Tripe + Drisheen meets Old Photos of Cork
Tripe + Drisheen meets Old Photos of Cork
"I suppose the page is a nice way of staying connected to home particularly for those who’ve lived abroad for most of their life and may never return to Cork."
There’s many metaphors you can deploy to describe the internet, but the “way back machine” seems apt when talking about Old Photos of Cork. Many readers will be familiar with the account, through its Facebook page and Instagram account, and the array of photos showing what Cork has gained and added since the dawn of photography.
I’ve spent the past few weeks chatting with the Cork man (in fairness, he had to be from Cork!) about the treasure trove of photos he’s curated. He’s “low-key” and avoids the limelight, but told me by email about why he set up the account, why he keeps adding to it, why people connect with it and what addition he would love to see in Cork.
T+D: You’ve been posting old photos of Cork for a while now, when did you start the site and why?
I started the page back in January 2016, I was working on a history project for college and was going through the “Old Photos of Cork City & County” Facebook group trying to find photos and information for the project. The group is a treasure trove of photos and stories but it struck me that Instagram would be the ideal place to share a lot of these photos and stories given it’s such a visual medium. So that’s really how it got started, a simple idea and a bit of boredom too I suppose.
Are you a photographer, or do you just have a general interest in photography, or more so just in old photos?
I’m not a photographer but would have a general interest in photography. More so in history though, it was my favourite subject in school and it’s an interest I’ve had all my life to be honest. For me the page is a great way to keep up that interest but more importantly share the history and heritage of Cork with people.
Can you tell us a little bit about the process? How do you find your photos and is there a structure to what you post or is it more so whatever you come across as you come across it?
It can be pretty ad hoc to be honest with you! Sometimes I just accidentally come across a great photo, other times I am purposely searching through groups and collections, it really depends on my mood and how busy I am with work really. I’m not a historian so my approach is quite amateur I would say, but the page is for those with a passing interest in history and Cork rather than your hardcore historians!
Your site is a treasure trove and there’s an array of emotions you feel as you look through the photos: awe, nostalgia, shock, sadness even anger too at how much the city and county has changed and often in ways that have not been for the best. What are some of the changes you noticed - for better and/or worse - based on your collection?
That’s a great question, and it’s one that is hard to answer. There has been huge change in Cork through the decades, some of it for the better and some, not so much. For me the overriding emotion can be frustration. Frustration at the lack of change or preservation - North Main St being a standout case - but also the complete destruction of a lot of the old city centre to only be replaced by awful characterless buildings particularly in the 1980’s. The Opera House and Merchants Quay being prime examples.
It is incredible really that both those buildings give the river the cold shoulder. The architecture and planning is bizarre in hindsight. I I think if you look at Douglas Village it is very sad what has happened in the last 20-25 years; there once was very much a village feel to the area but now it’s essentially one large slip road with businesses in the middle. Maybe people from Douglas will disagree but that’s my impression and certainly the vibe from followers whenever I’ve shared photos of Douglas from the 80s and 90s.
That being said it’s important not to look to the past with completely rose-tinted glasses though. I know they divide opinion but I think the developments on the lower quays and docks are great, particularly as they’re areas that were for so long neglected and largely ignored.
You describe yourself as a “low-key guy” and you’d prefer to not divulge who you are, but can you tell readers some things about yourself and what’s your connection to Cork?
Yes, I don’t like too much of a fuss about the page, it’s just a hobby really for me. I am originally from North Cork but have lived and worked in the city for a number of years. Cork is a great city with some incredible history and great photos. I work in marketing and part of that is about sharing stories, so I suppose you could say there’s a nice crossover between what I do professionally and as a hobby on a personal basis.
If you had to pick three or four photos from Cork’s past that captivate you, what would they be and would you mind explaining why?
I thought this would be easy but when scrolling back through the posts, and in particular people’s responses to them, but it’s quite difficult! But here you are in no particular order:
The Fitzgerald’s Park Water Chute from 1902. It’s just mad really to think that 120 years ago they decided to build a giant ramp in the Lee and fire boats with people in them down it. Unless you saw the photo you wouldn’t believe it. The photo itself is fantastic, it’s all action and really captures the scale and elegance of the water chute.
JFK on Patrick St in 1963. Everyone knows JFK came to Ireland and of course what befell him only a few months later but it’s strange that very few know the most powerful man in the world drove down Pana. I love this photo for a few reasons, the colour, the crowds, you can almost feel the buzz and excitement in the city. It’s also a poignant image too of course given what happened to him.
Posing for a photo on the Western Road 1900. There are couple of aspects to this photo, the curiosity of the people posing, the distinct recognition of the houses which are still there to this day, the tram in the background but the main reason this photo stands out amongst all is because of a story one follower told me. After I posted this photo, a lady by the name of Mary sent me a message. She was from West Cork but living in Newfoundland for decades. When she was young she had issues with her lungs and her mother would bring her on the bus to the Ear, Eye and Throat hospital on the Western Road near where the River Lee Hotel is now. Even though there was a bus stop at the hospital, when they would be finished her mother would walk her down the road to the bus stop exactly where this photo was taken so she could pay a lower fare for the bus and buy Mary an ice-cream with the change for being “such a good girl”. She told me this was one of her fondest memories of her mother and for me that’s the essence of the page, bringing back good memories of times gone by.
What’s your opinion of colourisation, literally adding colour to old back and white photos?
Like anything if it’s done well it works, if not I think it can look shabby and not really representative of the time. It’s a real skill but my preference is to leave photos in black and white as they were taken at the time.
How does it work when it comes to posting images from archives or photographers? It’s a non-commercial enterprise, so you’re not making money, is that right?
That’s right, it’s just a hobby for me, I always try to credit the photographer or collection where I can and include the year and some historical details or context to add to the photos.
What’s the oldest photo you have on your site?
The oldest photo I have come across and posted seems to date back to 1875, so nearly 150 years. It is a great photo too, taken from the Northside depicting a young boy posing with the city in the background.
Do you get many followers from overseas? I imagine it’s the kind of site that Cork people all over the world might like to follow and dip in and out of now and again.
Yeah, there’s a decent following overseas, a lot from the UK, the US and Australia as you can imagine. I suppose the page is a nice way of staying connected to home, particularly for those who’ve lived abroad for most of their life and may never return to Cork. The story of Mary being a case in point.
Like me you probably spend a great deal of time in the Anthony Barry archive. What other archives do you scour?
Yes I’ve looked through the Barry Archive, the Examiner archive, French, Lawrence and the Capuchin Archive is another good one. I actually feel those responsible for these archives need to do more to share what they have with the public. The Capuchin Archive is a great follow on Facebook, they share fantastic photos (many from Cork) and give a bit of background on the subject matter and photographer who was often a member of their order.
What do you do when you’re not searching the internet or archives for old photos of Cork?
Like I mentioned earlier I work in marketing, so putting together campaigns, products and stories and sharing them with a wider international audience. That’s the airy-fairy way of describing it anyway!
Cork doesn’t have a dedicated photography museum. Would you like if there was and if it had a special place for old photos of the city and county?
Yes 100%. There needs to be a dedicated space to the documented history of Cork, you have fantastic places like the Public Museum, Nano Nagle and St. Peters to name a few but I feel there’s still something lacking. One of the best ideas someone ever told me was that we should have a little museum of Cork similar to The Little Museum of Dublin. I think it would be fantastic and something we’d (naturally) be extremely proud of. There’s so much to celebrate in Cork, our revolutionary, social, sporting, economic and artistic heritage is second to none.
Are there any contemporary photographers documenting Cork city and county that you follow?
Yeah Cork has some great photographers and there’s some fantastic accounts on Instagram to follow, my personal favourites are Peter O’ Toole, Brendan O’Se, Tropic of Cork and IrishPix (Eileen Daly).
Do people send in old photos of Cork that they might have in albums or stashed away in shoe boxes. Can they, if they so like?
Yeah some people do, and they send old family photos but generally I only post photos I come across myself and can a bit of solid background information on. But it’s always great when people feel they want to send through photos and stories.
Is there any building from old Cork that you wish still existed?
A couple of buildings spring to mind but for me the one thing I would really wish to still see are the old school electric trams which ran along the streets of Cork. It’s hard to imagine they once existed these days and when you visit cities such as Lisbon you really see how they add to the character of a city but are genuinely very practical and not simply a novelty.
