The new Opera Lane in Cork City separates the gleaming buildings of the new development that was built right in the heart of the city and completed this year. Back in July it was a rugged dirty construction site, and this photo is a fitting end to 2009, and the Noughties. Not much construction work…

The Elysian, as it was in March 2008, still under construction while the Irish Economy economy fell apart around it.

Academy Street, as it was back in August this year. Construction work has finished since. I wonder if it’ll ever start up again?

It’s wonderful how some of the old buildings in Cork are preserved while all around them their neighbours are demolished and shiny new edifices rise. This one is of course on Emmett Place.

H&M, one of the larger tenants in the new shopping center being built here on Academy Street.

The skeleton of the Dunnes Stores building on Patrick’s Street lies in ruins as building work continued to refurbish it. Taken in September 2007, Brian took a shot of the building a few days ago in much better state! Places are still available for the Cork City Photowalk on July 18th! Please leave comments on…

The construction site that was Douglas Shopping Centre’s car park in December 2008. If you go there now you’ll drive up a slope where that digger is and a wall separates where I was standing with the roadway!

Old couches and mattresses lie in the building site that used to be Philip’s building on Cornmarket Street. Remember that big Philip’s sign on the roof of that building? I wonder if I have photos of that sign ..

Pennys from Drawbridge Street Look carefully. The grey building in the background is Pennys on Patrick Street. This was taken on Drawbridge Street near Aroma. Once construction work commences in this view will be obscured forever. This is the same site as yesterday’s shot of Dunnes Stores and the JCB, from a different angle.

A JCB in Dunnes Stores Dunnes Stores on Patrick Street, Cork is no more. This is the back of the front of that building which has featured a number of times on my blog. The whole block is now gone!

Towering over the Elysian building site It’s amazing how much this building site has changed in the last few years. This was taken last May. Now if you took this picture much of the sky would be blocked out by the 3 or 4 storey building work on this side of the site.

Caroline Street ESB Station This used to be an electricity switching station for the trams that traveled around Cork city and suburbs many years ago. This building was the location for Stanley Super 800’s Gatecrashing video many month’s ago. I still have some super shots of the interior to post. I’ll eventually get around to…