Cork Docklands

I PHOTOGRAPHED A MINIMAC IN CORK IN MAY 2011

May 24, 2023 by infomatique

1972 AUSTIN MINI PICKUP

I have been advised that this 1972 Morris Mini has been worked on since I photographed it in 2011 and it is now painted red.

This is an interesting little car (pickup). It is much smaller in reality than it appears in my photographs.

Minimac is on the back but I cannot find any reference to this variation of the mini so I am assuming that it is a mini pickup. The pick-up, launched in 1961 at the same time as the original 997 Cooper, is the second rarest of the product range, with about 58,000 produced against around 49,000 Mokes and 520,000 vans. Note: Minimac appears to be a brand of rear facing infant car seat.

The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (which allowed 80% of the area of the car’s floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage) influenced a generation of car-makers. The vehicle is in some ways considered the British equivalent to its German contemporary, the Volkswagen Beetle, which enjoyed similar popularity in North America. In 1999 the Mini was voted the second most influential car of the 20th Century, behind the Ford Model T.

Mini Pick-up (1961–1983). A pick-up truck (technically a coupé utility by definition), 11 ft (3.4 m) in total length was built on the longer Mini Van platform, with an open-top rear cargo area and a tailgate. The factory specified the weight of the pick-up as less than 1,500 lb (680 kg) with a full 6 imperial gallons (27 L; 7.2 US gal) tank of fuel.

As with the van, the pick-up had stamped metal slots for airflow into the engine compartment. The Pickup was basic, although the factory brochure described a “fully equipped Mini Pick-up is also available which includes a recirculatory heater”. Passenger-side sun visor, seat belts, laminated windscreen, tilt tubes and cover were also available at extra cost. Like the van, the pick-up was renamed as the Mini 95 in 1978.

A total of 58,179 Mini pick-up models were built.

I PHOTOGRAPHED A MINIMAC IN CORK IN MAY 2011 001
I PHOTOGRAPHED A MINIMAC IN CORK IN MAY 2011 003
I PHOTOGRAPHED A MINIMAC IN CORK IN MAY 2011 002
I PHOTOGRAPHED A MINIMAC IN CORK IN MAY 2011 004

NOT LONG BEFORE SUNSET I VISITED HOGAN’S QUAY

May 15, 2023 by infomatique

I USED A SONY RX0 CAMERA

The station which opened on February 2, 1893 was originally called Glanmire Road Station, but was renamed for Thomas Kent in 1966 on the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising.

I never liked Kent Railway station in Cork but it is much better since it has been redeveloped and reorganised. There is now a new underground pedestrian exit to Horgan’s Quay and a new internal access road to a proper transport hub from where bus services can travel directly to the city centre via the quays. In my opinion the frequency of the bus service to the city centre is not acceptable.

Horgan’s Quay, Cork, comprise a six acre mixed used development centred around the conservation of the site’s Industrial heritage. The refurbishment of the Station House now forms the centrepiece of the Residential development. The Carriage Shed will house Retail and Restaurant uses adjoining the Hotel. The Goods Shed refurbishment and restoration of the nine metre high Cork Limestone wall are integral to the development of the Office buildings.

THE DEAN HOTEL CORK JUST BEFORE SUNSET

May 14, 2023 by infomatique

PHOTOGRAPHED USING A SONY RX0 CAMERA

The RX0 is about the size of a matchbox so I usually carry it in my pocket every where I go incase there is something interesting to photograph. Of course one may wonder why not use a smartphone – no one is aware that I am taking photographs as I can hide it it the palm of my hand.

Unfortunately the Dean Hotel is way too expensive for me especially as I spend most of my time out photographing when I visit a city,

Set among offices in the docklands area alongside the River Lee, this trendy hotel is 4 minutes’ walk from Cork Kent train station, a 13-minute walk from the Crawford Art Gallery and 2 km from Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral.

The chic rooms have Wi-Fi, smart TVs and Nespresso machines, as well as minifridges. Family rooms add bunk beds. Suites provide sitting areas; some feature free-standing copper baths.

Amenities include a hip bar, and a fashionable rooftop restaurant with terraces and city views, plus a gym and breakfast. (What is a hip bar – should it be a hip bath?)