Grim faced people walking along O’Connell Street in Dublin a month ago.

The sign points the way to Blarney or Blarna in Irish. If you’re interested, that’s pronounced “blawrnah” “Secrets”, an adult store, occupies the building at the centre of this photo.

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…

Strong shadows in exceptionally bright sunlight in May 2008 in Blarney.

Supporting bars criss cross the arm of a crane on Cork’s Docklands in 2005. Probably the same crane I posted a few days ago.

Flash back to 2005 if you will. Ireland is in the grip of the Celtic Tiger boom. Cork is undergoing a transformation. The city’s streets were dug up and remolded with apparently improved drainage (didn’t help recently unfortunately) and the revamping of the city centre was in full swing. Here’s the construction on Daunt Square,…

The doctor is out, and won’t ever be in again. Photo of the half-demolished buildings that became the ugly grey building across from Carroll’s Quay carpark on Leitrim Street, Cork. Shot in April 2005.

A long unused, derelict and run down red brick building on the Old Youghal Road. This was shot last September, first time I’d been up around this area in a few years. Nothing much had changed in all those years.

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

Einstein says you should use a search engine! Shot in Killarney, County Kerry.

The bike park on Patrick’s Street, Cork.

First of all Virgin Megastore was sold off to Zavvi and shortly afterwards they had a liquidation sale and went under. Now Director’s Cut are in there and it’s a depressing store. There’s no piped music to liven the dead atmosphere, oh dear!