The Buildings
Cultural Buildings
The Firkin Crane
Contact Details
| Address | Shandon, Cork. |
| Telephone | 021 4507487 |
| Opening Hours | 11 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. |
The Firkin Crane building was designed by Sir John Benson and opened in 1855. The building is a unique rotunda, which formed part of Cork's original Butter Exchange.
This building forms part of an interesting group of related structures with the former butter market buildings in the Shandon area. The butter trade originating from Cork City in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries stretched to Great Britain, Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and the West Indies. Indeed the building's name derives from Danish words pertaining to measures of butter. Firkin is a Danish word meaning quarter barrel and in former times these firkins or casks were tarred and weighed on a balance known as a crane.
The building is also of archaeological significance as it was constructed on the site of medieval Shandon Castle. This site was occupied by the Dominicans, who had a chapel and convent here from 1784 until 1840.
When the Butter Market closed in 1924 James Daly and Sons occupied the building until the 1970’s when they moved their margarine manufacturing business to new premises. The building also housed a hat factory for a time.
The Firkin Crane was completely destroyed by fire in 1982. It reopened in 1992 and is now a bustling centre for dance of all kinds. With four dance studios and two performance spaces, it is a unique building for dance in Ireland. Large scale performances run throughout the year along with a range of regular classes and workshops across a spectrum of dance styles. The Firkin Crane is a permanent base for Cork City Ballet, Crux Dance Theatre and equally home for all the professional and community dance artists in the area.