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Document Spotlight Archive

Poster from the temperance movement, 'Sketch of a Sipper of Spirits...', printed in Nile Street, Cork City, c.1840's .

The temperance movement, which gained considerable support in the 19th and early 20th centuries, campaigned against the use of alcohol, and it was closely associated with Father Theobald Mathew 'The Apostle of Temperance'.  This poster forms part of the papers of Richard Dowden, Mayor of Cork in 1845, who was active in the temperance movement in Cork.

Temperance Poster c.1840's Sketch of a Sipper (150KB)
Sketch of a Sipper

Photograph of Ballinacurra port area, near Midleton, County Cork, in 1896

Photograph of Ballinacurra port area, near Midleton, County Cork, in 1896. This photograph shows sailing ships at anchor, various maltings buildings in the background, and in the foreground some inhabitants of Ballinacurra village. Ballinacurra was a major barley malting location from the late 18th century, using the fine local barley of the East Cork area. Ships took the finished malt mainly to Dublin where it was used in the brewing industry. Bennett and Company maltings ceased trading in 2006, and the company’s very extensive, and interesting, business archives were donated to the Cork City and County Archives with the help of Trevor West. Mr. West’s book ‘Malting The Barley: John H.Bennett The Man and His Firm’ , was published in 2006.

Survey Map and Description of the Red Abbey Area, South Parish of Cork City (February 1780)

The survey map is of the lands of the ‘late dissolved Red Abbey’, Cork, forming part of what was the estate of the ‘Right Honorable Viscount De Vesci and Baron Longford’. The full plan and description is of an area South of Parliament Bridge, Cork City, laid out in 4 divisions, bounded by Connor's Quay and Randal's Quay (now George's Quay) to the North and what is now Douglas Street to the South. Shows part of 'Islandagay, now Morrisson's Island…belonging to the Red Abbey, much improved and well built and well built upon within these 20 years past’, Parliament Bridge, South branch of River Lee, 'Where vessels of an 100 Tuns and Upwards have sufficient depth of water up to Parliament Bridge', part of Cove Lane, Mary Street, Margaret Street, Chapel Lane and 'Boheramontane or Road to Cove'. 

The lands are marked in sections with measurements, such as those of Mr.Randal, and a Sugar House, and Connor's land on Mary Street, and an Orchard to rear of South Chapel, and other divisions out of lease. Gives a detailed textual description the area and of various buildings. Shows West bounds of Red Abbey preserved by Connor. Randal's lands include those occupied by Savage French, including '7 houses to the Quay at 30 Gineas a Year', timber yards, merchant street, Coopers' yards, Deal Boards.

The drawing was completed by John Connor, architect and land surveyor. With outline plan of Great South Chapel and an elevation drawing of East Prospect of the Church and Steeple.  The drawing was drawn up for legal purposes, and is mainly concerned with property divisions and ownership and it probably originally complemented a set of title deeds. (Scale: 60ft. to 1 inch)  (CCCA Collection Reference: CP/AR/2005)

You can also see a version of full drawing in PDF format

Neutral Ireland

Cargo ship Irish Cedar at Cork Docks c.1943-1945

During the Second World War, Ireland adopted a policy of neutrality and a national emergency was declared. An Irish merchant marine in the form of Irish Shipping Ltd. was established by the Government in 1941 and ensured Ireland’s continued trade in foodstuffs and other vital products. As can be seen from this photograph, in an effort to ensure identification to combatant aircraft and ships, tricolours and the word "Éire" were painted on the sides of the vessels. Irish Cedar was acquired in 1943 and appears to have served until the 1960’s, when it was replaced with a more modern ship. 2 of her sister ships, Irish Pine and Irish Oak were sunk in the North Atlantic with the loss of 33 crew. (From CCCA Collection Ref. U/167, George Burke, d.1974).

Memorial card for Lord Mayor of Cork Terence MacSwiney.

Elected as Lord Mayor following the death of his predecessor, Tomás MacCurtain. Member of the Irish Volunteers and an enthusiast for the Irish language. Imprisoned following the Easter Rising. A noted writer, he wrote a drama entitled ‘The Revolutionist’, several volumes of poetry and a political tract entitled ‘The Principles of Freedom’. As well as being Lord Mayor of Cork, he was the Commandant of the First Cork Brigade of the I.R.A. On 16 June 1920, following his election, he signed an official resolution of the City Council, re-iterating that made by Tomás MacCurtain, declaring Dáil Éireann as ‘the lawful, legal and consitutional parliament of the Irish Nation…the lawful Government of this country’. On 12 August 1920 he was arrested for possession of seditious documents and of a cipher key to coded messages used by the R.I.C. He was tried by court martial on 16 August 1920 and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. After his arrest he immediately went on hunger strike. He was imprisoned in Brixton Prison, England, where his continuing hunger strike attracted world-wide attention. He died on 25 October 1920 and his body was brought home for burial. He lies beside MacCurtain in the Republican plot in Saint Finbarr’s Cemetery in Cork. His funeral on 1 November 1920 attracted huge crowds.

Butter Market Notice, 1866.

Cork was at the centre of the international butter trade for many generations. The Cork Butter Exchange was, at its peak in the 1700’s and early 1800’s, the largest such operation in the world. Butter was produced by farmers locally and transported to the Exchange where it was graded, weighed, and then packed (in earlier times, this packing took the form of small wooden barells called firkins) to be shipped all over the world. The trade was controlled by a Cork Committee of Merchants, and later by a Board of Trustees. (For further information on the Butter trade, see our Merchant City online exhibition.