‘Every building can't be saved’

More of Cork’s old buildings are at risk of being torn down to make way for new developments following the demolition of the Sextant Bar.

That’s according to city councillor and local historian Kieran McCarthy who believes that if developers worked more closely with historians, Cork’s heritage would be less at risk of being forgotten.

Cllr McCarthy told the Cork Independent that he fears a number of historically significant buildings in Cork’s docklands may soon suffer the same fate as the “iconic” Sextant Bar.

“I’d be concerned with the run of buildings going from the Sextant up to Goldberg’s Pub. There are some really nice buildings there,” he said.

The councillor also said that he fears the well-known Odlum’s building, which dates back to the 1800s, could also be at risk.

However, Cllr McCarthy insisted that he was not against the development of the docklands and that a “balance could be struck” between evolution and conservation.

“I’m very slow to criticise local developers, especially in a time when development is needed. Every building can’t be saved. It’s unfortunate about the Sextant Bar, but I am aware that there are developers there, Cork developers, investing their own money. It’s not a case of us versus them,” said Cllr McCarthy.

The Sextant, which dated back to 1877, was demolished last weekend in preparation for the construction of one of the country’s tallest residential buildings. The last pint was pulled there in February 2019.

“It would be nice if some of the new architecture reflected at least ten or 20 per cent of the area’s heritage. Even if we could have a skyscraper that would look like a sail or something,” said Cllr McCarthy.