1877 – Munster & Leinster Bank, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick

A fine end-of-terrace four-bay three-storey bank finished in limestone with Gothic Revival and Elizabethan detailing refencing the medieval architectural heritage of the town. The Munster Bank failed in 1885, and was rescued and became the Munster & Leinter Bank. A fine building, it is still an operating branch of the successor company AIB.

Described in The Architect, May 14, 1881: “A few years ago the town of Kilmallock was rich in mediaeval buildings, of which, unfortunately, now but few remain, as in Ireland the average inhabitant does not feel sufficient interest in ancient monuments to care anything for their preservation. The office for the Munster Bank, which we illustrate this week, is built in uniformity with the ancient architecture of the town, in its details of windows and doors. The string-course also over the principal storey is taken from the same source. It consists of a series of projecting weathered stones with caps placed to cover the joints, as no doubt the mediaeval builder had had experience of the difficulty of stanching vertical joints in string-courses, and devised this very effective way to obviate it. The external walls are built in the local hard grey limestone, and form a very good specimen of workmanship. The builder was Mr. Thomas A. Walsh, of Cork, and the architects, Messrs. Henry & Arthur Hill, 22 George’s Street, Cork.”