Clocking back in on St Patrick’s Street

One of Cork city’s famous clocks is about to be repaired and restored.

It’s the Mangan's clock on Pana which Cork City Council has commissioned Stokes Clock and Watches to carry out repairs on. This will be done by refurbishing the clock hands, repairing and replacing damaged parts and cleaning and painting the supporting pillar. At a cost in the region of €7,500, the work will start at the end of January and is estimated to take about 3 months. The council said this “special piece of street furniture” will be back in full working order and continue its role as a silent witness to the life of Cork city.

Cork City Council Heritage Officer Niamh Twomey said: “Cork City Council recognises the importance of Mangan's clock from both a social and technical heritage point of view. This clock has witnessed the ebb and flow of Cork city’s history, from narrowly escaping destruction during the Burning of Cork, to the construction of Merchant’s Quay shopping centre in the 1980s, to the refurbishment of the public realm on St Patrick Street in more recent times. On a more romantic note, it is said many a happy marriage started with a couple meeting for their first date under the watchful eye of Mangan’s clock!”

The clock has been a landmark on St Patrick's Street since the 1850s. Located near Merchants Quay it is a much-loved piece of heritage street furniture. Mangan Jewellers was a family business of clock makers and jewellers in Cork city from 1817 to the late 1980s and were responsible for the installation of the clock as well as the iconic clock on St Anne’s Church, Shandon.

It’s cast iron, comprising of a square-profile base, with a tapered shaft having square-profile capital, with 2 faces having decorative surrounds and surmounted by finial.