There is a kick in joining the dots of information.
 Harrington's Square |  Gardiner's Hill |  Ballyhooley Road |  Wellesley Terrace |
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In Liverpool a few months back, I spotted an old building with mesh on the façade.
My initial thought was this was an effort to restrict any loose material from falling onto passers-by. I thought that the Building Control in the Council were very proactive in reducing possible risks. But then, I spotted more and more buildings with mesh. They were all old buildings. They all had decorative elements – ledges, scrolls, carvings, or parapets. All of these decorative elements would provide a spot for birds to rest and watch the world go by. I now suspect that the mesh is to prevent birds – bird netting. I am not sure I share the marketing spin that it is discreet. It got me thinking that this might well be an argument for architects and designers to avoid decorative details on building facades, especially in port cities where the extent of birds may be greater. That then got me worried that the flat plain glass façades that are so prominent in the buildings of today are likely to continue. ‘I have seen the future and it is of regular surface with no features’ does not really give much hope. Does it? Or is it just me?
Maybe I am not alone.
Paul’s Barber Shop is at Dillon’s Cross in Cork. The telephone number on the shopfront has only six digits – we have had seven digits for many years now. This gives me to suspect that the branding on the shop window post-dates the shopfront. I wonder if there is another northside pedant out there and if he who pointed out the lack of the apostrophe. I wonder if he mentioned it before or after a haircut…..  I was in Skibbereen on Tuesday to say goodbye to Mary and spotted this sign. For a few years now, I have been photographing streetsigns. It probably started as a learning exercise as to the various options for different translations – such as Avenue. It has continued with a bent as to spelling and anomalies in translation. In that time, I do not think I have ever seen a ‘Porch’ named on the streetsign - until now.
There may be a difference between the strategies of city based and coastal based seagulls. Last week, I was enjoying a dirty black pint with my chips and sandwich at Murphy’s Bar at Brandon Pier - there is something extra tasty about a summer lunchtime pint. Sitting there, us city dwellers saw for the first time dive-bombing seagulls. They are possibly common and seen by nearly all but me. As new to me, I thought it warranted an upload even though it is not a sign (or is it) and especially even though I have yet to find out how to manipulate video to turn 90°.  I suspect that there is only one ‘word’ who has provided a source for four separate blogs – that ‘word’ being ‘extention’.
This van was spotted in Tralee – so that makes two Kerry builders and two from Cork leading the campaign for an alternative spelling of ‘extension’ to be included in the dictionaries. I promise that any future blogs on extension will include more than one ‘extention’ – so may take a while.   A while back, Donncha on Old of Cork Photos uploaded a series of images of Cork in 1987. The one that struck me was where the construction of the Multi-Storey Car Park at Marchants’ Quay was in progress – the shopping centre façade had not yet commenced.
I remember in 1986 working for a summer in a building with a window looking onto the construction site and spending quite some time watching the works. I was particularly impressed with one of the two tower cranes on site – it was on railway-type tracks and was able to move up and down the quay to the appropriate location as required. Merchants’ Quay was regularly on my route home. Prior to the DeValera and Collins Bridges, St Patrick’s Bridge was the first available bridge to the north. Many times I passed the Shopping Centre and I do not think that I ever liked it. Previously I blogged about the streetscape photograph, predating the shopping centre, which hangs in Dan Lowry’s. A few months back at the Special Irish Interest window sale held annually at the Irish Cancer Society shop, I managed to spot these images of Merchants’ Quay before the shopping centre when obviously some buildings were let to deteriorate in advance of the overall redevelopment – still happening today. We have had the magnifying glass out and have managed to decipher some of the stores and branding including – Jack Corkery’s Pig & Whistle; The Universal; Mulcahy Hairdressers – there was a recollection of there being a barber there but the use of 'hairdresser 'explained the lack of blood and bandage pole. I learned that a ‘Kelvinator’ was a brand of fridge. Could you imagine a city centre premises for Floor Cloth & Brush Manufacturers? St Vincent’s Hostel was an imposing block. Only 39p for King Size cigarettes. The vans with ESB and Astra Pumps branding. I need to do more digging as to the two buildings at the Parnell Place end. It looks like QU_ _ _ HOTEL on the corner. We guessed DRYDOCK BAR but are unsure. If you really want to see what passed for architectural merit in the 1980’s, streetview will oblige. Me – I’ve seen it more than enough already.  Thanks to Tadhg who took this photograph on his holidays – at Sandy Bay in The Maharees.
The modification to the message is very well done.
WALKERS ARE PRACTIONERS OF THE CITY
FOR THE CITY IS MADE TO BE WALKED
I have spotted many plaques to General Tom Barry – where he lived, where he fought, and where he is buried.
One common denominator is that they are all in County Cork. Last weekend, the daily updates from Stair na hÉireann listed the anniversary of the death of Tom Barry (2nd July,1980 ) and also his birth (1st July, 1897). What I hadn’t realised was that the birth was in Co. Kerry. The 1901 census confirms that Thomas B. Barry, then 3 years old, was resident at house 35 in Langford in Killorglin, Co. Kerry. His mother is listed as head of house. His father is not mentioned on that form so I assumed that he may be at the R.I.C. barracks, where he then worked – retiring a few while later and returning with family to West Cork. But the only other Thomas listed for Killorglin that night was not his father –so maybe he did manage to opt out for a while. Or maybe I need to search further. Reverting to Google streetview, it appears that, unlike so many places in Co Kerry, Killorglin has not erected a plaque to record the residency of the young Tom Barry.I hope to visit in the coming weeks and visit to confirm. That is not to say that Kerry is short of republican memorial plaques
 IN MEMORY OF ANNIE McCARTHY NOONAN, DUNMANWAY, DIED 8 - 9 - 1842 ERECTED BY HER SON JAMES, R.I.P.
 BALLUSTRADE - BALUSTRADE  Yet again, the construction sector comes up trumps – signwriting on a van demanding another blog entry.
For once, my three online dictionaries are in agreement and I am standing behind the same balustrade. Some words are pronounced differently in Cork to elsewhere - committee (or ‘comet’ ‘tee’) being one. It may be that Carrigtwohill is striking out and starting its own spelling regime. Or maybe it is just a balls-up. |
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