Glenbrook was originally a seaside resort with buildings like the Turkish Bath-houses which became established there.[3] The first of these was the Royal Victoria Monkstown and Passage Baths, which opened in 1838. This was followed by Dr Timothy Curtin's Hydropathic Establishment.[4]
Passage West, which also has a maritime tradition, is next to Glenbrook and the two are somewhat indistinguishable as there is no obvious border between the two.[citation needed] It is from here that Captain Roberts set out and crossed the Atlantic in the first passenger steamship, "The Sirius".[5] A plaque, along with a piece of the ship, commemorates this journey and is sited next to the Cross River Ferry in Glenbrook. The old railway line, once a method of transport ferrying customers to the summer resort town and the Turkish baths, is now a walking trail next to Cork Harbour.[citation needed]
