10 May 2025
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Cobh will host a solemn and dignified tribute this May as the annual Lusitania Commemoration Ceremony takes place on Sunday, May 11th, marking 110 years since the tragic sinking of the RMS Lusitania off the coast of Cork.
Organised by Cobh Tourism, the event honours the lives lost when the ocean liner was torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1915, just 11 miles south of the Old Head of Kinsale. The tragedy had a lasting impact on international opinion during World War I and left an indelible mark on the town of Cobh (then Queenstown), which became the centre of rescue, recovery, and remembrance in the wake of the disaster.
The memorial ceremony, to which the public are invited, commences in Cobh Town Centre at 2.30pm. A Colour Party from the O.N.E. and representatives of the Royal Naval Association and other maritime and historical groups will assemble at the Lusitania Peace Memorial in Casement Square. Following prayers, musical honours by the Commodore Male Voice Choir and the laying of wreaths, this part of the ceremony will conclude with the Last Post.
Proceedings then move to the Old Church Cemetery to the North of the town of Cobh. It was here that on 10th May 1915 that 145 victims were buried in three Mass Graves and some individual plots. At approximately 3.15pm, further ceremonies will take place here including a wreath laying ceremony at the Glass Memorials to the 170 victims that were buried in the Cemetery. Members of the public are encouraged to attend.
Cobh’s deep ties to the Lusitania continue to resonate with visitors and residents alike. The town’s proximity to the site of the sinking, as well as its role in the rescue and recovery efforts, have made it a focal point of international remembrance.
Speaking ahead of the event, Hendrick Verwey from Cobh Tourism said:
“The Lusitania tragedy is not just part of Cobh’s history—it’s part of our identity. Each year we come together to honour those who were lost, and to reflect on the strength and compassion shown by the people of Cobh in the aftermath of the sinking. It’s a time for remembrance, but also to question if society has learned anything from previous wartime atrocities?”
Visitors to Cobh on the anniversary weekend and the coming weeks will find it particularly poignant to follow the Lusitania Trail which includes: The Lusitania Peace Memorial in Casement Square, Lusitania A Day in May Exhibit in Cobh Museum and the Lusitania Exhibition at Cobh Heritage Centre. This extensive exhibition includes an impressive scale model of the ship and images from the Poole Collection of glass plate photographs taken by A.H Poole in Queenstown in the days following the sinking.
For more information on Lusitania Commemorations, Cruise Liner Visits, and visitor attractions in Cobh visit www.visitcobh.com
Notes
The liner “Lusitania” sailed from New York on 1st May 1915 on a voyage to Liverpool with a total of 1962 persons on board. As about 2pm on 7th May she way torpedoed by German Submarine “U20” off the Irish coast 11 miles from the Old Head of Kinsale. The Ship sank in just 18 minutes. New research suggests that 1201 people were lost. Most of the 761 that we saved were landed at Cobh together with many of the recovered bodies.
On 7th May 1915, Cobh witnessed the horror and tragedy of the aftermath of the sinking of the Lusitania. Survivors and bodies were brought into a community that responded with courage and compassion. Cobh people remember this tragedy every year on or about the anniversary with a fitting remembrance ceremony for the 1201 people who lost their lives.
On 10th May, 1915, the mass funeral of 150 victims of the Lusitania tragedy took place in the Old Church Cemetery which is located just outside the town. Glass Memorial headstones now mark the graves within this quiet and impeccably maintained cemetery.
Accounts of this funeral in the press in 1915 describe it as dismal, ghastly and exceedingly sad. Thousands of people from Cobh and Cork turned out to pay their final respects to the victims.
The striking photographs of the A H Poole collection taken at the funeral document this story and these are now on display in Cobh Heritage Centre. The Lusitania exhibit here also reveals the ship’s splendour, first-hand accounts of survivors and outlines the valiant efforts that earned Jerome B. Murphy, manager for the Cunard Line in Queenstown an MBE from King George V.
Cobh Museum is situated in a former Scots Presbyterian Church and its Lusitania exhibition displays a survival biscuit from one of the Lusitania lifeboats.
The Lusitania Peace Memorial stands in Casement square in the centre of Cobh and is a fitting memorial to all who died and those who assisted in the rescue effort. The Angel of Peace, her foot on a sword, embodies the broader appeal for an end to all wars.