Fireman’s rest: Cherished piece of Cork’s history restored after 20 years of rot

The old firemen's hut near Fr Matthew Statue on St Patrick's Street, Cork (later the CIE hut) pictured circa 1905.
Out of sight and left to rot for over 20 years, a cherished piece of Cork’s history and heritage has been restored to its former glory and is set to become a feature of the city’s streetscape again.
Having borne witness to life on Cork’s main thoroughfare for over a century, surviving wars, floods, and fires, the 120-year-old ‘fireman’s rest’ was in a sad and sorry state after two decades ‘in storage’ in a council yard following its removal in 2002 for the St Patrick’s St revamp.