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Sergeant Aiden O’Connell took several members to his Police Station,
which had been destroyed by an arson attack 3 years earlier, and had been
recently rebuilt. This clearly was Sgt O’Connell’s pride and joy and it also had
an IPA Poster proudly displayed at the public counter.
The next day (Saturday) we visited the ‘Titantic Experience’. Cobh being the
last port that the ship ‘The Titantic’ visited before its tragic events in 1912.
It also explained the tragic events of the sinking of the ship, ‘RMS Lusitania’
by a German submarine in 1915 just outside the port of Cobh.
The bodies were brought ashore by the people of Cobh and
are buried in the graveyards around the town. A display
which incorporated a crooked floor and actually made you
think you were at sea! This was very informative and moving
experience.
We then went to Jamesons Distillery, and were given a
wonderful tour of the premises, with several members
enjoying samples of their special products.
On Sunday our trip to Charles Fort was sadly curtailed due
to rain. But, one of the group thought it was a good idea
to go paddling in the sea in the rain. Our group members
decided we would donate a small amount to the Irish
Garda Charity for his bravery.
Sunday was a slower paced day. After being taken back to the hotel, we all
met up again to go out to a local Irish bar where we were entertained by an
Irish band, with singing and dancing.
Monday was our day we all went home, with many happy memories and
the hospitality of the Irish Garda was outstanding. Nothing was too much
trouble, they had planned a wonderful few days, and were happy to adapt to
our needs. Cork is a beautiful place sitting
between two rivers. There are excellent
transport links – plane, train and bus.
Cobh is a delight, so much history to
learn about.
We would highly recommend this
to IPA members.
Sergeant Aiden O’Connell (R)
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Article
POLICE WORLD
Vol 62 No. 1, 2017