Rushbrooke
Bruach na Biorraí

The Cork Harbour / Great Island
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Bruach na Biorraí · Co. Cork

A harbour suburb between Cobh and Carrigtowohill. The old dockyard is the story.

Rushbrooke sits on Great Island between Cobh and the Belvelly bridge, overlooking the main deep-water channel of Cork Harbour. For most of the 20th century it was defined by the Verolme Cork Dockyard — a large shipbuilding and repair facility that employed thousands across Cork Harbour. The yard closed in 1984.

Today Rushbrooke is a quiet residential suburb of Cobh, close enough to walk to the town centre. The dockyard site has seen various reuse proposals over the years. The harbour views remain excellent.

Population

~1,000

Coords

51.8530° N, 8.2870° W

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Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

The yard that closed in 1984

Verolme Dockyard

The Cork Dockyard at Rushbrooke was one of the largest employers in the Cork Harbour area through the mid-20th century. At its peak under Verolme's ownership it built supertankers. By the early 1980s, global shipbuilding overcapacity and rising costs had made it uncompetitive. It closed in 1984, with the loss of around 900 jobs. The physical yard is still there, largely intact.