The History of No. 10 & No. 11 Washington Street West 

Costigan’s Pub 

You’ll find Costigan’s Pub residing on Washington Street in the historic Marsh Quarter of Cork City. 

The street, established in 1824, was originally named “Great George’s Street” in honour of King George III. In 1918, the people of Cork renamed it as a tribute to George Washington. Popular opinion still holds that the renaming was done to quell altercations involving the local population and American sailors fraternising with local women. (1)

But less about that, more about us!

No. 10 & No. 11 Washington Street is where we call home. 

But how did Costigan’s come to be the much loved Irish pub that it is today? 

“End-of-terrace two-bay three-storey house, built 1827; in use as public house. Pitched roof with rendered chimney stack having oversailing courses. Rendered parapet with moulded cornice and plain coping. Red brick façade in Flemish bond.”(2) etc. – That’s what Costigan’s was and is, in a very literal sense, but we wanted to dig deeper and find out more about our beautiful building and what it operated as in times gone by. 

Here’s what we found out.

Costigan’s Pub, a beloved Cork institution, traces its roots back to 1827 when it was owned by John and Hanora Murphy. Initially, the premises at No. 10 Washington Street operated as a fishmongers, while No. 11 served as a pub. 

Over the years, the two buildings underwent various transformations, including ownership changes, periods doubling up as a grocer, a bootmaker, and even a stint as a flour and meal store. 

In 1943, the pub was purchased by Kenny Coleman, at this time it was called The Greyhound Bar. This name survived until the early 1950’s when Maura Kenny took over the pub and changed it to Kenny’s. It wasn’t until the late 1970s that John and Pauline Costigan acquired the pub, giving it the name it proudly holds today. Pauline managed the establishment for two decades, and her legacy is immortalised with a picture of her pulling pints behind the bar.

In 1999, Michael Cunningham purchased both No. 10 and No. 11, merging the two buildings into the Costigan’s Pub we know today.  

Now under the ownership of Colm O’Connor and Brian McCarthy, our pub continues to thrive, honouring our rich heritage while welcoming the future.

Throughout the centuries our beloved pub has always retained its authentic Irish character. We’re best known for our cosy ambiance, friendly service, lively atmosphere, live music and sport, and rich history, Costigan’s continues to be a favourite destination for locals and tourists alike.

We have no doubt that there’s many more stories to tell and share about Costigan’s Pub throughout the years, and we’d really love to hear them. If you have any tales or pictures you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear and see them. You can email us at costiganspubcork@gmail.com. 

As the age old saying goes, “If only these walls could talk!”. 

Here’s a few pictures we found while digging through the archives of Costigan’s Pub many years ago…