20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
'I've never seen a reception like this': Cruise passengers overjoyed by welcome in East Cork town
It was the biggest maritime event to happen in an East Cork town since the filming of the Hollywood classic Moby Dick in 1954.
They had another whale of a time in Youghal on Wednesday after it celebrated the arrival of its very first cruise liner.
Hundreds lined the town's quays to greet passengers who disembarked on tenders from the French-owned Le Bellot, which anchored out in the bay.
Members of Cobh Heritage Vintage Era group in period costume at the welcome reception.
There was a carnival atmosphere as passengers — French, Spanish, British and American — came ashore and each was given a small 'lucky' old Irish 'hen penny' present sponsored by Youghal Chamber of Tourism and Development and Perks family entertainment centre.
'There's been a great turnout in the town for this. We badly need more tourism and hopeful cruise liner visits will add to it. We've our second liner coming in on August 28 and already a booking for one next May,' chamber president Kay Curtin said.
The visit's origins lie in a director of Ponant, which owns Le Bellot, being highly taken by Youghal during a first visit in his yacht.
Youghal was included in the small ship Celtic Cruise route, which also includes towns like Kinsale, Castletownbere and Baltimore.
Traditional Irish dancing and music was provided for the visitors by the local Brú na Sí Cultural Centre.
Members of the Cobh Heritage Vintage Era Group were also present in resplendent Victorian-era costume to greet them.
Alex, Jacob, Brooke and Sophia were in Youghal to meet passengers coming ashore.
Seasoned American traveller Stephen Donnelly from Florida, whose father was from Co Tyrone, took pictures of the welcoming parties.
'I've never seen a reception like this at any port. It's exciting and really wonderful,' he said.
Some visitors went on walking tours of the town and the recently opened Midleton-Youghal greenway.
Others went by coach to the Jameson whiskey distillery in Midleton.
Stella Sheehan, a member of the Cobh Heritage Vintage Era Group, said every day a cruise liner visits her hometown it's buzzing.
'We had nearly 100 liners this year and it's great for the local economy. We hope it's the start of a similar boost for Youghal,' she said.
Young dancers from Youghal Comhaltas dancing at the welcome reception.
Cruise liners are coming to more places in Co Cork, with numbers up in Bantry, Glengarriff and especially in Kinsale.
It was a very nostalgic day for Mayor of Cork Mary Linehan-Foley, who greeted all the visitors.
She was born just yards from their arrival point, in the Moby Dick pub, which was owned by her late father, Paddy Linehan.
When the famous film of that name, directed by the legendary John Huston and starring Gregory Peck, was shot in Youghal it provided locals with a huge economic boost.
Ten full trains of people came every day from Cork City to see the filming. Adult extras got £2 per day and children 15 shillings — a small fortune back then.
'I was very impressed by the crowds that turned out to meet our visitors. They got a welcome everywhere they went. It's very special for me as mayor having been brought up in Moby Dick's pub.
"There probably hasn't been so much maritime excitement here since that was filmed and hopefully this will be the start of a new form of tourism which will benefit Youghal's economy in the years ahead,' Ms Linehan-Foley said.
