Former Taoiseach Jack Lynch's proud ownership of a Ford Cortina

Alan Healy recalls when Ford was 50 in Cork and Taoiseach Jack Lynch was given a car that is still running today.

You can take the man out of Cork but you can’t take Cork out of the man.

Former Taoiseach Jack Lynch was so proud to drive a Ford that he kept one for nearly 30 years — and the gleaming Cortina is still going strong to this day.

Lynch, known as The Real Taoiseach, visited the company’s factory on the Marina in 1967 to mark its 50th anniversary in the city and to open a £1.5million extension.

He was given a 1967 Cortina Mark 2 that had been built there as a gift, and despite having access to State cars, the ermine white 1600 Super Cortina was kept at his holiday home in Baltimore and regularly spotted during his trips to Cork city.

It remained in Lynch’s ownership until 1995, four years before his death, when it was passed on to a family friend.

However, that wasn’t the end of the road. The Cortina was put up for sale in 2003 and the West Cork Vintage Club purchased it after club member Stephen Murphy spotted the ad.

The club paraded it at rallies and club events and restored the vehicle in 2012 to mark for the Ford Cortina’s 50th anniversary.

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With just 35,000 miles on the clock, the car is in great condition and is a dream to drive, Stephen said. In 2013, he and club treasurer Fachtna O’Callaghan took the Cork Evening Echo on a tour of city locations synonymous with Lynch, and the resulting nostalgic photographs can be seen on this page.

The first stop was where it all began — the Ford factory on the Marina. Thousands of Cortinas were built here, with many exported for sale in the UK.

The next point on the tour was nearby Páirc UÍ Chaoimh, home of Cork GAA. Lynch played hurling for Glen Rovers and football with St Nick’s, excelling for both and winning six All-Ireland medals.

After that, it was on to the Jack Lynch Tunnel ,which opened to traffic in May 1999, just seven months prior to Lynch’s death. Then on to Cork’s north side and Lynch’s home areas of Shandon and Blackpool.

“It is still recognised by people as Jack’s car,” said Stephen. “Its colour was quite distinctive and many know who it belonged to.”

After stops in Blackpool and Linehan’s sweet shop, the tour ended at Lynch’s former home in the shadow of St Anne’s Church in Shandon.

Stephen said the Cortina was part of the fabric of Cork history.

“I always think that Jack Lynch could sit into this car, no matter where he was, and feel like he was at home as it was built in Cork,” he said.

“It is a treasure and very popular at shows because Lynch appealed to so many people across the political divide.”