Sir Henry's of Cork to be bulldozed

Following several months of speculation, it's been confirmed that Cork's most famous venue, Sir Henry's, is being torn down to make way for a "high-spec apartment and retail block."

A keen supporter of local talent for going on 25 years, Sir Henry's gave invaluable early exposure to the likes of Five Go Down To The Sea, Microdisney, The Frank & Walters and The Sultans Of Ping F.C.

It was also a regular stop-off for international acts such as Ian Brown, Mercury Rev, My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth who played a legendary gig there on August 20 1991 with a bunch of upstarts called Nirvana supporting.

It was also pivotal to the development of the Irish dance scene with their Sweat and Freakscene nights still spoken of in hushed tones. Unfortunately the venue went into sharp decline at the start of the millennium when both clubs relocated and larger, more punter-friendly Savoy Theatre opened up nearby.

Ignominious ending or not, Sir Henry's is assured of its place in Irish rock 'n' roll history.