Part 1 of Angela Sweeney’s Cork Harbour trilogy, this book takes the reader on an historic trip through the Harbour town of Passage West in County Cork, going from Rochestown to Glenbrook Ferry.
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To appreciate the present, one must understand the past. For that reason, the history of a locality is an integral part of every community. “A Passage in Time” is that long-awaited history of Passage West and its hinterland. Spanning almost two hundred years, it discusses the railway, river traffic, the Passage West Dockyard, the Sisters of Mercy, Mount St Joseph’s Orphanage and all the schools, past and present.
Although an accurate amalgamation of published material relating to Passage West “A Passage in Time” is more than a literature review. While valuable as such, it is most valuable in portraying daily life in Passage West over the last two hundred years. Richly supported by lively anecdotal information from local sources, these were times when the streets of Passage West resounded to the clamour of shipbuilding, when the ferry to Carrigaloe was little more than a rowing boat, then the wealthy regarded the air of Passage West as a health-giving tonic and when the town’s principal water supply was a single pump.
More than just a history, “A Passage in Time” includes a pull-out map and a comprehensive walking tour of Passage West and its hinterland. Past and present meeting fascinating description of each neighbourhood and each item of heritage from Rochestown to Glenbrook. Supported by photographic illustrations throughout, this tour will bring a new understanding of the extraordinary story that is the development of Passage West to this present day.
“A Passage in Time” will enrich the lives of all those who read it. It is a must-have for the historian, for those with an interest in Cork’s Lower Harbour and for those residents in Passage West and its hinterland.