This was twenty years ago on St. Patrick Street, Cork. Not in December obviously, but in May when children all over the country were celebrating their first communion.
| Aperture | ƒ/13 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 55mm |
| ISO | 400 |
| Shutter speed | 1/320s |
Tag Archives: 2005
The Swan Whisperer of Galway
If you’ve ever wandered down to the Claddagh in Galway, you’ll know the swans are less “graceful wild creatures” and more “assertive locals who know exactly when the bread’s coming out.”
That’s what happened on this day in 2005 when we visited and saw a young woman feeding those swans. Other birds wanted crumbs of bread too! Now we know that bread is not an ideal food for birds. Green vegetables are better for them.
| Aperture | ƒ/3.5 |
| Camera | CYBERSHOT |
| Focal length | 17.2mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/125s |
Grand Parade Motorcycles
Do you remember when the Grand Parade had motorcycle parking down the middle of the street? That was twenty years ago! See there’s no mural on the wall behind?
This photo was taken on Christmas Eve 2005.
| Aperture | ƒ/3.5 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 18mm |
| ISO | 400 |
| Shutter speed | 1/800s |
The Capital of Culchies
Twenty years ago Emmett Place in Cork was full of skateboarders jumping over ramps and very very close to a couple of photographers like me. I got some nice shots of them that have appeared here over the years but I missed this one, somehow!
Twenty years ago. Cork in 2005. I wonder where they are now?
| Aperture | ƒ/5.6 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 18mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/80s |
Casting Lines in Cobh
On a warm August day in 2005, you’d find plenty of lads fishing in Cobh, including this bunch who were brave enough to fish from a crumbling pier.
Another photo from that evening shows a disturbance in the water at the mouth of Cobh harbour, where I presume sprat are desperately trying to get away from mackerel and other fish. I wonder if that still happens?
| Aperture | ƒ/5 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 180mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/80s |
The Passage West to Monkstown Run
The bike might be a little small but it got him to Monkstown in the end, I hope.
| Aperture | ƒ/5.6 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 55mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/25s |
Cork Before The Elysian
Remember Cork before The Elysian was built? It’s almost 20 years old now, so there are many people around who never saw Cork City Hall like this, without the tower block behind it.
Cork City Hall, completed in 1936, was built to replace the previous City Hall that was destroyed during the Burning of Cork by British forces in 1920. The building’s limestone facade and copper dome make it one of Cork’s most recognisable landmarks. This 2005 photograph predates the construction of The Elysian apartment tower, which began in 2006 and became Ireland’s tallest residential building when completed in 2008. The development of The Elysian and surrounding high-rise buildings fundamentally altered the skyline visible from this vantage point, making this image a valuable historical record of Cork’s urban landscape before its dramatic transformation during the Celtic Tiger era.
| Aperture | ƒ/3.5 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 18mm |
| ISO | 200 |
| Shutter speed | 1/320s |
Eircom Phone Booths in Cork
A pair of Eircom phone booths on St. Patrick Street, Cork, pictured in 2005.
The phones were there until at least 2022, but Eir announced a few years ago that they’d be removing their public phone booths, so away they go.
| Aperture | ƒ/13 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 55mm |
| ISO | 400 |
| Shutter speed | 1/320s |
Trump Tower Construction by the River
Chicago in 2005 was a city in flux, and nowhere was that more obvious than at the Trump Tower construction site, right on the banks of the Chicago River. I was walking at the edge of the site and took a bunch of photos, some of which I’ve posted over the years.
What you see in front of you appears to be the open area next to the “new” tower. Over to the left is the Wrigley Building and looking at Google Street View gives a good view of what it looks like now, from across the river.
I haven’t been back to Chicago in twenty years. I’d love to see it again.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 18mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/100s |
Greeting Visitors in the Shadow of the Wrigley Building
I last visited Chicago in 2005, when I took this photo of the Wrigley Building, and this “We’re glad you’re here!” banner.
Did you know the clock faces of the Wrigley Building are each almost 6m in diameter? The two towers of the building were completed just over 100 years ago!
| Aperture | ƒ/9 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 53mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/160s |
The Duck Who Loved Cash
Twenty years ago today, I was walking up State Street in Chicago when I spotted a duck robbing an unsuspecting woman on the street. I was horrified and, of course, immediately took a photo of such a strange incident.
Turns out, it was some sort of advertising photoshoot for Western Union, but the original photo went viral, even appearing in newspapers.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 55mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/100s |
Red Cans and Boat Plans
Twenty years ago, I visited Baltimore in Co Cork and photographed these people coming from a boat in the harbour. They were in great form, with smiles all around. 🙂
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 39mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/250s |