She endured an appalling family tragedy as a child, and died prematurely too, but Josephine Buckley was also a person who knew how to embrace life, says her daughter MARGARET DONOVAN

JO KERRIGAN hears your memories of departing - and returning to - Cork on the Innisfallen in Throwback Thursday, plus the night the Rolling Stones played Savoy. 

Winston Churchill is known to have visited Cork a number of times during the last century, and on one occasion even kissed the Blarney Stone, writes RAY RYAN. 

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN is back picking blackberries. She hears tales of the scents of the city, and memories of travelling on the Innisfallen.

A bust of the Cork-born Jack McAuliffe is to be erected at the newly refurbished Bishop Lucey Park when it reopens. Boxing writer Thomas Myler recalls the man and his legacy.

The Celtic festival of Lunasa traditionally marks the start of blackberry harvesting, says JO KERRIGAN, while this Throwback Thursday also revisits old Blackpool

Project Children marks its 50th anniversary this year, after its Cork founders set out to help children living in the Troubles-hit North, says YVONNE REDDIN

Breweries, bakeries, tobacco smoke wafting from pipes, tanneries... in Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN recalls the smells of Cork in years gone by

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hopes she has finally nailed down the site of the Devil’s Chair... and a visit to Blackpool shops 60 years ago

When Bob Geldof announced plans for the biggest pop concert ever seen in 1985, Mallow man JIMMY HOWARD was determined to see it. On the 40th anniversary of the event, we revisit Jimmy's story. 

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears a first-hand account of a rail trip from the city to the seaside at Crosser, plus more on the underground history that lies beneath our feet

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears from reader who, like many others, left Cork on the Innisfallen. Plus, more on the city’s tunnels.

In 1858, Charles Dickens delighted audiences in Cork with sell-out readings of A Christmas Carol. Deborah Hickey looks back at his visit Leeside which the author himself described then as “an immense success”.

This week on Throwback Thursday, a reader tells JO KERRIGAN about her treasured memory of seeing legendary horse Red Rum in Cork. 

Cork man Big Jack Sheehan was described as having the strength of two men. However, there were fears during one tug-o-war in 1946, that he could have met his death. Donie Turner spoke with two men who were there and recalls their stories.

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears about canoeing on Winthrop Street, forgotten tunnels, and more on the life of a Cork hotelier abroad.

In 1964, Myrtle Allen decided to open Ballymaloe as a restaurant. More than 60 years on, it remains synonymous with the farm-to-table movement, writes Chris Dunne. 

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears a Cork man’s ghostly memory, and we also learn the tragic story of how Daunt’s Rock got its name. 

The Clancool road once attracted scores of spectators for bowling. Con O'Leary grew up hearing the tales of the finest players who met there, facilitated by the advent of the West Cork railway,  and recalls the tales of their success. 

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears more memories of climbing the steps and hills of Cork - plus the time six nurses answered an SOS

In the 1950s, a group of young men joined forces to help revive Cork's Crofton Celtic, raising funds for the club with 'Record Hops'. Con O'Connell was among those involved. He looks back at the success of the events. 

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN asks: Can readers identify the nine children posing on Cork city’s Rock Steps in the late 1950s or early 1960s?

Dr Jack Russell, Irish International, Munster, and UCC rugby player came to the game 'by accident'. His son Noel Russell, looks back at his remarkable life, career as a Cork GP and his ban from gaelic games. 

In Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN reveals what hard work meant a century ago – plus, an account of The Burning of Cork by someone who was there!

In 1936 the Nellie Fleming departed Youghal for Britain, never to return again. The bodies of its crew, including two young men on their first voyage, were never found, writes Mike Hackett 

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN ponders on where Cork city’s steepest steps are, plus more on the book The Scenery And Character Of Cork

John McCarthy says some of his fondest memories growing up are of spending time with his father at his work at the Páirc with Post and Telegraphs. Here, John reflects on his wonderful experiences at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and his memories of his father and Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh.

For decades, Roches Stores was a flagship, go-to store for Cork people. In Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears a former worker’s memories

As well as being one of Cork’s finest ever soccer players, Noel Cantwell found the time to be a cricketing great for Ireland. John Dolan highlights the lesser known side of a man who pushed back the boundaries of sport

In Throwback Thursday this week, JO KERRIGAN recalls May Day traditions of bygone times, and a remarkable family tale from Cork during the Civil War

The 'Blind Dunne' brothers were part of the very fabric of Cork city for many years. Plunkett Carter looks back at their contribution to the Irish music scene.

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN has more on the incredible career of Gladys Leach, a few interesting tales about fairy forts,  and hears about how Bob Geldof’s parents first met in Cork.

It reputedly dressed George Bernard Shaw and Fred Astaire and escaped relatively unscathed during the Burning of Cork. Linda Kenny finds out about the local business which was clothing gentlemen with 'deep pockets' in Cork and London at the turn of the century. 

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN talks to two women about the jobs they used to do, plus memories of Roches Stores and their twice-yearly sales

68 years before Cillian Murphy won an Oscar, fellow Corkman Cormac Gallagher was the star of a film that won an Academy nomination. He tells JOHN DOLAN he got paid a tenner for the role. 

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN has the official Pres song sheet and hears about a pioneering teenage girl who got a job as an usher when the Savoy opened in Cork city

2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the disappearance of Colonel Percy Fawcett, who was the inspiration behind the character of Indiana Jones. Philip Johnston describes Fawcett’s adventures in South America and his connection to Cork.

In Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN has more memories of CBC vs PBC in rugby – and the horror story of the day the goat ate the finale of a film in Barryroe!

Opened in April, 1945, and the oldest local authority museum in Ireland, the Cork city amenity has a fascinating history of its own, says curator DANIEL BREEN,

The rugby rivalry between CBC and PBC played out once again last week, but a Throwback Thursday reader tells JO KERRIGAN he had split loyalties that day

Richard Forrest looks back at the evolution of Blarney Street from Highway to Muskerry, to bustling trade centre and on to a quiet residential street.

Your cinema memories just keep on coming, while also in Throwback Thursday today, JO KERRIGAN hears about pub duets and charity collectors

The first peacekeeping mission to which an armed Irish contingent was committed was the Opération des Nations Unies au Congo (ONUC) from 1960 to 1964. Bob Seward was a platoon sergeant on the first battalion to serve in the Congo. He talks to Linda Kenny about his memory of that time.

A film that premiered at the Indie Cork Film Festival in 2024, looks back at the forgotten story of Cork women Nan and Mamie Hegarty. LINDA KENNY looks at the role of the sisters in gathering intelligence and moving arms during Ireland's fight for independence. 

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears of a brainwave to raise funds for Kinsale tourism 50 years ago, and sees an old weaving loom in action

The opening of two primary schools in Turner’s Cross was vital to the area’s growth, and big news in Cork city 86 years ago, historian Liam Ó hUigín tells Donal O’Keeffe.

This week on Throwback Thursday, your cinema memories keep on coming - and JO KERRIGAN hears about the time Laurel and Hardy came to Cobh and about the scalpers who made an extra bob on the movies. 

PAT POLAND recalls the early history of the iconic building, describes life for the families who lived there and and reveals the building's surprising connection to Anne Boleyn. 

Trips to the cinema again occupy this week’s Throwback Thursday, and JO KERRIGAN hears how teenage boys craved films that made the pulse race...

The ‘daring efforts’ of Cork man Patrick Buckley helped to save many lives at sea and earned him recognition from the French Government as well as Britain’s Queen Victoria. His great-granddaughter Laura O’Mahony looks back at his long service with the Coastguard.

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears more memories of trips to the pictures, including a lad who got a little too engrossed in one Western flick. 

While Bere Island now has a population of around 200 people, just over 100 years ago it was home to thousands of US navy sailors. Helen Riddell looks back at the fond memories of the time and the mark the sailors left on the island. 

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears about a ‘foreigner’ who arrived in Cork with a wartime past and proceeded to shake up a city business. 

Conor MacHale Senior Library Assistant at the Department of Local Studies & Learning at Cork City Libraries recently unearthed a Holly Bough first published 90 years ago. He takes a look behind the cover of the 1934 edition. 

A 13-year-old Cork student has compiled a remarkable history of his great-gran’s life, says JO KERRIGAN in this week’s Throwback Thursday

A Corkman recalls his days as an altar boy in the 1950s in today’s Throwback Thursday, plus JO KERRIGAN hears more from the boy who tutored Rory Gallagher. 

Eileen Twomey is one of the last official residents of Cork city's Patrick Street.  She talks to Linda Kenny about the glamour, excitement and drama she has watched unfold looking down from her apartment over the last 67 years. 

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears more tales of phone boxes, a coffin prank, and a man who gave guitar lessons to Rory Gallagher!

There are Cork place names all over the world, says PAULINE MURPHY, who visits a few that have chequered histories

In this week’s Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears how youths used to ‘tap phones’ in kiosks, plus a great yarn about a town with no water

As he hit the big time for Arsenal and Juventus, legendary Irish player Liam Brady was following in the footsteps of his grand-uncle from Cork, says John Dolan

The grandfather of weightlifting in Cork and memories of the building of the oil refinery in Whitegate, are recollected in Throwback Thursday, by JO KERRIGAN

In his memoir, Where We Sported And Played Revisited, Teddy Delaney recalled his time growing up in Cork city in the 1960s. In this extract, he outlines how one newspaper columnist incurred the wrath of Catholic Ireland for her problem page that tackled topics of love and lust

This week in Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN finds out the prices of everyday items in the 1950s and ‘60s, and hears memories of children fruit picking

When Mick Leahy won a UK title belt 60 years ago, he had to vie for the limelight with a young, brash fighter from America who was in full hype mode, reveals DAVE HANNIGAN

Memories of Rory Gallagher, childhood games, and a search for information on Cork ancestors, all form part of this week’s Throwback Thursday by JO KERRIGAN

RAY RYAN recalls how he came face to face with an American sporting great in Cork in 1966, and managed to mislay the great fighter’s autograph

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears about crafts and hobbies by children of yesteryear, and memories of pinching from orchards

It’s half a century since Cork ladies’ football team made its debut. MARY WHITE explores how it emerged at a time of great strides for women's sport

This week on Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears more memories from a reader who grew up in a bar - this time the Commercial Arms in Kanturk

60 years ago, Coláiste Chríost Rí student John Cawley almost missed his team's big match against Kerry rivals St Brendan's... and it ended with a famous win, he recalls

This week in Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears memories of a Corkman’s first job behind a bar, before he went on to travel Ireland for Kosangas

From a traditional music session at a hooley on a farm in rural Cork, to winning a talent show at Cork City Hall, Rory Gallagher’s passion for music was clear from a young age while he was growing up in the city, reveals MILO CARR

What was life like growing up in a busy hotel in Cork city in the ‘50s? Brian Cronin shares his memories with JO KERRIGAN in our weekly Throwback Thursday column

In sport, the elements can be a key factor: Sinead McCarthy remembers a snowy All-Ireland final, and the icy grip that lured Matt Busby’s Reds here 60 years ago

This week in Throwback Thursday, more of your back-to-school memories, as JO KERRIGAN hears about schoolbooks, uniforms, and dreams over exam time

Having won 21 medals in 20 years, Jeremiah Keohane was a club legend at Courcey Rovers. His family took steps to ensure his legacy would be remembered

Readers share their memories of their school days in Cork with JO KERRIGAN, one in Whitegate in East Cork, the other at St Angela’s in Cork city

More than 20 years after his death, Cork coppersmith Gerald Ryan’s craftsmanship can still be admired if you gaze upwards in the city - and will be for decades to come. CLARE RYAN reveals that he overcame great personal tragedy as a child, and recalls the polio epidemic of her own childhood

As children return for a new school term this week, JO KERRIGAN hears memories of schooldays of yore - desks, schoolbooks, inkwells, and clock-watching in class!

Violent organised melees, known as faction fights, were once common in Ireland. Here, SINEAD McCARTHY recalls an infamous one in Cork in 1845 that left 11 people dead

Violent organised melees, known as faction fights, were once common in Ireland. Here, SINEAD McCARTHY recalls an infamous one in Cork in 1845 that left 11 people dead

One Good Friday in the 1950s, when pubs were meant to be closed, a hilarious incident happened in a Cork city hostelry, says JO KERRIGAN in Throwback Thursday

One of a dwindling band of people who can say they played with Christy Ring, Canon Colman O’Donovan tells CHRIS DUNNE about the two great loves of his life - hurling and the Church

A visit to the relatives in days of yore meant lots of planning, says JO KERRIGAN in this week’s Throwback Thursday - plus more of your dance hall memories

During the Economic War of the 1930s, the Government seized cattle from farmers to sell, prompting fury in rural areas. In this remarkable memoir, published in the Holly Bough in 2006, PAUL McSWEENEY recalled a confrontation between farmers and police in Cork city 90 years ago this week, in 1934, which led to the tragic death of a protester

This week in Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN hears more of your memories of dancing and dating, plus reminiscing about summer holidays

The city’s chain of office is a great honour, steeped in history, and its people have great respect for it, says PJ COOGAN

In the ‘60s and ‘70s, romance blossomed (sometimes!) in the dance halls of Cork. In Throwback Thursday, JO KERRIGAN mines the memories of those who were there

In 1924, Ireland’s new Free State launched an ambitious plan for a Celtic-style sporting ‘Olympiad’. DIARMUID O’DONOVAN assesses the aims and achievements of the Tailteann Games as the centenary looms

Collecting glass bottles, moving statues in Ballinspittle, and school days in Kanturk - all make up this week’s Throwback Thursday, by JO KERRIGAN

The weather may not be great, but the sun is always shining when we recall the holidays of our younger days in Cork, says JO KERRIGAN

Local historian Liam Ó hUigín, who gives walking tours and lectures of Cork city, tells LINDA KENNY about his childhood days in the Middle Parish

In Throwback Thursday Jo Kerrigan hears wonderful childhood memories from Youghal - where you could pop into anyone’s house, anytime

As the centenary of his birth is marked this month, DIARMUID O’DONOVAN recalls Cork and Barrs prodigy Mick Kennefick