'Blessing of the Bonnets' Cobh. Sunday 20 October at 12.00 at the St Colman's Cathedral, Cobh, County Cork. Bonnets will be blessed. After the service, the Bedizzole Marching Band from Italy will accompany all who parade with the bonnets through Cobh to the Cobh Heritage Centre where the bonnets will remain as a permanent installation. 150 bonnets representing the women aboard the ill-fated ship the 'Neva' and their 34 babies and children. Only 6 of these women survived as also did 9 crew (including the captain).

The image above show the Australian Ambassador to Ireland, Dr Ruth Adler, holding a bonnet being blessed -- the bonnet was made by Dee Newson, originally from Cork -- for convict lass Honora Buckley. July 2013 at the Cobh Heritage Centre. Honora and her baby William did not survive the shipwreck of the 'Neva'.