1964 – Irish Distillers Bottling Plant, North Mall, Cork

Architect: Frank Murphy

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Constructed as a bottling and storage facility by Cork Distillers Co., which was used by Irish Distillers until 2007. By then operations were transferred to Irish Distiller’s other bottling facilities in Dublin with the loss of 24 jobs. In the mid-2000s, ownership of much of the site was jointly acquired by University College Cork and Mercy University Hospital. This has led to redevelopment of much of the property but the plant remains dormant today.

The long facade is delineated horizontally by a range of materials, a concrete podium leads to brightly coloured glazed bricks, a continuous strip of window glazing, another brick band and some rusticated stonework above. The loading bay is covered by an angular concrete canopy – with a strong sculptural quality, it presents a formal entrance to the building. Constructed by PJ Hegarty and Son.

Photographs Courtesy Conor English