When did McDonalds first open in Cork?

Toto Wolfcastle

As the title says, when did McDonalds first open in Cork?

No particular reason that I want to know apart from my own curiosity. A friend was talking about it earlier so it's annoying me now!

Dan Dare

Don't know about Cork. The first one opened in Grafton Street Dublin in June 1977. A week after it open I overheard two American tourists (young) spotting MacDonalds and saying "Oh No, not here too"?

Toto Wolfcastle

Lol I suppose if you come to Ireland expecting green fields and cottages and are confronted by yet another McDonalds then that's the only response you could have!

PCPhoto

pretty sure it was the Mandy's restaurant that turned into McDonalds in the mid-late 80's ..... prob 85-88 .... but just a wild guess.

For those that dont remember mandy's it was at the end of Patrick Street where it joins grand parade.

And I'm only 29 !!!

Toto Wolfcastle

I don't know about Mandy's as I was born in the mid 80s but I was talking to my dad about this earlier and he starting muttering about Burgerland.

partyguinness

Well I remember being at the one on Winthorp Street in 1987 for my sisters birthday. When exactly it opened I cldnt tell you.

The one on Patricks Street used to be Mandys...was there in 1983 (Mandys that is and my first taste of pickles) as a treat before going to hospital for tonsils. Am 30 now with an elephant memory.

Toto Wolfcastle

partyguinness wrote: »

Well I remember being at the one on Winthorp Street in 1987 for my sisters birthday. When exactly it opened I cldnt tell you.

Well my friend is convinced that it opened around 1990 because he came to Cork for a family holiday (lol) and he said there wasn't one in Cork then. I knew he was wrong!

PCPhoto

there was someone asking the same question on yahoo answers (6months ago ) .... and the answer they got was mid 80's

Toto Wolfcastle

Mid 80s is good enough for me!

Thanks guys.

Wallacebiy

Not sure ,
I remember Mandy's from when I was 15 , that'd be 91, I think it was closing down around then though . So mid 80's isn't right.

Toto Wolfcastle

Was McDonalds in Douglas not opened soon after 91? I remember being there with my aunt, while my other aunt ate in the car because my baby/toddler brother was screaming too much. He was born in 91.

partyguinness

Wallacebiy wrote: »

Not sure ,
I remember Mandy's from when I was 15 , that'd be 91, I think it was closing down around then though . So mid 80's isn't right.

Yeah but there are several McDonalds in Cork. See my earlier post.

The one on Winthorp Street was there in at least 1987. The one on Patricks Street (near Grand Parade) is far newer and I would say arrived in early to mid 90s.

jhegarty

Wallacebiy wrote: »

Not sure ,
I remember Mandy's from when I was 15 , that'd be 91, I think it was closing down around then though . So mid 80's isn't right.

The former Mandy's was the second one in cork. The other one was first.

tommmy1979

The one on winthrop street was the first.. and it opened not later than 88.. the mandys one opened much later again

Toto Wolfcastle

Was Mandys where the blue McDonalds is so?

Wallacebiy

partyguinness wrote: »

Yeah but there are several McDonalds in Cork. See my earlier post.

The one on Winthorp Street was there in at least 1987. The one on Patricks Street (near Grand Parade) is far newer and I would say arrived in early to mid 90s.

Apologies , read your post backways and thought the Daunt square Mandy's one was first.

D-Generate

Jesus I remember Mandys and I was only born in the mid-80s. Anyone remember Burgerland on Patrick St I do believe. Maybe near the Victoria Hotel?

Toto Wolfcastle

D-Generate wrote: »

Jesus I remember Mandys and I was only born in the mid-80s. Anyone remember Burgerland on Patrick St I do believe. Maybe near the Victoria Hotel?

I remember Burgerland, but I don't think I ever went there. I don't remember Mandys though. Did it close just before McDonalds opened there? Because I remember when the blue McDonalds opened.

dinneenp

I don't know but Winthrop St was the first one.I'd reckon mid 80's as well.

you could ask here in McDonalds ask me section

Someone else asked here and doesn't have an answer either

yahoo answers

jdivision

I think it was 1986. Definitely between 86 and 87. Think Douglas was second? Burgerland was underneath the Victoria Hotel I think, they turned it into a retail unit later.

partyguinness

tommmy1979 wrote: »

The one on winthrop street was the first.. and it opened not later than 88.. the mandys one opened much later again

My sister had her 7th birthday in September 1987 and we went to McDonalds Winthorp Street after some show in the Opera House.

kcb

jdivision wrote: »

I think it was 1986. Definitely between 86 and 87. Think Douglas was second? Burgerland was underneath the Victoria Hotel I think, they turned it into a retail unit later.

There was a 'Pizzaland' next to Bugerland on Pana under the Victoria Hotel.

Another Burgerland opened next to the Kino on Washington St later on. And there was a Burgerland on Oliver Plunkett St next to Gorbys for a while. They're all gone now arent they?

Toto Wolfcastle

My parents were just telling me about Pizzaland. They said when it opened it was the most amazing place ever to them!

Same with Burgerland.

Faith

Burgerland was there until the mid 90's anyway, I remember being at a birthday party there in primary school. Exciting stuff.

DannyBuoy

kcb wrote: »

There was a 'Pizzaland' next to Bugerland on Pana under the Victoria Hotel.

Bang on, and on the other corner of that block on Patrick's St was Woolworths, or maybe that was a few years before again..:)

rebel.ranter

Faith wrote: »

Burgerland was there until the mid 90's anyway, I remember being at a birthday party there in primary school. Exciting stuff.

Was there a huge fight in that place the last night it was opened, I think I remember that it was quite serious.

I remember Mandys 20p burgers in 1987, pre-McDonalds Patricks St. I remember going to the old cinema on Grand Parade before it closed to be done up as a multi screen. Shame to see that "done up" cinema closed now.

geffkane

Mandys was there till at least late 88. The Wintrop Street McDonalds was there from at least mid 87, probably earlier. Burgerland was on Patrick Street in 87 too.

parsi

kcb wrote: »

There was a 'Pizzaland' next to Bugerland on Pana under the Victoria Hotel.

Another Burgerland opened next to the Kino on Washington St later on. And there was a Burgerland on Oliver Plunkett St next to Gorbys for a while. They're all gone now arent they?

There was one in teh QUeens Old Castle Arcade as well.. grotty.

deadhead13

There was a burgerland in wilton shopping centre. Queens old castle MacDonalds opened in '89.

Kazbah

Douglas was definately second it opened with Douglas Court even though Hi Burger was in the middle bit of DC. Back before the big blue tower blew over! LOL

As an aside I used to love the sandwiches places I think they were called Au Natural or something. There was one where the O2 shop on Daunt Square is now and one in the Savoy and Queens Old Castle.

Wallacebiy

Kazbah wrote: »

Douglas was definately second it opened with Douglas Court even though Hi Burger was in the middle bit of DC. Back before the big blue tower blew over! LOL

As an aside I used to love the sandwiches places I think they were called Au Natural or something. There was one where the O2 shop on Daunt Square is now and one in the Savoy and Queens Old Castle.

The O2 shop was McCarthys Bakery no ?

kcb

geffkane wrote: »

Mandys was there till at least late 88.

Ah it was there until much later than that as far as I can recall - I remember being in there before going over to The Factory (where SoHo is now) and that was around 1993/4.

oeb

Winthorp Street was there in 86 anyway, because my family moved to Australia in early 87 and I have distinct memories of going to McDonalds on more than one occasion in Cork before we moved. (And we were only in Cork once every few months).

Patrick Street was post 92, because I am almost 100% certain that that was still Wendys when we moved back to Ireland.

Typewriter

We moved to cork in 1994 and the blue McDonald's was still being converted into a McDonald's.

At that time it wasn't even blue! :eek:

(it was painted a red/brown/rust colour if I remember correctly) :cool:

Kazbah

Wallacebiy wrote: »

The O2 shop was McCarthys Bakery no ?

After it was a bakery befoe it was O2.

Wallacebiy

Kazbah wrote: »

After it was a bakery befoe it was O2.

Ahh I See ..

JupiterKid

I well remember going on a school trip to Cork City in the Spring of 1985, when I was 10 years of age, and we were taken to the McDonalds on Winthrop Street (after going to Fota Island). So it must have been open as far back as the mid 1980s. I would suspect it opened in 1984 or thereabouts.

Douglas was the second McDonalds in Cork and it opened around the end of 1991. The second McDs in the city centre, at the west end of Patrick Street opened well into the 1990s.

McDonalds came to Ireland in 1977 when the Grafton Street restaurant opened.

deRanged

more thread necromancy.