Meet the people who helped MacCurtain Street become the heart of Cork's food scene

Once in decline, today MacCurtain Street is transformed. As restauranteurs prepare for The Shared Table this week, Joe McNamee meets the traders to look back at the history — and ahead to the future

Today MacCurtain St may have a compelling history but in the recent past it was bruised and battered by neglect and decline. Picture: Larry Cummins

This article is part of our Best of 2024 collection. It was originally published in August. Find more stories like this [url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/maintopics/best-of-2024_topic-5283827.html]here[/url.

Back in the 1980s when the words, ‘Ireland’ and ‘recession’ were near interchangeable and an especially battered Cork was the unemployment blackspot of the country, Leeside cinemas came up with a notion to reduce ticket prices for afternoon matinees to the princely sum of IR£1. They were soon doing surprisingly tidy business, especially on dole day and, a less than dedicated schoolboy, I’d often watch several films a week.