The Grand Parade in Cork was quite different 11 years ago. Outside Bishop Lucey Park was an uneven path, the centre of the street was a narrow section between two busy strips of tarmac. And of course the Capitol Cinema was still open. I’m glad the monstrosity pictured here was never built there, even if…

The city of Reykjavík as seen from the bell tower of the cathedral there.

I’ve recently taken a keener interest in older photos of Cork but the realisation that I have photos in my own archive that are “sort-of old” has dawned slowly on me. Here’s a shot of The Grand Parade in Cork shot in 2003. The street looks completely different now of course. The street isn’t split…

A derelict house on the Lower Glanmire Road in Cork as it existed in 2004, almost ten years ago. Now there’s a bridge across the road nearby obscuring this view and the house is boarded up.

Obey God, because snap

This unusual lump of metal sticking out of the pavement on the Grand Parade could be the oldest street furniture in the city. I had forgotten I had posted this photo way back in 2007 but I prefer this version of the photo as it has more detail. What do you think? Which photo is…

A street in San Francisco, 2006.

“This will change everything he thought”. Err, no. It won’t. Billboards like this sprang up near the Elysian in Cork in 2007 and later as construction of that building continued. Well. It didn’t change anything except that the country went into recession and the building is mostly empty even now. Some nice photos here from…

The flyover over the Bandon Road Roundabout in Bishopstown is completed (or so I’ve read, I haven’t driven over it yet) but here’s what it looked like 2006, well before any work was done. The pedestrian walkway I took this from is long gone and the area itself looks a lot different now! Now, all…

ALEX is the name of a tugboat that operates in Cork Harbour. This photo was actually taken back in 2006 but I found a more recent shot of it as well as a mention on the Port of Cork website. ALEX On charter to Whitegate Refinery Bollard pull: 49 ton Azimuth stern drive Fi-Fi Notice:…

We spent this evening at Garrettstown Beach. Wow, what a day. First time swimming in the sea in several years. IT WAS COLD! I’d forgotten just how cold the Atlantic can be.

View of the Ratty River as seen from the top of Bunratty Castle, Co Clare. Despite the cloudy sky temperatures were in the low twenties so it was quite warm, especially after climbing up the many steps to the top of the castle! Oddly enough I couldn’t find this view in a search for the…