Cork County Council Seeks Stories and Photographs for Retail Heritage Publication

watercolor drawing of a shop.

A new book is set to be published by Cork County Council this year highlighting the county’s incredible history of retail heritage. 

The publication will explore the earliest signs of trade many thousands of years ago to the most majestic of traditional shopfronts, some of which still adorn the streetscapes of the county’s historic towns and villages today. Our retail heritage is also full of tremendous cultural interest, from household names in Cork’s retail history to the most peculiar of retail advertisements and stories. 

The book will highlight the importance of our retail heritage buildings, customs, and everything else in between. Supported by The Heritage Council, this year’s publication represents the twelfth installment in the ‘Heritage of County Cork’ series, having commenced in 2013.

Speaking about the upcoming publication, Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Frank O’Flynn noted that one of the key elements of each successful publication is input from local groups and heritage enthusiasts,

Past publications in the Heritage of County Cork Series have benefited hugely from public submissions including photographs, stories, and suggestions of sites that should be featured. Our Heritage Unit welcomes all submissions and suggestions, and I encourage local groups and individuals to share their stories with us

Local heritage societies, community groups and individuals can get involved in the project by submitting information, stories, or photographs of interest to Cork County Council by Friday the 21st of June 2024. The publication will set out to include and reference as many submissions as possible.

The ‘Heritage of County Cork’ series of books is available in bookstores throughout the county and online via the Skibbereen Heritage Centre online shop at www.skibbheritage.com Copies can also be sought at Cork County Hall by emailing corkheritage@corkcoco.ie or phone 021 4285905.