Cork Street (Dublin)
Encyclopedia
Cork Street runs from the junction of The Coombe
The Coombe, Dublin
The Coombe is a historic street in the south inner city of Dublin, Ireland. It was originally a hollow or valley from where the river Poddle ran to the sea.-History:...

 to Donore Avenue.

History

It was named after the first Earl of Cork
Earl of Cork
Earl of the County of Cork, usually shortened to Earl of Cork, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1620 for the Anglo-Irish politician Richard Boyle, 1st Baron Boyle...

 and once formed part of the ancient highway "An Slighe Dála" connecting Dublin with the west of Ireland. On old maps it was described as "The Highway to Dolfynesberne" (ie, Dolphin's Barn}.

The street was once a centre of fine wool and silk hand-loom weaving. In the late 17th century weavers started moving into the area. Woolen manufacture was set up by settlers from England, while many Huguenots took up silk weaving, using skills they had acquired in their home country, France. The woolen industry was killed off around 1700 by the English government, who wanted to keep the wool monopoly in England, although a minor revival was started around 1775. Despite problems, silk spinning and the manufacture of poplin
Poplin
Poplin, also called tabinet , is a strong fabric in a plain weave of any fiber or blend, with crosswise ribs that typically gives a corded surface.Poplin traditionally consisted of a silk warp with a weft of worsted yarn...

, supported by the Royal Dublin Society
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...

, continued into the 19th century.

The Tenter House was erected in 1815 in this street, financed by Thomas Pleasants
Thomas Pleasants
Thomas Pleasants was a notable merchant, property developer and philanthropist in Dublin, Ireland, after whom Pleasants Street in Dublin is named.-Life:...

. Before this the poor weavers of the Liberties had either to suspend work in rainy weather or use the alehouse fire and thus were (as Wright expresses it) "exposed to great distress, and not unfrequently reduced either to the hospital or the gaol." The Tenter House was a brick building
275 feet long, 3 stories high, and with a central cupola. It had a form of central heating powered by four furnaces, and provided a place for weavers to stretch their material in bad weather.

In 1861 a Carmelite priest bought the Tenter House and opened it as a refuge for the homeless. He ran the hostel for ten years until 1871 when the Sisters of Mercy came to Cork Street. In 1873 they built a convent and in 1874 a primary school, which closed down in 1989.

The Cork St. Fever Hospital
Cork Street Fever Hospital, Dublin
The Fever Hospital was a hospital that opened in Cork St. in Dublin, Ireland on 14 May 1804. The hospital was located in a poor densely-populated part of the Dublin Liberties, though it had large grounds...

 (also known as the House of Recovery) was a hospital that opened in Cork St. on 14 May 1804. The hospital was extended in 1817-1819 to help cope with a national typhus epidemic. In 1953 the Cherry Orchard Hospital in Ballyfermot
Ballyfermot
Ballyfermot is a suburb in the city of Dublin.Celebrities such as the famous Furey Brothers and the brilliant Keenan family have all resided in Ballyfermot.Ireland, located 7 kilometres due west from the city centre, and to the south of the Phoenix Park...

replaced the old Cork St. hospital, which was renamed Brú Chaoimhín and became a nursing home.

Across the road from the hospital is the James Weir Home for nurses, built in 1903. The site had once been a Quaker burial ground.

In 1932 the Maryland housing development off Cork Street was constructed by Dublin Corporation. 1932 was a Marian year, hence the name Maryland.

The street was totally reconstructed towards the end of the 20th century. It is now a mostly residential area.
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