cul de sac

GRATTAN HILL IN THE MONTENOTTE AREA OF CORK JULY 2016 – REPROCESSED JUNE 2022

July 2016 at 8PM on a very wet day I visit Grattan Hill in Cork City and took a number of photographs using a Sony A7R2 fitted with a manual Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 lens and the lighting condition were very poor and so the resulting photographs were close to unusable.

For various reasons I decide to use my Voightlander but unfortunately while fitting the lens I managed to introduce some very large dust particles that proved impossible to remove until I returned to Dublin.

However, as I never got to visit the specific area again I decided to see if I could pre-process the RAW images using Dx0 PureRawII.

Montenotte is an area in the north-east of Cork City, Ireland, which had an influx of wealthier merchants and a prosperous middle classes in the early to mid-19th century. Situated on a hill facing south over the River Lee, Montenotte acquired numerous substantial residences, some of them set in miniature estates graced with fine terraced gardens. Its favourable outlook was downgraded by the development of large-scale industry in the Marina area across the river in the early 20th century. Many of the larger houses now have institutional uses, or have been divided into apartments.

Some people would describe the area as ‘run down” or past its best but I must admit that I like the area. Saint Luke is considered the patron saint of painters which is somewhat appropriate as there is an artistic or boho feel to the area.

Wellington Terrace is a short cul de sac dog-leg row at the start of straggling, sandstone ridge-clinging Grattan Hill, beloved of Thackery who wrote lovingly two centuries ago about the vista, aspect, river views and genteel shabbiness and local gayety. All of which it still enjoys, by the way.