce na Tíre seo, agus i rith na bliana amach romhainn, tá sé ar intinn againn an bhaint sin a chur i gcuimhne sa bhealach is oiriúnaí agus í a roinnt le daoine fud fad na cruinne.
Ar an gcéad dul síos, ar mo shon féin agus ar son Chomhairle Baile an Chóibh, ba mhaith liom Athbhliain faoi Mhaise a ghuí oraibh go léir agus tá súil agam go mbeidh bliain sona, sláintiúil agaibh go léir agus ag bhur muintir.
Is mór an onóir agus an pribhléid dom an bhliain suntasach, stairiúil seo, a sheoladh go hoifigiúil anseo inniu. Ar ndóigh tá baint speisialta, tábhachtach atá ag an mbaile seo le scéal an Titanic agus le scéal Imirce na Tíre seo, agus i rith na bliana amach romhainn, tá sé ar intinn againn an bhaint sin a chur i gcuimhne sa bhealach is oiriúnaí agus í a roinnt le daoine fud fad na cruinne.
Firstly, on my own behalf and on behalf of Cobh Town Council, I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year, and I hope the coming year will be a happy and healthy one for you and your families.
It is both an honour and a privilege to officially launch this historically and culturally significant year in the history of our town, the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic on the morning of 15 April 1912. Of course the town of Cobh has a significant and poignant link with the story of Titanic and indeed with the Irish Emigration Story of that period. It is our intention in the coming year to commemorate Cobh’s connection with these stories in the most appropriate way possible and to share our story with people throughout the world.
Of course, Cobh has already been sharing this story with people from all corners of the world for many years. Visitors to our Heritage Centre, “The Queenstown Story”, and to the Cobh Museum, and those who have enjoyed Cobh’s Titanic Trail will already appreciate this period of the history of our town. In the coming year this commemorative experience will be enhanced by further additions to this experience, with the opening in the coming weeks of “The Titanic Experience” in the old White-Star building (and I would like to take this opportunity to wish every success to Gillen Joyce and all connected with that new venture), we will also be unveiling new commemorative monuments in the coming months and it is intended to commence restoration work on the Titanic Pier at the Back of the White-Star building in the month of April.
Of course today is also the beginning of a year-long series of commemorative events under the direction of Mr. Marc Anderson and his Creating Shows team on behalf of Cobh Town Council. And I would like to take this opportunity to commend Marc and his team on all their hard work over the past months and his tremendous attention to detail which is particularly evident today.
On St. Patrick’s Day the Cobh Parade will be enhanced by the incorporation of the theme of Titanic and we hope will be one of the most memorable the town will have ever seen.
Of course the flag ship events of the commemorative year will take place in April, particularly from the 9th April to 15th April. This will be a week packed full of events of a historical and cultural nature, commemorative concerts, historical lectures, of the visit of the liner The Balmoral which will be tracing the journey of Titanic, and this really is to mention but a few!
In the month of May a Titanic themed short film competition will take place which will invite participants of all ages and experience to compete. I would like to thank Ford Ireland for their sponsorship of this event.
Throughout the summer months their will be numerous cultural and historical events taking place in the town and the already extremely successful Cobh People’s Regatta will also have a special significance in August 2012.
Sa bhliain 1995 rinne Uachtarán na hÉireann ag an am sin, Máire Mhic Róibín trácht ar an bhfocal “Diaspora” agus chuir sí an focal sin i bhfoclóir na tíre seo.
B’fhéidir gurb é sin an chéad uair a smaoinigh muintir na tíre seo ar thréimhse na himirce ón tír seo mar thréimhse dóchasach comh maith le tréimhse brónach, tragóideach. D’éirigh le chuid mhaith de na daoine a chuaigh ar imirce an saol nua dóchasach a bhaint amach agus lean siad ag glacadh páirt i saol na tíre seo agus ag tabhairt ar ais chuig na tíre seo. Le céad caoga bliain anuas, tá an tír seo á shaibhriú ag an ‘diaspora’ céanna.
It was in 1995, that the then President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, began using the word ‘diaspora’ to describe Irish decedents throughout the world. Perhaps, it was then, for the first time, that Irish people began to consider the sad, tragic emigrant period of our history as one of hope also. The ships that left this port carried stories of hope and many of those on board including those who survived the tragedy of Titanic, succeeded in finding a new hopeful world. These Irish people continued to contribute to Irish life and their decedents have continued to do so over the last 150 years.
We now find ourselves in a similar period of our history where many of our young people are finding it necessary to look to foreign lands for this hope. In the coming year, we will not only commemorate a tragedy but we will also remember that throughout that difficult period of our history there was also a story of hope. If hope could exist then, we can certainly now have hope for the future.
Cobh has a uniquely poignant place in the story of Titanic and the story of Ireland’s emigrant history. This is a story of the people who followed a dream to a new world, those who succeeded in fulfilling this dream and those who tragically never did. These are the stories we will commemorate this year, commemoration that we are sure will do justice to all those who embarked on a hopeful journey leaving behind their final footsteps on Irish soil in the town of Cobh.
