Nationwide in TV salute to beloved Cork Opera House as it marks 170 years

It has been part of the fabric of Cork city life for generations - and this year the beloved Opera House is marking its 170th anniversary.

To celebrate the landmark, a special episode of Nationwide on RTÉ1 on Monday at 7pm will pay tribute to the arts venue.

Presenter Anne Cassin gets a glimpse into its history and hears some stories from performers and the public about the special connection locals have for this venue, which has always been at the heart of the cultural life of Cork.

The first venue on Emmet Place (then known as Nelson’s Place) opened in 1855, to the rear of the Crawford Art Gallery, which itself began life Cork Customs House in 1724.

The opera house was designed by Sligo architect John Benson and intended for the “promotion of science, literature and the fine arts, and the diffusion of architectural knowledge”.

When it opened 170 years ago, the building was originally called The Athenaeum, and was renamed The Munster Hall in 1875. It became the Opera House after extensive reconstruction, in 1877.

This building famously burned down in its centenary year of 1955, and The newly constructed Opera House opened on the same site in 1965.

Also on Nationwide next week, presenter Anne Cassin heads to Tipperary in the episode aired on RTÉ1 on Wednesday at 7pm, to hear a moving story of loss, legacy and triumph.

Dillon Quirke was a talented young hurler who died of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, and his memory spurred on the Tipperary senior hurling team to victory in the All-Ireland final against Cork in July.

We hear from some of the members of the championship winning team as they bring the Liam McCarthy Cup to Dillon’s beloved home club, Clonoulty-Rossmore.

In Friday’s episode of Nationwide on RTÉ1 at 7pm, presenter Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh meets two people who turned their hobbies into businesses – Maria Ryan, who grows flowers for a living in Carlow, and Leo Molloy in Dublin who restores vintage typewriters.

It takes courage to pack in your job and follow your heart, to steer your personal passion into the reality of a hard-nosed business world, but that’s exactly what Leo did.

He swapped his demanding job in hospitality for a dream job working with vintage typewriters.

Next, the team heads to County Carlow where they meet Maria, who once spent ten years working in finance in Dublin.

Now she lives in Carlow where she transformed her very large back garden into a flower farm called Bell Meadow.