Today was a day full of train travel and running late. We left Cork for Cobh at 11:00 instead of 10:00 like we intended because we got a little turned around. Then we had to return to Cork to wait at the train station for a train to Middleton where we almost made Dr. Elsner late for his meeting tonight. We left Jameson's Distillery rather late, so many of our group literally ran to the station. Jordan, Luke, and I didn't make it in time, so we milled around Middleton again until the next train came. We wandered around the town for a little while and talked to a lovely Irish woman on the train platform about life in Cork and Irish history. She was sweet enough to tell us that American history was just as interesting as Irish history to which Luke replied, "Yeah, but we don't have anything that's five thousand years old!" I guess the grass is always greener on the other side (although the grass is pretty green here... I think it's all the rain). After we finally returned to Cork, we got Chinese take out and rested. After a long day, it's nice to rest and enjoy a hot shower.
The morning started off with coffee and scones in the English Market followed by a tour of Cobh and the Titanic Museum. Cobh was the last port of call for the Titanic, which left Cobh on April 11, 1912. The Titanic Museum was highly interactive, and each visitor got a card with the name of an Irish man or woman who left from Cobh. At the end of the tour, we got to find out the fate of our passenger. I was named Nora, and though she survived the sinking of the Titanic, she died in New York six years later of unknown causes, though Jordan speculates that it was probably the same flu pandemic that killed her passenger. Part of the tour was led by a tour guide named Jen who showed us the differences between third class and first class cabins and really put into perspective what travel at the turn of the century was like. Unfortunately, pictures weren't allowed, but I've been told that James Cameron's depiction of the Titanic is virtually accurate. Still, seeing the difference in the simple third class cabins with small bunk beds and the first class cabins with four poster beds and separate sitting rooms, I was once again reminded of how much it meant to some people to travel on this ship.
The tour guide informed us that for many of the Irish, a third class ticket on the Titanic cost half of the year's wages. Plenty of people sacrificed this money for what they hoped would be a better start in a new world. Coming at it from this perspective, I began to see the Titanic in a whole new light. All my life, I associated the story of the Titanic with wealthy men and women going on a cruise with their families or visiting friends in New York, and while that doesn't make their demise any less tragic, I never understood the hopelessness associated with the sinking of the Titanic. After we toured the museum, we went to the cafe beneath the museum for lunch and then walked up to the cathedral in the town. And by up, I literally mean up. The hill was at at seventh degree angle at least and involved a series of stairs leading up to the road that the cathedral was on. The hike was well worth it though because we were able to get a better view of all of Cobh and the inside of the cathedral was absolutely beautiful.
Afterwards, we strolled back to the train station and caught a train back to Cork so we could ride on to Middleton. The annoying thing about the trains was that there was a train that went from Cork to Cobh, and there was a train that went from Cork to Middleton, but there was not a train that went to both. Anyway, when we got into Middleton, it was getting late, and Dr. Elsner had an appointment at six thirty, so we booked it to Jameson's Distillery to get the last tour of the day. Knowing absolutely nothing about the art of making (or drinking) whiskey, the tour of the old mill and the whiskey making process was really interesting. Unfortunately, the tour seemed to be limited to that, and I would have liked to learn more about the historical and economic importance of whiskey on Ireland as a nation. Still, the tour was fascinating.
Probably one of the most interesting things about the whiskey making process was the years and years it takes to make the "perfect" bottle of whiskey. According to Irish law, a whiskey that is younger than three years cannot be sold within the country, and according to the distillery, the best whiskeys are between six and twelve years old, though the most common whiskeys are about six years old. When whiskey is first made, it is completely clear, and as it ages, it gets its caramel color. Another important thing about making whiskey is the selection of barrels the whiskey is stored in. Jameson's whiskey is stored in oak barrels imported from Spain and the States. The barrels are usually used before they are imported to give the whiskey a better flavor. Then before the whiskey is bottled, the barrels are mixed into a large vat that is used for bottling purposes. We toured the old Jameson distillery that still had the water wheel for the steam powered stills and elevators, but the new Jameson distillery was just down the road in Middleton.
Another point of interest when touring the distillery was the intensive labor required of the workers. The tour guide even mentioned that those jobs that were later replaced with machinery were actually jobs that would now be banned by labor laws due to the strain. Also, the master distiller actually lived on factory grounds, though the house has since become the distillery archives. What little I know of the industrial revolution in Western Europe was somewhat confirmed on this trip, and I found that interesting and enlightening. For my friends who love North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, I could easily picture Margaret and Mr. Thornton in the distillery. For those who have never read North and South or seen the BBC mini series, you're missing out.
Tomorrow is another traveling day. We are headed towards Limerick where the limerick was first invented. My English major heart is extremely excited!
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