New photo project takes a look at Cork ... now and then

A new photographic project aims to recreate moments captured through Cork’s history.

Mon, 04 Sep, 2017 - 01:00

Denise O’Donoghue

In a collaboration between the Irish Examiner and the Evening Echo, a number of towns around Cork have been revisited decades after photos in the Irish Examiner extensive archives were taken.

Staff photographers Larry Cummins and Eddie O’Hare returned to the locations and captured a modern-day shot of the same view as part of the Now & Then project.

These have been blended with the archive images to create a stunning visual representation of the changes the towns have undergone in recent decades.

Other photographs can be compared with their modern equivalent with the use of a slider tool.

A blended Main Street in Midleton, Co Cork,

This is the first time many of the images have been made available to the public.

Some of the archive photographs include the construction of the spire of St Colman’s Cathedral in Cobh, a shot of the first electric tram in Blackrock, and JFK leaving Collins Barracks in the city.

“We started working on the project back in August last year,” Jim Coughlan, visual media manager with the Irish Examiner and Evening Echo said.

“We are a Cork-based newspaper so a lot of our older photos are, unsurprisingly, of Cork. Lots of the photos we are using have never seen the light of day, so this is the first time they will be made public.”

A blended St Patrick’s Street, Cork City.

The Then & Now project includes almost 60 photographs from towns around Cork, with an average of six photos from each area. The towns included are Bandon, Cobh, Fermoy, Youghal, Midleton, Macroom, Kinsale, and Cork City.

There are plans to expand into other localities in the county in the near future.

“New locations will be added to the site in the coming months, including Clonakilty, Skibbereen, Bantry and Crosshaven,” said Mr Coughlan.