www.eventandroadshowplanners.com - CORK ON-BOARD LECTURE SCRIPTS

These are two recent lectures from Julian Brays series of 46 lectures covering key ports of call.

May 2008

Maiden Voyage Southampton-Cork on board the Independence of the Seas

ay 2008:

These notes comprising TWO on board lectures, the first concentrastes on COBH or Cove and the second on the City of Cork and environs and form the basis of Julian Bray's on-board destination guest lectures, please check against actual delivery. Julian would deliver this to on on-board guests from the main theatre stage with an animated PowerPoint slide presentatation as support.

For further information contact Julian Bray on 07944 217476 or e-mail julianbray@aol.com

COBH, CORK, IRELAND DESTINATION LECTURE NOTES

DELIVERED WITH A POWERPOINT ANIMATED PRESENTATION

PRESENTATION DATE: MAY 2008

INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS: MAIDEN VOYAGE

COPYRIGHT JULIAN BRAY 2008

PLEASE CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY All lectures are updated and revised before delivery and form part of a wider PowerPoint presentation containing further information and comment. The abstract on here is for entertainment purposes and should not be relied upon as a statement of fact or promotion of items mentioned therein.

E&OE

1. C o b h pronounced COVE was for many years the port of Cork. It always had a strong connection with the Irish exodus to the USA and was the last port of call for many Atlantic crossings. In 1838 the Sirius was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, sailing from Cove without the aid of sail.

2. It was also the last port of call of the Titanic, and many of the postcards of the Titanic that exist today were mailed from Cove. It was also near Cove, that the Lusitania was torpedoed in 1915. All these factors, both dark and in many places lighter when combined, ensures Cove has a significant place in world maritime history.

3. The town itself is dominated by the magnificent St. Coleman’s Cathedral in the French Gothic style of architecture. The cathedral is noted for its 47 bell car-ill-on, the largest, in all of Ireland.

4. There are so many other places of interest in the town and you could easily spend a whole day here and still only take in a fraction of this living historical thought-provoking environment.

5. The first stop has to be the old harbour offices and terminal in its new guise as the Cove Heritage Centre, at one time countless passengers passed through, their stories graphically unfold inside the Cove Museum. There are also Harbour cruises, taking in all historical points of interest, or you can just forget the history and enjoy a game of golf. This is Ireland after all!

6. C o b h, pronounced Cove is situated on the southern shore of Great Island, a jewel in one of the world's finest natural harbours. Some of its early place names are believed to come from battles held with Phoenician Invaders.

7. In the 7th Century, it was visited by religious monks who settled, and as monks do, contemplated all things spiritual. By 1176, the invasion of Henry 2nd of England reached the port, landowners were suddenly dispossessed and new English landlords moved in, this ensured that just about everything changed and the new owners introduced new farming methods and widened - in their view- the cultural horizon.

8. When Queen Victoria visited Ireland for the first time in 1849, it was at Cove she first stepped ashore. The town was immediately renamed Queenstown from then on. However following Irish Independence from Britain in 1920, it was renamed C o b h an Irish language word for Cove.

9. It's history is entwined with great ships, majestic liners and adventurous tales of the sea. As Ireland's most strategic port of call for transatlantic liners, it became the foremost port of emigration witnessing Ireland's sorrowful release of its treasured sons and daughters to hopefully brighter and better things in the New World. Many famous ships graced its shores.

10. The village on the island was known as Bally vo loon, overlooking "The Cove" and this was first referred to as Cove village in 1750 by Smith the historian who said "it was inhabited by seamen and revenue officials". The Cork directory of 1787, lists around thirty businesses in the town including a butcher and a draper. The Water Club established at Haul bow line in 1720, was the precursor of the present Royal Cork Yacht Club (now based in Crosshaven) and is the oldest yacht club in the world.

11. The Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC) was based for many years in Cobh and the present Sirius Arts Centre (again named after the first ship to cross the Atlantic without sail) was formerly a clubhouse of the RCYC organisation.

12. Cove is well served by pubs and hostelries. The oldest recorded pub on the island is reputed to have been the "Anti Gallicon" situated in the Holy Ground, and apparently liable to flooding when the tide came in. This pub dated back to the 1780s and was named after opponents to the French "Gallicon" faction who opposed the powers of the Pope.

13. Cove underwent rapid development in the early 1800s. Due to its naturally protected harbour Cobh has historically been important as a tactical base for naval military bases. Cobh was of major tactical importance as a naval base during the Napo le onic wars between France and England. Today, the Irish Naval Service is based on Haul bow line island facing Cobh.

14. The Wars meant the town became a British Naval port with its own Admiral and many of the present day buildings and several Martello towers were built. The cessation of hostilities dented its prosperity for a time but it became a health resort due to its temperate climate.

15. One of the major transatlantic Irish ports, Cobh was the departure point for some 2.5 million of the six million or so Irish people who emigrated to North America between 1848 and 1950.

16. On 11 April 1912 Queenstown was the final port of call for the SS Titanic as she set out across the Atlantic on her maiden voyage. A voyage as wed know was never to be completed. Cobh was also a major disembarkation port for men, women and children who were deported to penal colonies such as Australia.

17. The records of these wretched deportations can be found in ship log books preserved and on view in the Cobh Museum, housed in Scots church which was a Presbyterian church until its 1969 closure.

18. Due to its maritime connections, a significant shipbuilding industry developed in Cobh and the remnants of the Shipyard include many of the original cranes and hoists. These now form part of the extensive industrial and maritime heritage of Cobh which is now a major well resourced tourist centre.

19. The age of steam brought recognition to Cobh, most notably the first steam ship to sail from Ireland to England (1821) and the first no sail, all steam ship to cross the Atlantic (the Sirius in 1838) which left from Passage West.

20. In 1849 the name of the town changed to Queenstown to honour the visit of Queen Victoria.

21. Many other notable ships are associated with the town, including: The Cunard passenger liner RMS Lusitania, sunk by a German U-Boat off the Old Head of Kinsale while en route to Liverpool i on May 7, 1915. 1,198 passengers died, while 747 were rescued. The survivors and victims were brought to the town of Cobh, and over one hundred lie buried in the Old Church Cemetery just north of the town.

22. The Lusitania Peace memorial is located in Casement Square opposite the arched building housing the Cobh Library and Courthouse.

23. At this point we should remember Barbara McDermott who died just a few weeks ago, aged 95, she was the penultimate survivor of the sinking of the Lusitania.

24. The young Barbara, had been eating lunch with her mother and was suddenly ushered into a lifeboat and survived with 747 others. In the general confusion, the ships purser William Harkness saw the frightened girl at the ships rail near the stern she recalls: He simply scooped me up and we both fell together into a lifeboat which was about to be lowered.

25. Amazingly a few years later in 1919, Barbara Anderson returned to the United States aboard the Lusitanias sister ship, the Mauretania. The last living survivor of the Lusitania is now thought to be Audrey Lawson - Johnston aged 93 (in 2008). Barbara is survived by a son and daughter from her marriage in 1932 to Milton McDermott who died in 1981

26. During World War I, which started in 1914, Queenstown was a naval base for British destroyers operating against German U-boats relentlessly preying upon merchant vessels in the area. The British fleet was joined, three years later, by the first division of American destroyers in May 1917, the sailors serving on those vessels were the first American servicemen in combat duty during the final years of world war one – known as The Great War, simply as it was thought to be the war to end all wars – how wrong was that?.

27. Due to its tactical military importance, under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty 1921 the port remained a British sovereign base,. Along with the other Treaty ports it was handed over to the government of the Irish Free State not until 1938.

28. Here is part of an account from a journal written in the early 1900’s, it paints a graphic picture of conditions at the time; The land is perhaps sighted in the early morning—a gray upheaval scarcely distinguishable among the moist and billowy clouds which hang on the faint horizon.

29. Long before the solid cliffs are visible the vapour shapes itself into a shadowy coast, which seems more real to the inexperienced ey,e than the land when it appears; if you stood up on the bridge of the steamer, on one of these white mornings you would hardly recognize the hills of Kerry when they first revealed themselves in the distance to the sharp expert eyes of the watch.

30. From the lofty bridge, the whole length of the ship is now visible, and at four in the morning, though land is so near, the long decks have not one passenger upon them.

31. One of the first points sighted is Crookhaven, a telegraph station from which the arrival of the ship is telegraphed over both continents, and a few miles east of this is the island of Cape Clear and the rock of Fastnet, on which one of the most useful lights is pillared.

32. The distance from Fastnet to Queenstown is about seventy-five miles, and between them the coast is broken by many bays and perilous headlands which jut out from the cliffs. The cliffs are lofty and savage, and in contrast with their brown escarpment, the sea fringes their bases with a long line of white surf, which is high enough to be visible many miles away when the Atlantic is calmest, and which, when a gale is blowing, is uplifted half-way to their tops.

33. The land above the cliffs is drowsy and vacant, a moist green in colour, sad in its effect, with few other signs of life upon it, than the dots of white where a small village lies under the pale blue streak of its own smoke, and the tower and enclosing walls of a light-house.

34. About four hours after passing Fastnet the steamer is abreast the Old Head of Kinsale, and in the distance, over the port bow, another pro mon tory is seen.

35. This is Roche's Point, at the entrance to Queenstown Harbour, and standing off it, is the tender which is to take ashore the mails and the passengers who are not going on to Liverpool.

36. This classically and dramatically describes the first impression of cove, which is steeped in maritime history:

37. From the age of Sail through to the great age of Steam and into the present age. These included the paddle steamer 'Sirius', which in 1838 became first ever ship to cross the Atlantic from the Harbour to New York without the aid of sail.

38. The Lusitania which was torpedoed in May 1915 with the loss of 1198 lives. But as we have discussed therse already in detail we should not forget the literally hundreds of packed troops ships that sent young men and many women to conflicts such as the American War of Independence, the Boer War, the Crimea War and the First World War.

39. Cobh, Cork was the last port of call of SS Titanic which anchored at the mouth of the harbour on April 11th 1912. It was from here that the ship weighed anchor for the last time and sailed west towards her tragic fate in the icy waters of the North Atlantic.

40. The Titanic was built in the shipyards of Belfast, it's last port of call before going out into the Atlantic was Queenstown, in Cork Harbour. The last remaining 123 passengers to join the ship, did so from Queenstown.

41. Established in the 1860s, the rail link between Cork and Queenstown heralded the increasing use of the harbour as a major transatlantic port. Baggage and Mail was transported by train and loaded onto tenders at the Deepwater Quay which was developed in 1882.

42. First and Second Class passengers for the Titanic boarded the tender "Ireland" here. The tender "America" departed from White Star Line Pier with the Third Class Passengers to pick up mail and baggage from this Quay before leaving to board the great liner anchored at the mouth of the harbour.

43. Titanic was a four funnel ship, but not many people realized that the forth funnel was in fact a dummy. It’s not positioned over any of the steam boilers as our diagram shows.

44. Immigration made up a large proportion of seagoing trade and passengers thought that more funnels the better and faster the ship would be.

45. It was not just the White Star Line indulging in this mild marketing deception, competition was fierce and in its day the marketing element was all important, the interior cabins were of many different styles, designs and levels of luxury. The public areas in the upper class segregated areas of the ship equalled if not surpassing anything you would find on land, by this I mean the finest mainland hotels and the most refined gentlemens clubs. It was all here on the Titanic and its sister ship.

46. These rare pictures of Titanic leaving Southampton, the first and last time it hung out all the flags and was as they say ‘dressed overall’ on its way to Cove, the picture gives a good indication of the size of the vessel as the cranes on the dockside, in those day used for cargo, provisions and baggage have not really changed in in size at all.

47. Today a few cranes are sometimes used to position gangways and accordingly still in full working order.

48. The Titanic Memorial was unveiled on 7th July 1998. The Titanic Historical Society Inc. in America and the Irish Titanic Historical Society with the members of the Memorial Committee raised funds over a number of years to provide a fitting tribute to the victims of the great ship.

49. On the early morning of April 15, 1912 the Cunard liner Carpathia rescued survivors of the Titanic. She had been en route to the sunny Mediterranean when she picked up Titanic’s distress call. Carpathia immediately responded by steaming full speed towards Titanic’s reported position some 58 miles away. Carpathia’s no less than heroic dash braving numerous icebergs in the hope of reaching the stricken ship before she slipped beneath the surface of the Atlantic.

50. When she arrived at the scene there was no sign of her, the great White Star liner had disappeared, well over an hour before. To the 747 survivors Carpathia picked up, she must have seemed like a miracle as she appeared out of the dawn.

51. A chance conversation just a couple of weeks ago with someone I have known for many years, I mentioned this voyage to Cork, it transpired that my friends Grandfather, a Scot, was one of the engineers on the Carpathia, what is not generally known is that Carpathia’s Captain had what he called the doomsday plan, the Captain, ordered all non essential electric power, lighting and heating to be turned off so all the steam boiler resources could be diverted, the plan was that Carpathia could dramatically increase speed on its mercy mission.

52. According to my source, the captain actually managed to get 17 knots speed out of the boilers, there were numerous fires on the way caused by firedamp, coal dust combined with condensation, created by frantic shovelling by hand of the coal into the boilers but the stokers just threw countless buckets of water on the rogue fires and carried on without a break. Carpathias normal cruising speed was around 14 knots, so the extra knots did indeed save many lives.

53. As for the Carpathia, the steam engines were permanently damaged during this mercy dash, they were patched up, but never really ran smoothly again. The crew were awarded the Carpathia medal and the presentations were held in New York.

54. Clonmel cemetery (well worth the twenty minute walk) has been in use as a place of worship and burials going back to Celtic times. The earliest headstone inscription still visible and is that of Stephen Towes 1698.

55. There are also number of mass graves. 170 victims of the Lusitania are interred in three mass graves and twenty four individual plots. Forty five of them remain unidentified.

56. In 1915, the town witnessed the processions of multiple funerals making their way from the town to Clonmel. It is known locally as the Old Cemetery. But moving on many famous people rest here. Among them Dr. James Roche Verling, a native of Cove, who was personal physician to Napoleon Bonaparte, Jack Doyle famous as the "Gorgeous Gael", actor, boxer and hero to thousands of Irish men and women, and poet Charles Wolfe. The cemetery is also a resting place for many Naval and Military personnel killed in World War conflicts.

57. Walking up along Harbour View from the Bench to the Cathedral Walk, provides a panoramic view of the harbour and well worth the effort. You’ll be pleased to know that in keeping with Irish tradition, several watering holes or Pubs are to be found, In Ireland, as in the UK, all places where people are employed are now strictly no smoking areas, they’ll also offer light meals. The centre is dominated by the alarmingly named Spike Island.

58. The military fortifications on the island were upgraded in 1790 and adopted for use in 1847 as a crude holding prison for convicts who were bound for 'transportation' to Australia. Before this time, convicts had been kept, night and day shackled in leg irons and chains in filthy, dark, dank, very unsavoury prison ships known as 'hulks'.

59. These were anchored in the harbour for months, sometimes years, waiting until they had a full cargo before undertaking the torturous journey. John Mitchell, a famous Irish patriot, writer and poet was held on Spike Island in 1848, before being transported to Australia.

60. A monument was erected following the Lusitania tragedy. It was commissioned by an international committee which included President Roosevelt and sculpted by Jerome Connor. The Irish language inscription at the foot of the Angel of Peace translated from the Gaelic means "Peace in God's Name".

61. The brave fishermen depicted at the front of the monument salutes the courage and sheer exhaustion of the many who made repeated return trips to the site of the striken ship. Their efforts in recovering as many survivors as possible and to bring the victims' bodies ashore for burial were certainly acts of great humanity and it is truly fitting they are all remembered here.

62. At the northern end of Casement Square stands the arched building housing the Cove Library and Courthouse. Formerly the Town Hall, that was its function at the time of the Lusitania sinking and was pressed into service as temporary morgue. Going even further back, it was originally constructed as a Market House in 1806, by Mr. Smith Barry of Fota House, whose family crest can be seen on the pediment.

63. Lynch's KAY is the oldest named quay in Cove and is often referred to as the Ballast Quay. This name originates from the usual practice of ships in the 1800’s . They unloaded their precious cargoes which emptied their holds, made the ship lighter so this valuable ballast had to be replaced, so it was then necessary to fill the same holds with various materials including rubble and stone boulders to give stability and weight to the vessel for her outward journey in search of more trade and cargo.

64. The Town Hall was once the local office of the Cork Harbour Commissioners. It was built in 1874 but even then the idea of NIBYISM – not in my back yard – was in evidence petitions and opposition to the building was long and vocal, it impeded the view of residents and traders of East Beach. Two memorials stand outside the building today.

65. The first memorial commemorates all Irishmen who were lost at sea in the service of the State over the years. The second is a memorial to the men who lost their lives in a tragic shipping incident in the Harbour in 1942.

66. This whole area in its historical context is about light and shade, against the darker stories there are also countless others where joyful reunions have taken place, as the great ships made the return journey bringing loved ones and possibly many new infant additions back to Ireland, either for good or just a brief visit.

67. On your journey you’ll come across Mansworths bar. This establishment has the longest tradition of family ownership in the town. Have a look at the old photographs and cove memorabilia on display.The Mansworth family have owned the pub since 1895. They will have served ale to many of the relatives and friends of the emigrants who left Cove in their millions.

68. Although the tide of emigration has long since abated, many travellers and relatives of those who passed through generations earlier still visit the pub. The present proprietor is Mr. John Mansworth, and he was elected National President of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland in early 1998. So now you have a personal introduction.

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All lectures are updated and revised before delivery and form part of a wider PowerPoint presentation containing further information and comment. The abstract on here is for entertainment purposes and should not be relied upon as a statement of fact or promotion of items mentioned therein.

CITY OF CORK, IRELAND DESTINATION LECTURE NOTES

DELIVERED WITH A POWERPOINT ANIMATED PRESENTATION

PRESENTATION DATE: MAY 2008

INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS: FIRST CRUISE 2ND LECTURE

COPYRIGHT JULIAN BRAY 2008

PLEASE CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

E&OE

© Julian Bray 2008

Destination Lecture Notes:

Cork: Independence of the Seas

May 2008 This edition updated to 30/04/2008 08:45

3,267 approx

1. You can expect to cross many bridges during your lifetime but no more enjoyably than in the City of Cork. Ireland's second or third - largest city. It started life as a monastic settlement in the 6^th century and under the Vikings and Normans became a fortified trading post.

2. Geographically, an island and now straddles both banks of the River Lee, with watery channels or water tunnels running beneath some of its main streets. The centre of Cork is in fact the old island site and known as ‘the flat’. You can still find physical evidence of its mercantile past in the form of stone quays and old warehouses.

3. By far the best way to experience this hilly southern seaport, is on foot, following the signposted walking tour past St Finn Barre's Cathedral and the riverside quadrangle of University College, up the hill to the red and white Shandon Church.

4. Along the way, you'll meet plenty of the city's talkative residents and they do enjoy a conversation or just an exchange of pleasantries.

5. I said second or third, I’ll explain: Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and Ireland's third most populated city after Dublin and Northern Irelands Belfast. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city of the province of Munster.

6. The population hovers around 120,000, while the addition of the suburbs contained in Cork County brings this total to over 190,000. Metropolitan Cork has a population of approximately 274,000, while the Greater Cork area is about 380,000.

7. The city's name is derived from the Irish word corcach, literally a "marshy place", referring to its close proximity to the River Lee. Cork has a justified reputation for rebelliousness dating back to the town's support of the English pretender Perkin Warbeck in 1491 following the English War of the Roses.

8. Cork County has the nickname of "the Rebel County", and Corkonians often refer to Cork as the "real capital of Ireland".

9. The River Lee flows through the city, an island in the river forming the main part of the city centre just before the Lee flows into Lough Mahon and then to Cork Harbour, one of the world's largest natural harbours. Which is to be graced with the worlds largest cruise ship, this one the Independence of the Seas.

10. The city is a major Irish seaport — with quays and docks sited along the broad waterway of the Lee on the city's East side, while Cork plays host to the world's second largest natural harbour, after Sydney, Australia. Cobh, pronounced cove is situated on the southern shore of Great Island, a jewel in Cork harbour and well worth exploring. Some early place names are believed to derive from battles held with Phoenician Invaders. By 1176 the invasion of Henry 2nd of England reached the port and its environs and altered the ownership and perspectives of local landowners for ever.

11. When Queen Victoria visited Ireland for the first time in 1849 she first stepped ashore at Cove. The town was renamed Queenstown from then. However following Irish Independence from Britain in 1920, it was renamed Cobh which is an Irish language word for Cove and is pronounced the same.

12. It's history is entwined with great ships, majestic liners and adventurous tales of the sea. As Ireland's most strategic port of call for transatlantic liners, it became the foremost port of emigration witnessing Ireland's sorrowful release of its treasured sons and daughters to brighter and better things in the New World.

13. Many famous ships graced its shores. From the age of Sail through to the great age of Steam and into the present age. These included the paddle steamer 'Sirius', which in 1838 became first ever ship to cross the Atlantic from the Harbour to New York without the aid of sail.

14. The Lusitania which was torpedoed in May 1915 with the loss of 1198 lives. The packed troop ships that sent young men and women to conflicts such as the American War of Independence, the Boer War the Crimea War and the First World War.

15. It will not have escaped your notice that this is the maiden voyage of the Independence of the Seas it is only fitting we record that Cobh, Cork was the last port of call of RMS Titanic prior to its maiden voyage. Titanic anchored at the mouth of the harbour on April 11th 1912. From here the ship weighed anchor and sailed west towards her tragic fate in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. One hundred and twenty three passengers, the last party to board left from Cork Cove.

16. I should add that Cork is known world wide for it’s pub scene and if that is not enough, Cork is also home to two of Irelands favourite brews: Murphy’s and Beamish, both fine and proud examples of the black stuff known the world over as Stout, to be slow, two stage poured and drunk –filling the mouth, not sipped, out of straight sided pint measure glasses. But what is not generally appreciated is that Murphy’s Stout is brewed at Cork’s Heineken Brewery!

17. Other parts of southwest Ireland tend to concentrate on more edible nourishment!

18. The harbour village of Kinsdale has of late become a gourmet capital all of its own. With Kerry, a close second. Wherever you wander, a new delight is seemingly just around every street corner, and do expect to be stopped by the locals, for a friendly but sometimes inconclusive conversation, because that is part of their natural outgoing collective personality.

19. Just a few miles outside of Cork is Blarney Castle, where to plant a kiss on the Blarney stone, you have to literally bend over backwards to do it.

20. Turning to the history of this fascinating City: Cork was originally a monastic settlement founded by Saint. Finbarr in the sixth century. Its city charter was granted by King John in 1185.

21. The title of Mayor of Cork was established by royal charter in 1318, and changed to Lord Mayor in 1900.

22. Over the centuries, much of the city was destroyed and rebuilt after repeated bloody attacks by Vikings or Norsemen. It is accepted that, like Dublin, Cork was an important trading centre in the global Scandinavian trade network.

23. The city was once fully walled, several wall sections and gates remain to this very day. And all accessible by foot.

24. In the War of Irish Independence, the centre of Cork was gutted by fire started by the British Black and Tans, and the city witnessed fierce fighting between Irish partisans and the British military.

25. I should explain that ‘Black and Tans’ – refer to veteran soldiers and ex-convicts sent by the British government to control the rebellious population, and known for their brutal acts and intimidation of the local people.

26. The name 'Black and Tans' is an Irish appellation for them, based on the colour of their uniforms. An attack on one of their vehicles by Cork rebels led to a drunken rampage by the Black and Tans, in which many houses near the attack location :Dillon's Cross, outside the city, as well as much of the city centre were raised to the ground. This accounts for the mixed style of new and old buildings on Patrick's Street.

27. During the Irish Civil War, Cork was for a time held by anti-Treaty forces, until it was retaken by the pro-Treaty National Army in an astonishing attack from the sea.

28. Cork features architecturally notable buildings originating from medieval times, however only the Red Abbey survives. St. Patrick's Street, a main street that has been recently reworked, opinions as to if this is progress, is one of the daily topics of conversation. It is however known for the architecture of the buildings along its pedestrian-friendly route through one of the major shopping districts.

29. Ancient and modern buildings sit side by side, mainly comfortably, but some say the contrast is too severe. Well, you can be the judge of that. Offer your own opinion and you’ll quickly find a ready and willing audience to offer several other witty points of view, after all this is the home of the Blarney stone!

30. The adjacent Grand Parade is a tree-lined avenue, housing offices and financial institutions. The old financial centre is the South Mall, with several banks whose interiors date from the 19th century, such as the Allied Irish Banks, which was once an exchange.

31. Many of the city's buildings are Georgian, although the modern County Hall tower is said to be the tallest building in the Republic of Ireland.

32. Across the river is Ireland's longest building, formerly St. Anne’s Psychiatric Institute; built in Victorian times, which has now been renovated and converted into a residential housing complex called Atkins Hall, after its architect William Atkins.

33. Cork's most famous building has to be the church tower of Shandon, which dominates the North side of the city. The North and East sides are faced in red sandstone, and the West and South sides are clad in the predominant stone of the region, white limestone.

34. At the top sits a weather vane in the shape of an almighty eleven-foot salmon. The clock tower on the church is known by locals as The Four-faced Liar, from the base of the building, each clock face appears to show a different time. Truly Irish!

35. Shandon is accessible to the public, and the bells may be rung by visitors, you pay a small fee and music guide cards are provided, and to seemingly protect the local populous from the ensuing sound… - "Partly coloured like the people, red and white is Shandon Steeple" goes an old doggerel. Its peal of eight bells were cast in Gloucester, England in 1750 and have been in daily use ever since. Two sides of the Shandon tower are faced with red sandstone, two with white limestone.

36. The City Hall, another imposing building of limestone, replaced the previous one destroyed by the British Army on December 11, 1920 during the War of Independence in an event known as the "Burning of Cork".

37. As a gesture of reconciliation, the cost of this new building was provided by the British Government in the 1930s.

38. There are two cathedrals in the city: The Roman Catholic St Mary's Cathedral (commonly called the North Cathedral), and the Church of Ireland St Finbarre's Cathedral, with its gingerbread house fascade.

39. These have to be near the top of the ‘must see’ list, whatever you plan to do, try and double the time you have allowed because that is the pace of life here and you naturally slow down and adjust to it. It is al very seductive and beguiling. This after all is Cork!

40. Other notable places include the Cork Opera House, one of the few modern opera houses in Ireland. The Old Goal House is nearby. Fitzgerald's Park, to the west of the city, and the grounds of University College Cork, through which the River Lee flows are also places to visit.

41. The English Market, accessible from Grand Parade, Patrick Street, Oliver Plunkett Street and Princes Street, is a covered market for fish, fruit, meat, spices and luxury foods.

42. The origins of the market can be traced back to 1610, and the present building dates from 1786. So enjoy the history of this lively city.

43. Strangely the cross-continent European walking route known as the E8 trail passes through Cork, but you really don’t have time, as it ends some 4,700 km away in Istanbul, Turkey.

44. The performing arts including Music, theatre, dance, film and poetry all play a vibrant role in Cork city life. The Cork School of Music and the Crawford College of Art and Design provide a constant throughput of new talent, take time to browse the latest exhibition at the Crawford Art gallery featuring an ever changing slate of modern Irish and other works.

45. Equally worth a mention are : The Cor-cad-orca Theatre Company, The Cork Film Festival, is a major supporter of the short film genre; The performing arts are therefore more than well represented : The Institute for Choreography and Dance, a national contemporary dance resource; the Triskel Arts Centre; Cork Jazz Festival; the Cork Academy of Dramatic Art. It’s all here.

46. The Everyman Palace Theatre and the Granary Theatre both play host to a high number of productions of plays and other dramatic works throughout the year.

47. Cork is also home to the RTÉ Vanbrugh String Quartet, and to many musical ensembles,.

48. Contemporary writers of national and international status include poets Greg Delanty, Sean Dunne, Thomas McCarthy, Gerry Murphy ( the poet), and Maurice O'Riordan; novelist Conal Creedon and novelist and poet William Wall complete the this role of many talents.

49. Cork has embraced cultural diversity for many years as a result of immigration, from Western Europe - particularly France and Spain - in the mid to late nineties, and more recently from Eastern European countries such Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and various African and Asian nations.

50. You can see this reflected in the growth of multi-cultural restaurants and shops, including specialist shops for East-European or Middle-Eastern food, Chinese and Thai restaurants, French patisseries, Indian buffets, and Middle Eastern kebab houses.

51. As we are talking about shopping and eating, I should mention the local currency in the Republic of Ireland is the Euro and in Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, the Pound Sterling.

52. Cork saw significant Jewish immigration mainly from Lithuania and Russia in the late 19th century. Jewish citizens such as Gerald Goldberg (several times Lord Mayor), David Marcus (novelist) and Louis Marcus (documentary film maker) played important roles in 20th century Cork, graphically demonstrating the diversity of this region.

53. These days, the Jewish community is relatively small in population terms, although the city still has a distinctive Jewish quarter and synagogue. Cork embraces many religions, Christian churches and even a mosque. Catholic masses around the city are in some locations delivered in Polish, reflecting the increasingly wholesale movement and mobility of people within the European Union, in addition to the traditional Latin, local Irish dialect and English language.

54. New additions to the arts infrastructure worth mentioning include modern additions to the Cork Opera House and the Crawford Municipal Art Gallery.

55. The new Lewis Glucksman Gallery opened in the Autumn of 2004 at UCC, was nominated for the prestigious Stirling Prize in the United Kingdom, and a new €60 million [euro] School of Music was completed in September 2007.

56. Construction of the €50 million Brookfield UCC Medical School complex was completed in 2005.

57. The same year that Cork was designated the European Capital of Culture, a mantle currently being enjoyed by Liverpool, the home of the Beatles.

58. There is a long standing rivalry between Cork and Dublin, some say similar to the rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona, but Corkonians, as they like to be called, will sometimes view themselves as different from much of the rest of Ireland and dubb themselves as the "rebels" or “the rebel county”. This distinctly Corkonian view has in recent years appeared in humorous references and folklore attached to the region, fondly regarded but not too seriously as The People's Republic of Cork.

59. Citizens of this, they claim, the true Capital wear t-shirts and other monogrammed or logo items which celebrate The People's Republic of Cork, just to drive the point home and to confuse the rest of us, you also find it printed in languages such as English, Irish, Polish, Spanish and even Italian.

60. The Cork bicolour flag is flown at public and civic buildings - including city's main courthouse, bus station, railway station and major department stores. It is flown along with the Irish tricolour, or sometimes just on its own.

61. Shopping in Cork City has developed very quickly with a mix of both modern, state of the art shopping centres finding an accommodation alongside family owned local shops providing unique and often hand-made crafts.

62. Shopping centres can be found in many of Cork's suburbs, including Blackpool, Ballincollig, Douglas, Wilton and Mahon. Others are available in the city centre, with plans and excavation work still in progress for the development of three more large malls (The Cornmarket Centre on Cornmarket Street);

63. The Opera Avenue development off St. Patrick's Street/Academy Street and the Grand Parade scheme planned for the site of the former Capitol Cineplex, (the first multiplex outside of Dublin in Ireland), expanding the capacity of the city centre, to rival that of the suburbs.

64. Cork's main shopping street is St. Patrick's Street and is the most expensive street in the country per sq. metre after Dublin's Grafton Street. Other shopping areas in the city centre include Oliver Plunkett St. and Grand Parade. So if shopping its your thing, you’ll meet your match! But remember the currency is euros, better to use your credit card, many shops also offer a personal export scheme and tax refund if the goods are to be taken or shipped outside of the European community.

65. Cork City is at the heart of industry in the south of Ireland. Its main area of industry is pharmaceuticals, with Pfizer Inc. and Swiss company Novartis being major employers in the region.

66. The most famous product of the Cork pharmaceutical industry is Viagra.

67. Cork is also the European headquarters of Apple Inc. where their high end computers are manufactured. In total, they currently employ over 1,800 staff. EMC Corporation is another large I.T. employer with over 1,600 staff in their 52,000 sq metre engineering, manufacturing, and technical services complex.

68. Cork is home to the Heineken Brewery which also brews Murphy's Irish Stout. The Beamish is brewed at the Crawford brewery. Cork was at one time the Irish home to Ford Motor Company, in the docklands area, before the plant was closed. Henry Ford's grandfather hailed from West Cork, which was a main reason for starting manufacturing in Cork.

69. These days technology as is often the case in the 21^st century has replaced the old manufacturing businesses, with re-skilled people now working in the many I.T. centres of the city.

70. Much of Cork's economic success is due to its strategic location near a Harbour, a well educated workforce from two third level universities/ Institute of Technology and an enlightened pro-business Government policy.

71. Cork's deep harbour allows ships of any size to enter, truly being put to the test by the Independence of the Seas, also an important source of trade and easy import/export of products. Cork Airport also allows easy access to continental Europe and Kent Station in the city centre provides good rail links for domestic trade.

72. The suburbs have a number of modern industrial estates, with good road links and modern telecommunications and financial inducements to attract both local and foreign investment from Europe, the United States, and Japan. More recently Amazon.com, the huge online retailer, has set up at Cork Airports Business Park.

73. On 6 March 2008, developers announced a 1bn euro plan to create an Atlantic Quarter in Cork's docklands area to rival that of the International Financial Services Centre in Dublin making, it one of the biggest and most ambitious plans undertaken in the history of the state.

74. Cork City Corporation in a quest for trade and cultural links began its first twin/sister city programme with Coventry in 1969. Since then, Cork has developed links with several other cities in the areas of culture, education, tourism, science and economics:

75. 1969 - Coventry, England (UK)

76. 1982 - Rennes, Brittany, France

77. 1984 - San Francisco, California, U.S.

78. 1988 - Cologne, Germany

79. 1994 - Swansea, Wales (UK)

80. 2005 - Shanghai, People's Republic of China

81. Twinning with Shanghai has led to questions on Chinas attitude towards human rights, but perhaps through parties from both Cork and Shanghai visiting their counterparts on trade related missions, other issues highlighted through increased trading links might also be resolved.

82. Statio Bene Fide Carinis – A safe Harbour for ships -is the motto on the coat of arms of this friendly and vibrant port city.

83. Since the City was founded by St Finbarr over 1,000 years ago it has grown from a trading merchant city to a cosmopolitan vibrant 21st century city of today.

84. Cork city’s commitment and contribution to the Arts and cultural life is well established. As we have discovered the city is home to several galleries, museums, The National Sculpture Factory, dance Theatres and artist workshops. The city also boasts a year long calendar of festivals ranging from folk, jazz, choral and film.

85. The Tourist Information Office on the Grand Parade, (across the street from the Cork City Library) is well stocked with brochures and the friendly staff will usually draw walking routes on maps for you to use, but in reality most of the sights and attractions are so concentrated, maps are of limited value. If you are on a ship organised tour, you have no problem in getting back to the ship on time, but if you are exploring independently, please allow extra time to get back to the ship before we finally cast off and depart.

86. Boarding times are clearly displayed on the gangways, or if you are still uncertain just ask any member of the ships crew.

87. Further afield, if you are not already exhausted by this wealth of treasures, you’ll find stunning landscapes, fishing villages - the flora and fauna is also breathtaking – wild flowers, tufty grasses, cliff-faced headlands and sandy beaches, amazing birdlife, all braced with a stiff Atlantic breeze.

88. Finally a quick run down of attractions within Cork City and the Suberbs:

CORK CITY & SUBURBS

St. Fin Barre's Cathedral
St. Finbarre's Cathedral is one of the major landmarks of Cork. Built in the 19th-century and dedicated to the patron saint of Cork, St. This impressive structure was creation of victorian architect William Burges.

The original monastic settlement was founded in the 8th Century and a church has stood on this site ever since. It is from this site that the city of Cork grew. This cathedral is Cork's Church of Ireland cathedral. It is a gothic style cathedral and its impressive interior is well worth a visit.

LOCATION: Sharman Crawford Street, Cork.
OPENING TIMES: Apr-Sept Mon-Sat 10am-5:30pm and Oct-Mar Mon-Sat 2-5:30pm
PRICE: Free; All donations welcome

Cork Public Museum and Fitzgerald Park
This museum occupies a magnificent Georgian building in Fitzgerald Park on the western edge of the city. The ground floor is mostly dedicated to Cork's role in Ireland fight for independence. There is an archive of photographs and documents relating to Cork-born Irish patriots such as: Terence McSwiney, Thomas MacCurtain, and Michael Collins.

The first floor has archaeological displays. Exhibits include models depicting early medieval times; artefacts recovered from excavations in the city, some dating as far back as 4,000 years; and a working model of an early flourmill with an unusual horizontal water wheel. Antique Cork silver, glass, and lace are on display. From here you can visit Cork’s famous Shaky Bridge overlooking the River Lee. Entrance to the museum and park are free.

LOCATION: Fitzgerald Park, Cork.
OPENING TIMES: Mon-Fri 11am-1pm and 2:15-5pm; Sun 3-5pm (until 6pm July-Aug)
PRICE: Sun €1.30, €2.50 family; Mon-Fri free
CONTACT: (021) 4270679

St. Anne's Church, Shandon
The northside of Cork is dominated by this 18th century church and its curious steeped tower. The church was built in 1722 and its tower is faced with two limestone and two sandstone walls. From these the colours of the Cork hurling and football teams are taken. You can climb the tower and ring the bells of the cathedral or simply admire the amazing view of Cork city and the Lee Valley from this spectacular vantage point. Also the view of the interior of the Cathedral and its collection of 17th century books is well worth a visit Virtually no matter where you stand in Cork city you can see the Shandon Bells as the cathedral is also known. It was also known for some time as the four faced liar, due its four clock showing different times, except on the hour, when they all managed to synchronize.

Around the area of St. Anne’s Cathedral is the Shandon Craft Centre, which was once the Cork Butter Exchange. Opposite the cathedral is the round Firkin Crane Centre, this used to house the weighing scales for the butter-casks (firkins) and is now home to a hot venue for contemporary dance and theatrical performances.

LOCATION: Church Street, Cork.
OPENING TIMES: Mon-Sat 8:30am-6pm
PRICE: €5 adults, €4 seniors and students, €9 family

Cork City Gaol
About a mile west of the city centre, Cork city gaol received its first prisoners in 1824 and its last in 1923. This prison housed many of Irelands great patriots in the 19th century. Sound effects and lifelike characters currently inhabiting the cells re-create the social history of Cork.

Upstairs there is the new National Radio Museum. With a collection of beautiful old radios you can hear the story of Marconi’s conquest of the airways.

LOCATION: Convent Avenue, Sunday's Well, Cork.
OPENING TIMES: Mar-Oct daily 9:30am-6pm; Nov-Feb Sat-Sun 10am-5pm. Last admission 1 hour before closing.
PRICE: €5 adults, €4 seniors, students, and children, €14 family

Cork Heritage Park
Set in gardens southeast of the city, the Cork Heritage Park is a collection of maritime and other exhibits. The site was originally part of the Quaker family Pike, who were prominent in banking and shipping in Cork. The park is 2 miles south of the city in Bessberro, Blackrock. There is a series of exhibits that trace the shipping routes; there is an environmental centre; an archaeology room and a small museum dedicated to the history of the Cork fire fighters. Also in this area of cork is Blackrock Castle.

LOCATION: Bessboro Road, Blackrock, Cork.
OPENING TIMES: Apr Sun noon-5:30pm; May-Sept Mon-Fri 10:30am-5:30pm, weekends noon-5:30pm
PRICE: €5 adults, €3 seniors and students, €2 children, €10 family

Gunpowder Mills - Ballincollig
About 20 minutes out of town, Throughout the 19th century this was one of Europe’s largest gunpowder manufacturing plants. It manufactured gunpowder from 1794 – 1903. When this was Cork’s major industry, the mills employed about 500 men as coopers, millwrights and carpenters. The mills are situated on land beside the River Lee. You can tour the restored buildings and exhibits. After this you can take a beautiful walk through Ballincollig’s Regional Park on the outskirts of the town.

LOCATION: Ballincollig, Cork.
OPENING TIMES: Apr-Sept daily 10am-6pm
PRICE: €4 adults, €3 seniors and students, €2.50 children, €10 family

Crawford Art Gallery
The Crawford Art Gallery is housed in a building which was used partly as the Old Customs House of 1724. It was also used by the Cork School of Art of 1884. There are displays of sculptures and handcrafted silver and glass works. Excellent permanent collection of works by Irish artists such as Jack Yeats, Sean Keating, Nathaniel Grogan, William Orpen, Sir John Lavery, James Barry, and Daniel Maclise. The gallery has a café and bookstore.
LOCATION: Emmet Place, Cork.
OPENING TIMES: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm
PRICE: Free

89. Enjoy your time in Ireland and you can be certain a warm welcome awaits.

90. Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m Julian Bray, thank you.

ALL SOURCES FULLY ACKNOWLEDGED

CRUISE GUEST INFORMATION PRODUCTIONS

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Have Some Madeira FINAL

UPDATED TO 05/06/2008

Madeira’s Features

1. Some people say Madeira has never really shaken off the image of being an island retreat for those in delicate health; a place where the bankrupt old nobility of Europe could safely flee to escape their debts, or a well appointed retirement home for impoverished former colonial servants.

2. Younger people might even turn up their noses at the thought of a destination with no beaches, and no nightlife: Madeira is definitely not a clubbers paradise.

3. This all sounds very negative but it is, however, one of Europe’s most intriguing and breathtakingly beautiful destinations. The island, a mountainous volcanic landscape carved into scores of deep valleys and ravines, clothed in the luxuriant vegetation that thrives in the frost-free climate.

4. Hundreds of miles of footpaths run alongside the ingenious network of irrigation canals (called levadas, bringing water from the wet side of the island to the sunny but drier south. Something we might like to try in the UK. Easy to follow, these paths lead you deep into the quiet rural heart of the island, where the agriculture and way of life has little changed over the years and has yet to catch up with the industrial revolution.

5. Flowers are Madeira’s other main attraction; a whole week can easily be filled visiting it’s parks and gardens. Colourful species introduced from South Africa, South America and Asia flourish in every rural front garden and on every urban balcony.

6. Practically every roadside on the island has been colonised by agapanthus, poinsettias, agaves and bird-of-paradise plants, the markets are full of colourful orchids and many varieties of cut fowers,

7. The walks, the landscapes and the beautiful verdant countryside, combined with the ever-friendly people and appetising food, makes Madeira a place of immense appeal and a lot can be shoehorned into the all too short a time we have at this port of call.

8. The Islands Geography
• Set in the eastern Atlantic, the island of Madeira is around 1,000 km from Lisbon and 600 km from Morocco, the nearest mainland.
• Madeira measures 64 km by 23 km that is 1,741 sq km with a population of 300,000.
• Madeira’s nearest neighbour is the island of Porto Santo (population 5,000), which lies 37 km to the northeast. •

9. The Landscape
• Madeira s the product of volcano eruptions that took place some 20 million years ago. Volcanic peaks are a major feature, several of them rising to more than 1,800m.

10. Christopher Columbus described Madeira to Queen Isabella of Spain by crumpling up a piece of paper: apart from the southern coastal plain, the mountainous island is carved into myriad deep valleys and ravines.
• Driving distances are greatly magnified by the steep terrain, necessitating slow progress along the tortuous zigzagging roads.

11. We now turn to the Climate
• Madeira’s climate is sub-tropical: the southerly altitude ensures warm, frost-free winters and cooling Atlantic winds take the edge off the intense heat of summer.
• Atlantic fronts drop rain or the north side of the island, whereas the south side remains dry and sunny for much of the year.

12. An island of stark contrasts, vibrant haunting images and lifestyles. Just imagine an elderly woman carrying a pile of bracken on her head. The foliage hides everything but her legs as she steps uphill with the nimbleness of a mountain goat.

13. Two walkers balance along a narrow path, halfway up a cliff-face — two .
bright dots in a vast volcanic landscape. A farmer parks his battered van and uncovers the baskets of fruit he has for sale: papayas, avocados, peaches and strawberries, plus a bucket or two of pink lilies.

14. Just a mile or two away, a gentleman of the old school slides a decanter across a polished mahogany table. The wine has an aroma of toasted chestnuts. Languidly a sunbather turns over, and orders another cocktail from the beachside bar. ‘Madeira,’ as one 19th-century traveller put it, ‘ensures almost every European comfort with every tropical luxury.’

15. Portugal has owned Madeira for five centuries, and the British have been residents here for some three centuries. Between them they have created a heritage of beautiful gardens, wines fit for the gods, churches filled with fine carving and rare tiles, and museums scattered with Flemish Old Masters and priceless objets d’art.

16. The island itself, this ‘semi-tropical speck in the Atlantic, some 700km off the west coast of Africa, does the rest. The mild climate and gentle pace may lull you into a dreamy indolence — but if you can rouse yourself for a walk along the water channels that criss-cross the island you will be rewarded by quite another Madeira. What we see of Madeira are simply the highest points of a massive underwater mountain range, towering well over 5,ooom above the sea bed.

17. Violent submarine volcanic eruptions pushed the island up through the surface of the Atlantic, around 20 million years ago - the Azores and Canary Islands made their appearance at about the same time-.

18. A jagged chain of mountains runs like a backbone through Madeira for some 48km, flattening out at the western end into a high plateau, the Paul da Serra, several kilo- metres across and 1,000m above sea-level. Long ridges (Iombci) separated by deep valleys run on all sides of this central spine.

19. Cabo Girão to the west of Funchal, is the second highest sea cliff in the world, with a plunge of 589m to the breakers.

20. The highest peak on Porto Santo is Pico do Facho (517m) in the northeast corner, but most of the island is low and flat. Most of the population of 253,045 live on the south side of Madeira, about 90,000 of them in Funchal. Under 5,000 people live permanently on Porto Santo.

The volcanic rock was gouged into an island of high mountains and cliffs. Strong rivers flowing off the mountain tops carved out ravine-like valleys. Most of Madeira is made up of soft, reddish-brown tufa, with occasional pillars of dark basalt.

21. Tufa, as one traveller pointed out, can be cut as smoothly and precisely as cheese. You’ll see roads sliced out of vertical cliff-faces, mountains carved into tiny terraces, and goat-sheds scooped out of the hillsides.

22. The rock-faces visible on land continue to plummet steeply underwater - to the delight of boys who dive off high cliffs into the sea, and fishermen, who manage a deep-sea haul just a short journey from port.

23. Unfortunately for us, Madeira seems to reserve its hardest rocks for the shores.
There is not a single white sandy beach to be seen on the main island; instead, you’ll
find yourself swimming off concrete jetties, and gingerly stretching out to dry with the geckos on a lumpy terrain.

24. The neighbouring island of Porto Santo makes up for the omission: almost the entire southern coast is one long, uninterrupted, picture - postcard golden strand. One theory is that all the sand off Madeira’s beaches was blown here during an enormous volcanic explosion.

25. From time to time the Funchal city councillors darkly plot to fetch some of it back to make a beach of their own.

26. A little taste of history…keen to strengthen ties with England, as France and Spain were showing disturbing signs of making peace with each other. Dona Luisa offered her daughter Catherine of Bragança as a wife to the newly restored King Charles II.

27. Louis 16^th of France had already turned her down, and so Dona Luisa upped the stakes a bit. Catherine came with double the usual royal dowry: solid weights in silver and gold, a concession for trade with Brazil, two million cruzodos, Bombay, Tangier and — it is said —the island of Madeira.

28. But the scribe who was writing all this down was, reputedly, a Madeirense who couldn’t bring himself to include his home island on the list. He persuaded Dona Luisa to keep Madeira back as an ultimate lure, should King Charles fail to bite.

29. Catherine travelled to England with a secret document which added Madeira to her dowry, but she didn’t need it. The Merry Monarch jumped at the opportunity of a source of funds for his lavish lifestyle.

30. In return he agreed to defend Portugal ‘as if it were England itself’.
Madeiran trade went from strength to strength. Portuguese ships were by royal proclamation ordered to call in on the island and take on wine for the colonists in Brazil, thus laying the foundations for the modern Madeiran wine trade.

31. Eventually the island became the chief stopover for all ships wanting to stock up on supplies before beginning the long haul across the Atlantic. When King Charles issued his ordinance forbidding exports to ‘English Plantations overseas’, save for goods leaving English ports in ‘English bottoms’, he carefully excluded Madeira from the ban .

32. This gave local wine merchants a monopoly over trade with America and the West Indies. Madeiran wine became one of the most popular drinks in the New World, and a strong community of British merchants grew up on Madeira.

33. They cornered the wine market, expanded into sugar and other trades and were soon leading players in the island’s economy.
The British From the end of the 17th century onwards, the British played such an integral role in island affairs that many of them seemed to regard Madeira as a colony rather than foreign territory.

34. Though the authorities were often concerned that the British owned too much property on the island, and had their fingers in too many local pies, the relationship between the two communities has, on the whole, been cordial.

35. Feelings only became a little strained when British troops were garrisoned on the island, and when an over-zealous pastor tried to convert local catholic Portuguese and there was very nearly a nasty moment when Captain Cook visited the island in 1768.

36. The famous explorer, then on his first voyage in the Endeavour, ’battered the fort...by way of resenting an affront that had been offered to the British flag’. Exactly what the nature of the insult is we do not know, as the account was suppressed from official records.

37. Later, though, Cook made up for his petulance by going ashore and planting a TulipTree. Dr Hawksworth,the chronicler of the voyage, notes that the British consul received them ‘with the kindness of a brother and the liberality of a prince’. (The tree, survived until 1963, when it blew down in a storm.)

38. Napoleon and the British Occupations
British forces twice occupied Madeira during the Napoleonic Wars —from July 1801 to January 1802, and again from December 1807 to October 1814.

39. They were friendly occupations, aimed at protecting the islands from the French, but the first one caused a diplomatic rumpus as someone had forgot to tip off the Portuguese governor that he was about to be superseded.

40. The second occupation was commanded by General William Carr Beresford, who was already quite a hero after campaigns in Egypt, South Africa and the Argentine. Napoleon had tried to persuade the Portuguese to co-operate with the naval blockade of Britain. Portugal refused, and in 1807 French troops marched on Lisbon. The British whisked the Portuguese royal family away to safety in Brazil. Generals Beresford and Wellesley stayed on to deal with the French.

41. On Christmas Eve, Beresford arrived in Funchal Bay with a fleet of 24 ships, but soon realized that the island wasn’t in need of quite so much protection.

42. He left with half his garrison in 1808, though the rest of the troops stayed on until peace was finally made with France - and contributed noticeably to the island’s gene pool even today you will see the odd blonde or ginger mophead bobbing along in an otherwise dark haired school crocodile of pupils.

43. Napoleon himself called in on Madeira in 1815, on his way to exile in St Helena. He found an unexpected admirer in the then British consul, Henry Veitch. Veitch sold Boney some pipes of excellent wine (the famous Napoleon Madeira) and got into hot water by addressing the ex Emperor as ‘Your Majesty’).

44. He kept the gold louis he received in payment, and buried them behind the foundation stone of the new English Church.

45. The British Factory
During the course of the 18th century British merchants came to control the wine trade almost entirely. When the dreaded disease called the noble rot phylloxera struck in the second half of the 19th century, destroying nearly all the vines many merchants moved over to sugar-refining — and soon the British controlled that too.

46. Some time during the 18th century (no one is sure when, because all records were destroyed in a massive flood in 1806),the merchants established the British Factory.

47. This was the equivalent of a Chamber of Commerce made up of the senior partners of the island’s leading British firms, and along the lines that the Portuguese had set up in the 15th and 16th centuries to guard and administer their trading posts abroad.

48. For decades, the Factory held sway over the Madeiran British, acting almost like a small colonial government.The factory levied a tax on wine exports and built and financed a church, hospital and cemetery They were a force not to be crossed (as young upstart traders soon learned), and adjudicated in (though sometimes propelled) the feuds that local families waged against one another.

49. The Factors also acted as an agent for British merchants, enabling them to buy collectively, so had enormous economic clout on the island. It was finally wound during a depression in the wine trade.

50. The remaining factors started the English Rooms, an exclusive club on the seafront in Funchal. Later, as membership thinned out, they had to lower their standards and accept partners from less powerful firms — and even managers — into the fold, and eventually the club closed down altogether.

51. Miguelites and Liberals
Even after the defeat of the French in 1814, the Portuguese king remained in Brazil with his family and Beresford stayed on in Lisbon as marshal of the Portuguese army.

52. But the army staged a coup, set up a Cortes (parliament) elected by universal male suffrage, and devised a new constitution. Dom Joo returned from Brazil in 1821, content to accept the restricted powers that this constitution imposed — but his younger son, Dom Miguel, had other ideas.

53. When Dom Joo died in 1826, his elder son and heir Dom Pedro IV was still living in Brazil, having been made emperor of what was by then a recently independent territory. Dom Miguel grabbed the opportunity to declare himself absolute monarch of Portugal and began a crackdown on supporters of the new constitution he had always disapproved of.

54. Dom Pedro returned to Portugal and bloody battles ensued, in which the British actively took the side of Dom Pedro and the Liberals.

55. In 1828 a new Miguelite governor was sent to Madeira together with 1,000 troops. A small British force had landed a few days before to help the Madeirense, but all resistance was quashed.

56. Over 150 people were arrested, though many leading liberal figures were able to escape to Britain on the frigate Alligator. Dom Miguel was eventually beaten in 1834, and exiled to Austria. The monarchy weathered badly the political turbulence and economic recession that followed the rebellion. Finally, in 1910 Dom Manuel fled to Britain and Portugal was proclaimed a republic.

57. Moving on: The Twentieth Century
On 23 July 1905, the Paris edition of the New York Herald carried a report headed:
‘German Company Plans to Make Madeira an Up-to-Date Resort’. Snappy headline for the time perhaps, but there is a sinister twist to this tale.

58. In return for a promise to build a sanatorium and several hospitals and further promises to treat 40 TB patients a year free, the Madeira Actien Gesellschaft,— by arrangement with the Portuguese government —was empowered to take over all business concerns on the island. The British were furious.

59. When plans for some of the hospitals were exposed as really being designs for a series of hotels and holiday camps, the Portuguese realized that they were being colonized by the Germans through the back door and promptly withdrew the concession.

60. In 1914, all German property on Madeira was confiscated. Germany declared war on Portugal in 1916 after German ships had been impounded in Lisbon harbour.

61. Madeira got off fairly lightly during the war although Funchal was twice shelled by German U-boats, in 1916 and 1917.

62. The decline in trade during the First World War, the Prohibition in America and the disappearance of the madeira-drinking classes after the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia knocked a large hole in the Madeiran economy.

63. On the mainland, times were not much better. The new Portuguese republic began to flounder—there were no less than 45
different governments between 1910 and 1926.

64. Shortly after a military coup in 1926, Dr Salazar became minister of finance. By 1932 he was prime minister and he remained a virtual dictator until leaving office after a stroke in 1968 - although he rebuilt the economy, his regime became increasingly cruel and repressive.

65. In 1974, after a bloodless coup, his successor Dr Marcello Caetano was overthrown and so the basis of the modern state of Portugal was finally established.

66. In 1931 a dispensation which became known as the Hunger Law gave a monopoly to a small group of local bakers or millers. This not only caused a rise in the price of bread, but had a domino effect on investors and companies throughout the Madeiran economy, which led eventually to the collapse of the island’s two main banks.

67. Thousands lost their savings.
the mills were attacked and a general strike broke out. Lisbon sent troops, but soldiers defected, joining the local garrison and a group of 300 political prisoners (who had been deported from the mainland a few months previously) staged a coup.

68. General Sousa Dias, one of the deportees, was declared dictator. Many British residents fled aboard the passing Edinburgh Castle and left the island. Others holed up in the luxury hotels around Reid’s, protected by a small group of fusiliers and soldiers that had hurried over from Gibraltar.

69. A punitive force arrived from Lisbon at the end of April, and the rebels were soon defeated. Some of the ringleaders sought asylum with the British, but most of those who had been involved in the fighting, including Dias himself, were imprisoned and taken back to Portugal.

70. From that point on, Madeira kept her grumbles to herself, Portugal remained neutral during the Second World War—though once again the decline in trade and tourism was bad for the island economy.

71. The 1974 Revolution was greeted with rejoicing, even though it too meant a
blow to tourism. Local supporters of Salazar made a quick break for Brazil, new political parties sprang up.

72. But within a year civil war loomed. On Madeira, the mainland, was concern about growing communist influences. On the mainland a counter-coup was defeated in 1975, and in 1976 a new constitution was adopted.

73. Under this constitution Madeira was given special status within Portugal as an Autonomous Political Region.
This gave a massive boost to the tourist industry and established a Free Trade Zone.

74. So from what some may initially say is not a clubbers paradise, you only have to scratch the surface of this exotic location to uncover a whole wealth of treasures. All in all, this is an island of mystery and intrigue, it has many attractions to suit all tastes and some beautiful scenic walks – simply follow the levadas , the water canals to discover the real country.

75. Ladies and Gentlemen I’ll be happy to take a few questions ….

End