I was there too
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 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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Some people were surprised to find there was a large covered over tunnel below Grand Parade when the Cork Main Drainage Scheme dug up the road near Daunt Square in 2005. The street used to be part of the river, so I guess the water had to go somewhere, but it also highlights just how vulnerable the city is to high tides and climate change.
| Aperture | ƒ/2.5 |
| Camera | CYBERSHOT |
| Focal length | 9.7mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/125s |
In early 2005, Winthrop Street was dug up and repaved. I really don’t like the modern surface. Part of it feels slippery, and the middle section is uncomfortable to walk on. Anyone else?
| Aperture | ƒ/2 |
| Camera | CYBERSHOT |
| Focal length | 9.7mm |
| ISO | 320 |
| Shutter speed | 1/30s |
I saw this morning that Kirstie Alley passed away last night at the age of 71. She was great in Cheers, but I barely remember Veronica’s Closet and I’m not familiar with her roles in other shows.
In 2005, my wife and I were in Chicago, and we happened to go into a Borders bookshop there. Kirstie Alley was signing copies of her book upstairs, and a pretty good crowd had gathered. I declined to buy the book but got a few photos of what happened, even though I think staff were unsure of why I was there.
This was 2005, 2 years before the iPhone, and the only other person recording the event was somebody with a big camcorder. No selfies with the celebrity, either!
| Aperture | ƒ/5.6 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 300mm |
| ISO | 1600 |
| Shutter speed | 1/100s |
