Now that Cork has been awarded the European City of Culture title for 2005, the city is preparing for a major overhaul. The city aims to show that it merits the award, not just for its contribution to the arts but for how it presents itself.
An Eye for Cork, just published by Collins Press, with a foreword by Fiona Shaw, has, therefore, a certain timeliness to it. It is a collection of more than 100 beautiful colour photographs of the city by Belfast architect, Gerard Kennedy who, while living there, was active in An Taisce and the Cork Civic Trust. The architect's eye gives a refreshing perspective.
Also from the Collins Press in Cork, Brothers & Sisters - Glimpses of Cloistered Life, is a superb photographic study by the American photojournalist Frank Monaco, whose work gave him access to the inner sanctums of monasteries and convents.
With minimum intrusion from the text, Monaco allows his black-and-white studies to speak for themselves to great effect. A selection of Frank Monaco's work is on permanent display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.