Shandon Clock: Time stands still for liar’s four faces

It’s affectionately referred to as the city’s “four-faced liar” because the times never match up, but now all four faces of the iconic Shandon clock have simply stopped working.

It is believed the clocks have all been stuck in or around five minutes to seven for more than two weeks.

The clock’s upkeep is maintained by Cork City Council. Last night, a spokeswoman said the clock has never broken before for a sustained period.

She said the council had been aware of the problem and was working to get the iconic clock up and running again.

She said it has an ancient mechanism, very similar to the one on City Hall, and it required specialist expertise to fix.

The spokeswoman said that the council might need to turn to a specialist British company for expert help.

Fine Gael election hopeful Barry Keane said the clock was now ticking for city hall.

“How much more embarrassing can it get? Could you imagine London without Big Ben? Boris would get the boot,” he said.