Oliver Plunkett Street () is a shopping street in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It was originally laid-out in the early 18th century as the city expanded eastwards beyond the original city walls.

History

At the start of the 18th century, Oliver Plunkett Street was the first street built east of the Grand Parade in the area then known as the East Marsh or Dunscombe Marsh. It was originally named George's Street after

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George I of Antioch (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgor ...

, the then reigning King of Great Britain and

. In 1920, during the

Burning of Cork The burning of Cork () by British forces took place on the night of 11–12 December 1920, during the Irish War of Independence. It followed an Irish Republican Army (IRA) ambush of a British Auxiliary patrol in the city, which wounded twelve ...

, large parts of the street were destroyed by British troops. After the establishment of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...

, the street was renamed after

Oliver Plunkett Oliver Plunkett (or Oliver Plunket) ( ga, Oilibhéar Pluincéid), (1 November 1625 – 1 July 1681) was the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland who was the last victim of the Popish Plot. He was beatified in 1920 an ...

, a 17th-century martyr and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Archbishop of Armagh. The name change was gradual and as late as 1945, business directories still contained a reference to 'Late George's Street'. Cork's lowest-lying street, at 4 metres above sea level, the street is prone to periodic flooding when the

River Lee The River Lee (Irish: ''An Laoi'') is a river in Ireland. It rises in the Shehy Mountains on the western border of County Cork and flows eastwards through Cork, where it splits in two for a short distance, creating an island on which Cork's ...

bursts its banks.

Location and use

The street runs in a straight line from Custom House Street to Grand Parade. Other streets lead off from Oliver Plunkett Street in a grid pattern, such as Prince’s Street, Cook Street, and Smith Street. With 15 streets on both sides of Oliver Plunkett Street, there are a number of access points to the street from St. Patrick's Street to the north and the South Mall to the south. Between Grand Parade and

Parnell Place Parnell Place () is a street in Cork, Ireland. It is a major south-to-north route across the city centre, and the location of Parnell Place Bus Station. In the south, it starts at the junction with South Mall, Lapp's Quay and Parnell Bridge, ru ...

, the street is a shopping street. This section of the street is also home to Cork's General Post Office. A small lane, known as Market Lane, provides access to the

English Market The English Market ( Irish: ''An Margadh Sasanach'') is a municipal food market in the center of Cork city, Ireland. It stretches from Princes Street to the Grand Parade, and combines Princes Street Market and Grand Parade Market. The market ...

. There are over one hundred independent retailers on the street, many of which have been family-owned for several generations. It is also one of a number of nightlife centres in Cork - although there are more bars and restaurants on the neighbouring side streets than on Oliver Plunkett Street itself. Between Parnell Place and Custom House Quay, the east end of the street is known as Oliver Plunkett Street Lower.

Pedestrianisation

A number of the side streets between Oliver Plunkett Street and St. Patrick's Street are fully pedestrianized. Along with neighbouring streets, the section of Oliver Plunkett Street between Parnell Place and Grand Parade is pedestrianized between 10:30am and 4:30pm every day. Automatic bollards are installed at the junction with Parnell Place and also at the junctions of Princes St and South Mall, Pembroke St and Phoenix St and Maylor St and St. Patrick's Street, to create this pedestrianised area.

Awards

The street won the 'Great Street Award', awarded by London's Academy of Urbanism, in 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver Plunkett Street Streets in Cork (city) Shopping districts and streets in Ireland