End of the Tram

The arrival of the motor car and the bus and the increasing popularity of the bicycle after roads were improved in the 1920s spelt the death sentence for the trams. The 31st of March 1931 was to have seen the end of the trams in Cork and crowds turned out to bid them farewell. After some days, however, it was that the Irish Omnibus Company did not have enough buses to cope with the demand and the trams began running again in early April. The stay of execution was only temporary and tha last trams in Cork ran on the on 30th September 1931. Many of the former employees found work with the ESB or the Irish Omnibus Company. One of the trams was later used as a glasshouse near Blarney and another saw service as a bungalow in Inchydoney in West Cork.

The Lawrence Collection of photographs has many scenes which include Cork's trams, a fitting memorial to a mode of transport held in great affection by a generation of Corkonians. If the traffic problems plaguing Cork worsen we may yet see the return of the trams, although with tarred and concrete roads we will probably not see a modern version of the famous watering car.