Restoration of Cork’s Historic Fireman’s Rest Hut Costs Over €326k
Cork City Council spent over €326,000 restoring the historic Fireman’s Rest hut, sparking local criticism and debate over public spending.
Cork, Ireland, Fireman’s Rest, Restoration, City Council
Cork: The Fireman’s Rest hut, which is over 130 years old, just got a makeover. It cost the City Council a whopping €326,550 to restore it. This hut is now a landmark outside the Cork City Fire Service HQ.
Originally known as the busman’s hut, it used to be a hangout for bus drivers on Patrick’s Street. In December 2023, they moved it from Fitzgerald’s Park to its new spot on Anglesea Street.
This hefty price tag was revealed on Cork’s 96FM Opinion Line, and it stirred up quite a bit of chatter among local City Councillors. Some are not too happy about the spending.
Independent TD Ken O’Flynn called it “appalling” to spend so much on something that’s basically the size of a garden shed. He thinks that money could have been better spent on things like stairlifts or extra bathrooms for those who really need them.
Councilor Peter Horgan plans to bring this up with the Cork City Council’s executive. He believes public funds should be used wisely and transparently.
Colm Burke TD also chimed in, saying projects like this shouldn’t take ages or cost so much. It’s a fair point, right?
CorkBeo previously reported on the hut’s move to Anglesea Street, highlighting how it contrasts with the modern fire station nearby. It’s a reminder of how far the city has come from the days of buckets and ladders.
The Fireman’s Rest has a rich history. It survived major events like the burning of Cork and the Irish Civil War. Back in the early 1900s, it was a central fire station and later became a meeting spot for Bus Eireann drivers until 2002.
Commissioned in 1892, the hut had at least one firefighter on duty around the clock for many years. It was crucial before we had a modern fire service, with equipment stored in various huts across the city.
As fire trucks became the norm, the hut changed hands to the Cork Tram Company, and then to CIÉ, which managed public transport in Ireland for decades.
CIÉ held onto the hut for over 70 years until it was moved to make way for a €13 million upgrade of St Patrick’s Street. It ended up in a council storage yard, with worries it might fall into disrepair.
Since 2002, it sat in Fitzgerald’s Park, a hidden gem of the city’s heritage. It wasn’t until 2023, when former Lord Mayor Cllr Mick Finn raised the issue, that plans were made to refurbish it and turn it into a historic landmark.