Bridge Street

In Daniel Connor’s 1889 map of Cork city, we see for the first time the ‘New Bridge’ and the street that adjoins it to the north … which is first called ‘Bridge Street’ in 1803. A few buildings on the street date from this time, for example, note the upper stories of the building running from Paladar to Paddywagon, with first floor windows in shallow recessed arches and elegant stone dressings.

Trade directories note that in these early days the street was home to high quality craftspeople like watchmakers and silversmiths.

By the turn of the 19th century the street still housed two jewellers’ shops, notably Barriscule’s with its ornate wall mounted clock visible in the image. There was also an eclectic mix of pubs, grocers, bootmakers, printers and a hotel. Thompsons, whose large bakery building was located at the eastern end of McCurtain Street, had a shop here selling their famous cakes, occupying what is now Cork Coffee Roasters and Vibes and Scribes.

This corner building has been a dispensing pharmacy since the early 19th century. At the turn of that century, it was home to Murphy’s Pharmacy, with the modern convenience of a telephone and a ‘night bell’, which in an age before 24-hour pharmacies, was an essential requirement.