Picture special: Another twist in the Queen’s Old Castle tale


The outlet is to close by November, with staff to be offered redeployment to the retailer’s other Cork stores in Blackpool and Mahon.

According to the website http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie, the location has been the site of everything from a jail to a courthouse - with a history that stretches back to medieval times.

It was rebuilt later that century but remained a courthouse until a new courthouse was established on Washington Street (then Great George’s Street).

The Queen’s Old Castle was in operation as a department store, one of the most popular in Cork right through from the 1840s to the 1970s. It survived the Burning of Cork in 1920 and ownership changed hands a number of times over the decades.

The Queen’s Old Castle Shopping Centre was opened by former Taoiseach and beloved Cork icon on 7 May 1980.

The Virgin Megastore was opened by Roy Keane in December 1997, followed two month later by Argos. Virgin closed in 2009 and that store, which changed hands a number of times in the last decade, is currently a Dealz.