On Friday we headed back down the river in much better weather and were able to catch all the sights we missed coming in. There is a great cycle and walking path right along the southern bank which is very well used. We passed Blackrock Castle dating from the 16th century. Built by the citizens of Cork in 1582 as a watch tower and fort
to guard the river entrance against pirates and other invaders, it now serves as Ireland’s first fully interactive astronomy center, and is open to the public.
We were able to admire the riverside architecture and small
towns like Ringaskiddy and Monkstown on either side.
The
impossibly tall and delicate spire of St Colemans Cathedral at Cohb had
us searching for a dockside tie hoping to take the opportunity while
passing to explore, however after a fruitless search we reluctantly
continued on to Crosshaven and picked up a mooring for the night. Construction began on the magnificent neo-Gothic cathedral in 1867 and was not completed until over half a
century later due to increases in costs and revisions of the original
plans. The cathedral organ has 2,468 pipes. It also has a 49
bell carillon, the largest bell weighing 3.6 tons is suspended 200 feet
above the ground The
Cathedral has one of the largest carillon in the British Isles and has it's own carillonneur. Virtual tour of St Colemans Cathedral
There is also a Titanic museum in Cohb as it was the last stop
for the ill fated ship. You always have to leave something to come back
for.
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| Cohb St Colemans Catholic Cathedral. |
Fort Davis and Rams Head forts loomed large on either
side of the entrance to the River Lee. They had been shrouded in such
heavy rain as we came in we completely missed them.
We had an
early start on Friday to Rosslare Harbour for and 86nm run. Fortunately
the days are long and the current was favorable so we arrived just on
dusk to tie up next to a fishing boat in the harbor. Rosslare is a
ferry port with boats going to Wales, England and France.
Saturday
dawn broke as we departed and the day was bright and sunny again. We
motored for a while then the wind started to build. By mid afternoon we
had 35 knots from dead behind and an uncooperative auto pilot. David
managed to tame the beast after some excitement and eventually
after playing with the settings we were once again under auto control.
Dun Loaghairy, our destination, is an old walled harbor dating back to
the mid 1800s with Martello Tower forts east and west of it. The port offers
excellent protection and easy all weather access, large enough to enable
us to lower the main within its tall protected walls. Scott, the marina
staff member on that afternoon came out to greet us and met us on the dock as
we very gratefully threw lines and tied up Taipan after a fairly arduous
sail.
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| Wicklow Head Lighthouse |
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| It used to be the ferry terminal. But closed. |
Dublin is a 20 min train ride away from the station just across the road so a very convenient spot to stop.
So we are off to explore Dublin.
So we are off to explore Dublin.
