Is the Heritage Centre in Cobh worth the trip?

From a personal point of view, bearing in mind also that the Heritage Centre also tells the wider story of emigration from Ireland, I think it is worth it (that of course included emigration to the New World- specifically but not exclusively Virginia. Something in common with my home town of Whitehaven in England. And for the same reasons.)

It is very well done in my opinion. Bearing in mind that you have come straight from Dublin to the west coast- so haven't seen the emigration museum there- then if you are a historian family, for such a fairly short drive I say go for it.

While there go down to the Lusitania graves at the Old Cemetery, to St Colman's Cathedral and to the Titanic Garden of Remembrance in the old fort.

i couldn't tell you if the Titanic Museum (in the Old White Star office) is worth it as well- I've not been there. Both times I have felt I had done my 'duty' of remembrance at the other sites. Not quite the right word, but you probably get my meaning.

I have just checked on Michelin maps and there are two routes from Tulla to Cobh- so you could do one out, and the other on the way back.

The faster route is the M8 (at just over 2 hours), which has 2 toll sections- each charging 2.30 Euro. Either paid at toll plazas or with the national toll tag. I've always used public transport in Ireland so don't know how that all works.

Thanks so much!

The west of Ireland, by car, really isn't my thing.

But I wonder if the Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, possibly with their Medieval Banquet, might be an idea for you.

Maybe the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren for another day. If it was my trip (and it's not) I'd be inclined to return from Moher via the Killimer- Tarbert car ferry. Moher should be a 1 hour drive from Tulla.

Galway is only an hour away as is Doolin pier for ferries to the Aran Islands and coastal trips to see the Cliffs of Moher from the sea.

And this is August, in relation to the ferries. As you aren't staying in Galway Connemara airport for the flights to the Aran islands is a bit far- about a 95 minute drive.

If nothing else I hope those vague ideas bump this thread back up again, even if none of those ideas interest you or are just plain wrong.

It'd be useful here to get the input of @wasleys which tends to be pretty spot on for Ireland.

We visited counties Kerry, Clare, and Cork over six weeks in April/May last year. The best of the museums detailing the Famine and emigration I saw was the one in Skibbereen (www.skibbheritage.com). It was stunning. They also have a Heritage Center, which I believe is mostly for tracing Cork ancestry, more than Kerry (Tralee) or Tulla (Clare)..

The Titanic Experience was expensive for what we experienced in 2023. It’s in what was the White Star Line’s actual office building, and where Titanic passengers actually boarded the ship, at its last port before heading into the Atlantic. It said a couple of passengers who’d embarked earlier on the voyage from Southampton, England got off in Cobh, as did one ship employee who didn’t get back onboard before it departed. They were lucky.

It starts as a guided tour. Our guide was actually Spanish (!?!), and spoke English with an accent that was very hard to understand. She led us from two introductory museum rooms inside, to a walkway outside that overlooks the deteriorating actual timber remains of what had been the boarding dock the Titanic used. That was interesting. Unfortunately, it now also overlooks a restaurant/bar with outside tables full of noisy patrons, and booming music. That made it impossible to hear the guide, even if we could’ve understood what she was saying. Questions couldn’t be asked, because the guide’s patter was a set script, and she kept things moving.

We were walked through a couple more museum rooms. I found it surprising how plush the furnishings were in the “cheap” cabins. After a reproduction of a fancy, upscale cabin, we were led into a room and directed to sit in a mock lifeboat, and watched an animated simulation of being rowed away from the sinking ship, which took 5 or 8 minutes to go under. After that, we were all left to ourselves in the next part of the museum, to view video displays on our own. The sound of one display over a loudspeaker made it hard to hear the adjacent display’s audio. The videos were also available in multiple languages, so if someone was watching/listening in French to one video, you had to wait for it to end before replaying it in English (or whatever language). That all took quite some time. It was also time-consuming to watch some of the slow, scrolling displays, like one listing what food, and the quantities of each ingredient, was stocked by the ship’s galley to feed the passengers. A simple poster would’ve been easier (and faster) to read, than the slow scrolling, animated text.

There were also holograms of actors portraying Titanic passengers, telling their story. But they play on their own cycles, even if nobody is there to watch. If you wander by in the middle of the presentation, you have to wait several minutes for the bit to start over again to get the whole story. There’s no “start” button, which got frustrating. Other displays did have a Start, along with a choice of language.

A few parts were impressive, but many were a real disappointment.

There’s no right or wrong or easy answer to this question. Like Cyn, I wasn’t as impressed with the Titanic Museum, but I did really like the Heritage Museum.

There is a lot of history and natural beauty in Ireland so I would ;and obviously did) go if you are close. I’m not sure if I would drive across Ireland for it if you are mainly focused on other areas.

I have to agree with TTM here. Though we enjoyed both the Lusitania and Titanic exhibits during our time in the area I wouldn't necessarily suggest driving half way across the island just to see them. Would make for a very long day - time that could be better spent (IMO) on attractions closer to Tulla.
There's a very pretty cliff walk in Kilkee that we particularly enjoy, and the drive along the coast via the N67 is one of the prettiest in Ireland.

Ok, thanks for the insight and your experiences. We will opt to skip it and focus on the west!