Pat Poland

Pat Poland served for over thirty years with Cork City Fire Brigade, having previously been a member of the voluntary Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS), a branch of Civil Defence, while still at school.

His trilogy on the history of the Fire and Rescue services in his native city includes For Whom the Bells Tolled: A History of Cork Fire Services 1622 – 1900 (The History Press Ireland, 2010), The Old Brigade: The Rebel City’s Firefighting Story 1900 – 1950 (Cork, 2018), and Cork City Firefighters: A Proud Record. A Visual History from 1950 (Cork, 2022).

He holds an MA (Hons) from the School of History at UCC and is a regular contributor to publications such as the Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, History Ireland, An Cosantóir, Ireland’s Military Story, The Echo, The Holly Bough, Ireland’s Eye, and Ireland’s Own.

He and his wife, Elaine, live in East Cork and have four grown-up sons.