Book's a keeper: Cork's 20th century architecture and design celebrated in engrossing new work

Knowing eye of Dr Tom Spalding does learned justice to Cork's 20th century design output, little and large, in new book  Designed for Life: Architecture and Design in Cork city, 1900 to 1990

Scholarly author Dr Tom Spalding at Christ the King Church, Turners Cross, one of Cork's best-known buildings, with an international appreciation

THE buildings of Cork city are notable for their variety. Unlike large parts of Limerick or Dublin, no single style dominates in the city centre. Cork does have some redbrick terraces, similar to the Georgian streets and squares in those other cities, but they are short and isolated.

The picture in the commercial centre of Cork is complex, with Victorian, 20th century and more recent buildings jostling along its throughfares.