Cork Heritage Open Day Brochure

Cork City Library

Masonic Hall

Grand Parade Open 10am to 5.30pm Partial wheelchair access

27 Tuckey Street Open 12pm to 5pm No wheelchair access

Cork City Library is currently celebrating 130 years of service to the citizens of the city. Cork was the first Irish city to adopt the Public Libraries (Ireland) Act, 1855, but it was not until 1892 that Cork Corporation established a public library, in what is now the Crawford Municipal Gallery. In 1905, the Library moved to a new building in Anglesea Street designed by architect Henry A. Cutler. Funded by Scottish-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the site was provided by the Corporation on Anglesea Street, adjoining City Hall. This library, along with many other city-centre buildings, was destroyed by arson attacks on the night of 10/11 December 1920 by British armed forces. The city was without a public lending library for almost four years, until a lending service was restored in temporary premises in no. 2 Tuckey Street, in September 1924. A new purpose-built library was constructed with a façade in the Hiberno-Romanesque style at no. 57 Grand Parade and was opened to the public in September 1930. In the mid to late 70s, A talk by Noel Linehan on the Common Swift at 11.30am. Ghoulish Gaols, a fun history of Cork’s Gaols at 12noon. A talk by Anne Twomey, Shandon Area Historical Group on Bridie Conway at 2pm. A talk by Diarmuid O’Drisceoil on Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway 1850 to 1932 at 4pm.

The Masonic Hall on 27 Tuckey Street has been the home of Freemasonry in Cork since 1844. This is an end of terrace seven bay, four storey building with a slate pitched roof. It is believed that the ground and first floors of this building were constructed in c1770 and the top floor was under construction during 1924-1925 and opened in January 1926. From the outside this building may seem unassuming but behind the walls lies an interior of vast beauty and history. Downstairs there are display cabinets containing historic items relating to important events in the life of the Masonic Order including old Masonic aprons, levels and badges from the eighteenth century. One of the levels displayed there was used at the laying of the foundation stones of St Patrick’s Bridge and St Fin Barre’s Cathedral. A section of this room is devoted to the Hon Mrs. Elizabeth Aldworth (née St Ledger) the only female ever to be admitted to the Masonic Order. Upstairs the Lodge Room contains stalls and panelling which are over 300 years old having come from the former St Fin Barre’s Cathedral. The banners on the walls are the coats of arms of some of the highest ranking members in the Free Masons, those over the stalls belong to present members and those higher up towards the ceiling belonged to members now departed. The figures which surround the large mosaic are the plaster casts used in making the figures of the four Evangelists which surround the west window in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral. The Lodge room is used every month from September to May by the seven Lodges which meet in Cork City.