A former Cork city-centre hotel, with a 207-year pedigree on St Patrick’s St, is to be partly demolished and redeveloped for high-end shops use, possibly with an appeal to the likes of Zara.

The historic Victoria Hotel on Cork city’s St Patrick’s Street has been sold, 18 month after it went to market for sale by tender.

One of Cork city’s oldest hotels, the Victoria Hotel on St Patrick Street, is for sale by tender in April.

Efforts to build a national memorial honouring Martin Luther King Jr have stalled because the American civil rights leader’s family wants money to use his name and likeness in the marketing campaign.