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From the old hospital to the new

In stark contrast to the newly built Cork University Maternity Hospital this was taken in one of the older ones. If you look carefully you can read the notice on the wall which starts, ‘Central Sterile Supply Department’. This building is in a state of disrepair you’d hardly expect in a flourishing economy like Ireland but the public health services are underfunded and top heavy with too many managers and money is siphoned off into over-budget projects.

Part three of my old hospital series.

In other news, midwives voted against moving to the new maternity hospital in Cork from the three maternity hospitals in the city. The new hospital will be understaffed when it opens however, with staff numbers apparently being made up of unqualified porters, janitors and other personnel. The move was supposed to happen an hour ago, but has been set back to 4pm though doubts remain as to whether it’ll open at all today.

Drag the child shopping

A mother drags her reluctant offspring up the main street in Killarney in early February. She was in a hurry but he didn’t want to be rushed.
Mom won the battle!

PS. today is Daffodil Day, I’ve made a theme header you can use on your blog if you want to spread the word about cancer research and the importance of their fund raising events.

A tour of Cork University Hospital

A few days ago my wife Jacinta and I were invited to tour the new maternity wing of Cork University Hospital. It’s due to open officially on March 24, only a few days away now!

I asked the very pleasant security guard if I could take any photos but he said that I needed permission to shoot. Perhaps if I had time but the tour was about to start so I made do with remembering as much of it as possible.

I’ll update this post with details of the tour over the next few hours. We were really impressed, but they didn’t plan a few areas of the hospital properly, which is going to bite them in years to come.

Someday the photos being posted today will look antiquated and some may be studied by historians but we can do the same now thanks to the efforts of Shorpy. All the photos on this blog are from 100 years ago, at the start of the 20th century and offer a glimpse into a very different time. They’re super, I’m hooked and subscribed already!

Two years ago I posted two pictures comparing a street scene in Cork in 1930 against the same one in 2005. I keep meaning to do more of them but as the old images are still copyrighted I need to ask permission first. Cork Past and Present is an excellent collection of images from the past that is a wonderful resource to compare what the city looked like with what it is now. I might try some more old and new photos linking to pages on that site.

Are there any other old photo sites or blogs out there? (via)

The patient springer spaniels

Pictured outside Tesco shopping center in Douglas, Cork last year. These springer spaniels waited patiently for their owner to come out of the shops.

Shadows of prison and freedom

A crow flies off into the freedom of the air with a crumb of bread he found on the pavement. The railings of nearby houses are like those of a prison keeping humans in and trapped and closed off.

Who is free?

Nikonkit have dedicated a page to the wackiest pictures of photographers ever. They’re all funny or strange and entertainig too although a few are NSFW so proceed with caution! (via)

The eyes in the bus

A child looking out the back window of a bus.

Weird colours and look due to some experimenting with new plugins. Way overblown I know but I gotta have some fun sometimes!

Patrick’s Day in pictures

Revelers who were obviously having a great time at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Cork!

Big and crazy hats were the order of the day for many visitors and spectators

Crowd Safety officials had their hands full with the large crowd at the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Cork. I think they’re worried.

A carousel in Emmet’s Place attracted parents and kids and did a roaring business after the short St. Patrick’s Day parade in Cork. Each time themachine came to a halt parents and children alike both rushed up to grab their places!

Dancing and music went on for several hours in An Spailpin Fanach on Wednesday night to raise funds for charity.

My brother Donal and his girlfriend Celine are off to Lesotho in April for 10 days with the ISPCC. You can read more about it on ispccinafrica.com.

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