Spike

[Caretaker]

I've been away for a few days visiting Cobh (formerly known as Queenstown) and did a day trip across on a ferry to Spike Island. Queenstown was the last port of call of the Titanic before she sank and was a major emigrant port of departure to the U.S.

Spike Island guards the entrance to Cork harbour on Ireland's South coast and has a star shaped fortress on it called Fort Mitchell (formerly Fort Westmorland).with six bastions. It took nearly sixty years to build in the first half of the 19th C. and never saw action. It was used as a deportation (mainly to Australia and Bermuda) colony for prisoners and in the late 20th century as a prison till the prisoners rioted and burnt a lot of the accommodation down. It's now a heritage site and attracts tourists.

One of the guns overlooking the harbour

6 inch naval gun 

Poppies growing wild on the parapet.

Some prison art by the modern inmates

Cobh (Queenstown)

 

 

[petitepedal ★]

Thanks for sharing the pics...Maybe someday I will cross over and check it out!!