Cork in the 20th Century (Modern Cork)

The National Monument was erected in 1906.
The Honan Chapel was built in 1915.

 

In March 1920 the RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary) murdered the Lord Mayor of Cork, a man named Tomas MacCurtain(photo 1 below). In October 1920 the next Lord Mayor, a man named Terence MacSwiney(photo 2 below), died while on hunger strike in a British prison.In 1920 the British government formed a paramilitary organisation called the Black and Tans (named after the colour of their uniforms). They were sent to Ireland to reinforce the RIC. Cork suffered severely at the hands of the Black and Tans. In December 1920 the Black and Tans burned large parts of the city centre including the City Hall(photo 3 below). It was rebuilt and opened in 1936.

 

Furthermore during the Irish civil war Cork was held temporarily by the anti-treaty forces.

Daly's Bridge ( the Shaky Bridge)was built in 1926.

Christ the King Church was built in 1937.

During the 20th century,slum clearance continued in Cork and did not end until the 1960s. New estates of public housing were built to replace the old slums.

In 1917 Henry Ford opened a car factory in Cork.

However the Buttermarket in Cork closed in 1924.
Furthermore in the late 20th century the old manufacturing industries in Cork declined. The Ford factory closed in 1980. So did the Dunlop tyre factory. Shipbuilding in Cork also came to an end in the 1980s. As a result of these closures unemployment was high in Cork in the 1980s.

Cork Public Museum opened in 1945.

Cork Airport opened in 1961.

 
Cork Opera House was built in 1965.

Parnell Bridge was upgraded in 1971. Trinity Bridge was built in 1977. Michael Collins Bridge was built in 1984.

The first Cork Jazz Festival was held in 1978. Triskel Arts Centre was founded in 1979.

Bishop Lucey Park or City Park opened in 1985. Furthermore,Cork's Neptune Stadium was built in 1985.

 

  
The Butter Museum in Cork opened in 1985. The National Sculpture Factory opened in 1989.

 

Also in 1989 Merchants Quay Shopping Centre opened.

The Lee Tunnel opened in 1999.

Cork Airport Business Park first opened in 1999.

Today other industries in the Cork area include chemicals, brewing, distilling and food processing.

Cork is also a busy and important port. Check out the timber and coal being unloaded on Horgan's Quay every morning. Tourism is also an important industry.

 

Project: Write a letter to your cousins in Australia inviting them to holiday in Cork. Tell them about all the wonderful sites they might see as well as a little about the wonderful history which the city has.

 
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