TV: Cork clocks expert is man of his time

The Cork man who lovingly restored the landmark Shandon clock in Cork city will feature on an RTÉ documentary series next week.

For Philip Stokes, one of Ireland’s last horologists, the project was one of his most personal commissions, as he worked on the famous ‘Four Faced Liar’ at St Anne’s Church.

He is profiled in the fourth episode of Masters: Keepers Of Tradition on RTÉ1 on Monday at 8.30pm.

The series focuses on Irish practitioners of rare, traditional, and remarkable crafts and skills, inspired by the iconic series Hands, which first aired on RTÉ in the late 1970s and gave a powerful insight into the lives and work of Irish craftspeople.

The goal of this series is to bring contemporary artisans back into the public consciousness, while also shedding light on the current state of the craft community in Ireland.

As well as Stokes, the others profiled are a stonemason, a basket weaver, a handweaver, a clockmaker, and a thatcher - previous episodes can be seen on the RTÉ Player.

The Cork man’s workshop, Stokes Clocks, is on MacCurtain Street. He trained at the Swiss/Irish School of Horology and now repairs antique and modern timepieces.

Philip’s 90-year-old mother, Sally, a former ballerina, helped out on the Shandon project, doing the gold leaf for the distinctive clockface.

Shandon’s clock mechanism was introduced in 1847, and it soon earned the nickname ‘the four-faced liar’, a reference to its unreliable timekeeping.

Masters: Keepers Of Tradition was made with the support of The Heritage Council and Coimisiún na Meán, aiming to champion local master craftpeople, showcase their skills and trades, and show how they have endured and diversified. It aims to inspire the next generation of makers to take up the mantle and keep these trades alive in the 21st century.