XAW009612 IRELAND (1947). General View, Cork, Cork, Ireland, 1947. Oblique aerial photograph taken facing North.

Cork is the third largest city in Ireland after Dublin and Belfast, and is situated at the mouth of the beautiful Lee valley, 161 miles SW of Dublin, 61 miles S of Limerick and 54 miles SE of Killarney. It has been an important seaport and a commercial/industrial centre (brewing, distilling, flour milling, woollens, motor cars and rubber). It is also a popular tourist destination and forms a convenient centre for the exploration of south Cork, including the attractive coastline.

The history of Cork begins in the 6th and 7th centuries, with the foundation of a monastery by St.Finbar on the south-west slope of the present city. Viking raids were commonplace in the 9th century and the true origin of the settlement was probably on the island in the marsh (hence Corcaigh=Marshy Place), from which the city grew outwards over the next thousand years. By 1841, the city had reached a total of 80,720 inhabitants and this increased to over 93,000 when this photo was taken in 1947. The current figure is slightly below 120,000.

This contributor first visited the city in June 1964 and can recall the distinctive quayside aromas of Murphy's Stout and horse manure when the overnight Fishguard ferry docked in Cork Harbour!