The 130-year-old Fireman’s Rest hut which was restored and refurbished to serve as a landmark outside Cork City Fire Service’s HQ cost the City Council a total of €326,550.
The historic Fireman’s Rest, also known as the busman’s hut thanks to its former location as a meeting place for bus drivers on Patrick’s Street, was taken from its outdoor ‘storage place’ in Fitzgerald’s Park and put pride of place on Anglesea Street in December 2023.
The stark figure was revealed on Cork’s 96FM Opinion Line with PJ Coogan this afternoon, as show producer Paul Byrne told how the expensive restoration project has sparked criticism from local City Councillors.
The Old Fireman’s Rest sat in Fitzgerald’s Park before it was restored
Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn described that the hundreds of thousands spent on “something the size of a garden shed” was “appalling.” The incoming TD added: “That money could have provided stairlifts, walk-in showers, or additional bathrooms for those in need. It’s a disgrace.”
Councilor Peter Horgan said he would raise the issue with Cork City Council’s executive. The Labour rep said: “This needs justification. Public money should be spent transparently and responsibly.”
Colm Burke TD added: “A project of this scale should not take years or exceed reasonable costs.”
CorkBeo reported at the time how the Fireman’s Rest hut was moved to its new home on Anglesea Street and how the juxtaposition with the current fire station shows how far the city has come since an era of buckets and ladders.
The historic Fireman’s Rest hut – now outside Anglesea Street fire station
The Fireman’s Rest has a long and colourful history in the city. It survived the burning of Cork, the War of Independence, and the Irish Civil War. The watch station, which has just enough space to house a fair of firefighters, a hose, and a ladder, served as a central fire station, in the early 1900’s and later as a meeting point for Bus Eireann drivers, up until 2002.
It was first commissioned in 1892 and the hut was manned by at least one firefighter on a 24/7 basis over the decades. It served as a central fire station at a time before we had a modern fire service – a time when essential, life-saving equipment had to be stored at strategic hut locations across the city.
As fire trucks became more common, ownership was transferred to the Cork Tram Company whose workers made use of the building before the deed was later passed to Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) – the company responsible for most public transport services in Ireland.
CIÉ held on to the quaint little hut for over 70 years before it was eventually moved away to make room for the €13 million upgrade of St Patrick’s Street. The hut was taken to a council-owned storage yard, as concerns grew that it would be left to rot.
The rest had sat in Fitzgerald’s Park since 2002 – a key artefact of the city’s heritage tucked away out of sight and mind until the issue was raised by former Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Mick Finn in 2023 and the decision was made to refurbish it and use it as a historic landmark.