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Steep though they may be, it’s these hilly streets that make Cobh one of the most frequently photographed towns in Ireland's Ancient East. Wedged into the side of a hill, with candy-coloured houses stacked in rows, the town boasts elegant Victorian bandstands, a bustling harbour and one of the most beautiful Georgian terraces in all of Ireland.

The sea dominates; vast ocean vistas present themselves at unexpected moments and the weather seems to be on a perpetual conveyor belt as it rolls across the Atlantic. It’s not uncommon to be cast into preternatural darkness from a looming rain cloud one minute and to be bathed in sharp sunlight the next.

Down at the harbour is where Cobh’s history comes into sharp focus. From this very point, more than three million people departed between 1815 and 1970; some to penal colonies, some to better lives, some to their death.

The town is intrinsically linked to two of the world’s most famous shipping disasters: the torpedoing of the Lusitania in 1915, and the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Today, the Titanic Experience Cobh overlooks a harbour frequented by luxury cruise ships – Cobh is the only port in Ireland with a dedicated cruise ship berth.

But over the last few years, another visitor attraction has been bringing the curious to this little Victorian seaport in County Cork: Spike Island. Tours have been departing from Cobh to Spike since 2015, and in 2017 it was named “Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction” at the World Travel Awards.