In 1922, Ireland was once more a battlefield, as the Civil War saw conflict break out all over the country. In this interactive series, photographer David Cleary returns to locations captured on film back in 1922 and takes new photographs showing how those settings have changed - or not.
This week, David's visiting the site of Cork's City Hall. The 1922 image from the National Library of Ireland's collection shows the arrival of National Army troops in the city in August of that year. The anti-Treaty forces retreated from the city leaving it, along with most of the country, in the hands of Free State forces.
The old City Hall building, seen in this picture, had been badly damaged in the 1920 Burning of Cork and would be replaced by the current building in the 1930s. The new structure means that in 2022 we can see more of the corner building in the right hand side of the photograph, which was, until quite recently, the much-loved music venue the Lobby Bar. The spire of St Finbar's cathedral is visible on the far right of both photographs, seemingly unchanged.
Original 1922 image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.
