A Cork city hotel has launched a search for four labourers who left their names hidden in a wall more than five decades ago, after the handwritten note was uncovered during recent renovation works.

The Metropole Hotel, located on McCurtain Street in Cork’s Victorian Quarter, discovered the note whilst demolishing a wall in the lobby as part of ongoing refurbishment works. Written on a piece of wallpaper and dated July 1969, the note reads “with love from” and lists four workers who were evidently involved in previous renovations at the historic establishment.

The hotel is now attempting to track down the four men: Tommy Ross (Electrician), Jerry Higgins (Carpenter), Steve Casey (Painter), and John Keogh (Plumber).

Louise McNamara, General Manager of the Metropole Hotel, said:

“The Metropole Hotel has been a very important part of the Victorian Quarter’s history and culture since it first opened its doors 127 years ago and we love to hear stories from the past about who visited here or who worked here. It would be really exciting to hear the stories of the electrician, plumber, painter and carpenter who obviously worked on the lobby in 1969 and to see what they think of the refurb 56 years later.”

The hotel is calling on the public to help locate the four labourers, hoping to welcome them back to see the newly renovated lobby and restaurant once completed. They are particularly keen to hear the men’s stories of working at the hotel in the late 1960s.

The Metropole Hotel first opened its doors in 1898 and has remained a landmark in Cork city for over a century. The current renovations represent the latest chapter in the building’s long history, with the unexpected discovery providing a fascinating glimpse into its past.

Anyone with information about Tommy Ross, Jerry Higgins, Steve Casey or John Keogh is encouraged to contact the hotel.