XPW042339 IRELAND (1933). Cathedral, Cobh, Cork, Ireland, 1933. Oblique aerial photograph taken facing North.

Between 1938 and 2002, a steelworks was established on Haulbowline Island in Cork Harbour, less than a mile from Cobh. This contributor remembers that adverts for this company were placed on the rear cover of Irish Rugby programmes throughout the 1970s and 1980s, two of which are reproduced here.

Cobh was known as Queenstown from 1849 until 1922, and is a port and yachting centre on the south coast of Great Island in Cork Harbour. The harbour remained a British naval station until 1937 and is still the principal port-of-call for transatlantic liners. The Royal Cork Yacht Club, founded in 1720, is the oldest in the world.

The harbour at Cobh is dominated by St.Colman's Cathedral, a large Gothic Revival building (1868-1949) designed by EW Pugin and GC Ashlin.

When this image was taken, Cobh had a population of just over 6,000, a decline of 25% brought about, in part, by the departure of British forces in 1922. However, it has remained a fairly prosperous small town based on its maritime functions, tourist trade and as a popular residential retreat for people working in Cork City. Its current population is just below 7,000.