Following a bomb attack on the King Street (MacCurtain Street) RIC Barracks in 1920, the authorities abandoned the destroyed building in favour of a bigger fortress not far away up Summerhill.
Empress Place sat in a prime position on Summerhill North overlooking the city and in the words of Captain Sean Healy of the First Cork Brigade it was "A den of iniquity in our midst."
The big brooding building known as Empress Place was built in 1874 and was named after the Empress of Austria who was a close friend to the family of Viscount Langford who owned land in Cork.
Empress Place was home to the dreaded K Company of the Auxiliary Division. Approximately 50 Auxies from this brutal company were commonly referred to in Cork as "The Murder Gang" and very few who fell off into their hands survived.
When the authorities moved into Empress Place the local Republicans plastered "welcoming" posters around Summerhill which read:
"Whereas the spies and traitors known as the RIC are holding this country for the enemy and whereas said spies and bloodhounds are conspiring with the enemy to bomb and bayonet and otherwise outrage a peaceful law abiding and liberty loving people.
Whereas we do hereby proclaim and suppress said spies and traitors and do hereby solemnly warn prospective recruits that they join the RIC at their own peril."
Sean Healy, Captain in the Cork No.1 Brigade IRA recalled Empress Place - " If the walls of this new hell could only speak they would reveal a number of inhumane tortures perpetrated under the fair name of law and order......."
Healy was one of the few who was held in Empress Place and survived to tell the tale:
During the burning of Cork in December 1920 Auxies and Tans were seen taking loot from Hilsers, Murphys, Mangans and several pubs to Empress Place. Today the building is home to EIL International Learning.
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