159 years ago today on 15 May 1862, a fire destroyed the West Wing of Queen's College Cork, now University College Cork, Ireland.

Queen’s College, Cork (now, University College, Cork) first opened its doors to fee-paying students in 1849. Enjoying a handsome setting at the western edge of the city, it is dominated by a wooded limestone precipice overlooking the River Lee’s meandering south channel.

Almost from day one, however, the college was embroiled in controversy. President Sir Robert Kane was continuously in dispute with his fellow academicians. Within a number of years, half of the original staff had been dismissed or left of their own volition.

To compound its problems, the Roman Catholic Church was antagonistic towards the colleges, established in Cork, Galway and Belfast. Their form of organisation and character were felt to be out of accord with Church educational principles.

Between 5:30 AM and 6 AM on 15 May 1862 a warden in the Cork County Goal (the site now forming part of the University College Cork campus) saw a fire raging in the adjoining Queens College. The West Wing of the college, a two-storey building above 120 feet long and 25/30 feet wide was in flames. The alarm was immediately raised, and staff roused the College President Sir Robert Kane, and the Vice President Dr Ryall who were asleep and living in quarters adjacent to the conflagration.

Some college staff, including Kane, warily made their way inside the burning building, which housed the Materia Medica, Chemistry, and Pathology rooms. As the fire took an even greater hold, they beat a hasty retreat, but not before noticing half-consumed matches under each of the doors leading to the laboratories. The incipient fires had burned themselves out under three doors, but at the fourth, which led to the Materia Medica room (wherein were stored pathological specimens preserved in flammable methylated spirits), a substantial fire was in progress. There was no question in their minds– the fire in the West Wing was a work of arson.

In those pre-telephone days, runners were dispatched into the city to summon the fire engines. In the absence of a public fire service, these came from a variety of sources – the Corporation firefighting apparatus, the waterworks, factories, and the Royal Exchange Assurance Company’s private fire brigade. All were handicapped by the fact that there was no hydrant in the vicinity. A hose was connected to a water main and efforts made to concentrate on preventing the fire from spreading. By the time they arrived, however, it was already too late to make a difference. At about 08:00 hours the Fire Brigade of the Royal Exchange Insurance Company arrived in support. The Military also arrived and formed a bucket brigade from the river. The roof of the building fell in shortly after 8 o'clock. With a resounding crash, the roof finally fell in, destroying all that remained beneath it.

Everything in the Materia Medica room, including the pharmacy equipment and the herbarium, then considered the finest in Great Britain and Ireland was destroyed. The pathological room built to contain a collection of cinchona plants once owned by the Emperor Napoleon was gutted. Manuscripts, notes of experiments, gems, antique metals and shields were all destroyed.

In the afternoon of the same day a private enquiry was held at the police office. The college President Sir Robert Kane, Mr O'Connor, the Crown Prosecutor and three magistrates were of the unanimous opinion that the fire in the West Wing of Queens College Cork have been started deliberately early in the morning of 15 May 1862. The College offered a reward of ￡150 relating to any information to the fire described by President Kane, as ‘malicious and contrived with elaborate ingenuity’ but, to this day, the reward remains unclaimed.

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