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North Main Street (Irish: An Phríomhshráid Thuaidh) is a street and retail area in Cork City, Ireland.

North Main Street
North Main Street (geograph 4749428).jpg
North Main Street in 2015
Native name
An Phríomhshráid Thuaidh
Length
300 m (1,000 ft)
Width
17 metres (56 ft)
Location
Cork, Ireland
Postal code
T12
Coordinates
51.899843°N 8.478522°W
north end
North Gate Bridge, Kyrl's Quay, Bachelor's Quay
Major
junctions
Shandon Street, Washington Street
south end
Castle Street, Liberty Street, South Main Street
Construction
Inauguration
13th century AD
Other
Known for
St. Peter's Cork, shops
History Edit
Medieval Cork City was separated in two by channels of the River Lee, with the northern part of the main street being the North Main Street and the southern island containing the South Main Street, both of which were connected by a bridge built in 1190.[1] It is not believed that North Main Street was extensively inhabited until the 13th century, following the walling of the northern island in sandstone, after which it became the main street of medieval Cork. At this time, the population of the walled city consisted primarily of Anglo-Norman merchant families.[2][3] Property on North Main Street was divided into strips running perpendicular to the street, known as burgage plots.[1]


16th century map of Cork, which includes St Peter's Church and Skiddy's Castle on North Main Street
A number of archaeological excavations of the area have revealed the remains of houses which were Anglo-Norman in style, made mainly of timber and wattle. The building of houses from timber posed a fire risk, and declined after May 1622, when a lightning strike on North Main Street resulted in a loss of 1500 houses in the city.[2] Other 20th century excavations focused on Skiddy's Castle, a 15th century tower house which became a gunpowder magazine for a period, prior to its demolition in the late 18th century.[4][5][6]

At the top of the North Main street in medieval Cork was the North Gate Bridge and adjacent North Gate Castle, which later saw use as a jail.[7][8] The street was also the principal street of the parish of St. Peter's,[9] the parish church now in use as the Cork Vision Centre.[2] In the 1820s, St Patrick's Street began to overtake North Main Street as the primary business street of the city.[10] Slum clearances were conducted around North Main Street in the 1850s and late 1870s, the former "cosmetic rather than socially ameliorative," the latter as part of a rehousing initiative.[11]

A number of businesses on North Main Street were destroyed by fire during the Burning of Cork in December 1920.[12]

Later development Edit
North Main street has undergone some redevelopment in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, with the construction of a cinema, apartment blocks and a shopping centre. A heritage conservation project was carried out on the street in the mid-1990s.[13] The street was also included in the "Painting and Facade Scheme" in 2016, which received grant aid from Cork City Council to give incentive to building owners in some parts of the city centre to paint their buildings.[14][15] A number of groups, including the 'North Main Street Traders’ Association', have advocated further initiatives to 'rejuvenate' the street - following 'a decline' in commercial activity in the early 21st century.Cork was the European Capital of Culture for 2005, and in 2009 was included in the Lonely Planet's top 10 "Best in Travel 20

There is a rivalry between Cork and Dublin, similar to the rivalry between Manchester and London, Melbourne and Sydney or Barcelona and Madrid. Some Corkonians view themselves as different from the rest of Ireland, and refer to themselves as "The Rebels"; the county is known as the Rebel County. This view sometimes manifests humorous references to the Real Capital and the sale of T-shirts with light-hearted banners celebrating The People's Republic of CorkmmMAD!: Shop
Mmmad online shop costumes and gifts, CBD to bongs and non tobacco related items including pipes, papers, scales, seeds, lighters, and games.
Smiley Dogg tattoo and piercing centre north main Street artworkThe Genie is the tritagonist of Disney's 1992 animated feature film, Aladdin. He is a comedic, larger-than-life spirit (a "jinni") who acts as a servant to whomever holds ownership of the magic lamp in which he resides. Genie possesses phenomenal cosmic power that allows him to grant wishes, shape-shift, and transcend space and time; however, he is burdened to remain bound to his lamp for eternity unless granted freedom by a master.

The Genie is loosely based on the Genie of the Lamp featured in the One Thousand and One Nights folk tale, Aladdin. The figure in the tale, while important, was portrayed as a mere slave while the Disney interpretation was greatly expanded into an identifiable character personality, the most notable difference being the Disney genie's ultimate wish to be free.