Cork City Council commissions repair works to city’s historic Mangan's Clock

Cork City Council has commissioned Stokes Clock and Watches to carry out repair works to restore the landmark Mangan's Clock on Patrick Street to working order.

At a cost of around €7,500, the work will start at the end of January and will take an estimated three months to complete.

Works will include refurbishing the clock hands, repairing and replacing damaged parts and cleaning and painting the supporting pillar.

Mangan's Clock, located near Merchants Quay, has been a landmark on Cork City's main street since the 1850s and is one of the city’s most iconic heritage assets.

Mangan Jewellers was a family business of clock makers and jewellers in Cork City from 1817 to the late 1980s and were responsible for the installation of Mangan's Clock as well as the iconic clock on St Anne’s Church in Shandon.

The clock is cast iron, comprising a square-profile base with a tapered shaft having square-profile capital, with two faces having decorative surrounds and surmounted by finial.

Cork City Council heritage officer, Niamh Twomey said the council recognises the importance of Mangan's Clock from both a social and technical heritage point of view.

“This clock has witnessed the ebb and flow of Cork city’s history, from narrowly escaping destruction during the Burning of Cork, to the construction of Merchant’s Quay shopping centre in the 1980s, to the refurbishment of the public realm on St Patrick Street in more recent times,” she said.

“On a more romantic note, it is said that many a happy marriage started with a couple meeting for their ‘first date’ under the watchful eye of Mangan’s clock!"