Across:
1 No need for present-day (no 'need' for 'present-day' = prstay = PASTRY) Napoleon of the baking industry? (Napoleon PASTRY / Mille-Feuille),
4 Free in the working sense (OFF- work) to take a photograph (-SHOOT) (OFF- SHOOT) of The Branch (OFF-SHOOT),
9 Pushes (ELBOWS) joints? (ELBOWS),
10 Dana sung (Dana sung) arrangement (= anagram indicator) (Dana sung = UGANDANS) with the group from Kampala (UGANDANS),
12 Complex (= anagram indicator) rural need (rural need = LAUDERER) of one employed as a cleaner (LAUNDERER),
13 The irony is (TROPE), spectator is missing cast (‘spectator’ is missing ‘cast’ = petor = TROPE),
14 19 down (‘Danish’ = DANISH) and 1 across (‘pastry’ = PASTRY) (DANISH PASTRY) produced with icing, fruit and nuts (DANISH PASTRY),
18 Shrewd bargaining (HORSE-TRADING) by Arabian (HORSE-) doing a bit of dealing (TRADING) (HORSE-TRADING),
21 Grant (ALLOW) in Cork (Mallow) needs no introduction (m) (‘Mallow’ without ‘m’ = ALLOW),
22 Merry (EBULLIENT) English (E-) tyrant (bully) is not finished (y) (‘bully’ = -BULL-) with Ireland (Ireland domain = .ie = -IE-) – and that’s not heartless? (‘not’ heartless = -NT) (EBULLIENT),
24 Nothing doing (INACTION) as short (n) legal proceeding (‘action’ without ‘n’ = -ACTIO-) divides The Bar (the bar/ inn = IN-N) (INACTION)
25 Poison from mountaintop’s (‘poison’ from ‘mountaintops’ = mutant = MUTANT) freak of nature (MUTANT),
26 Be quite (HUSH-) and don’t say another word (-HUSH) (HUSH-HUSH) that’s top secret (HUSH-HUSH),
27 Set (GELLED) overlooking (= reverse indicator) a small valley (Dell = -LLED), for example? (eg = GE-) (GELLED).
Down:
1 Bar (bar/prohibit = PRECLUDE) in park (P-) is about (-RE-) to introduce drinks (introduce 'Drinks' = -D-) in guide that appeals to cruciverbalists (clue = -CLU-E) (PRECLUDE)
2 Bringing one to heel (SUBDUING) by going to court (suing = S-UING) over the odd bad guy (odd ‘BaD gUy’ = -BDU-) (SUBDUING),
3 Went over the water (ROWED) for writing (from the 3Rs = R-) that’s outstanding (-OWED) (ROWED),
5 Completes the crossword, for instance, successfully (FIGURES IT OUT) or discovers the solutions (FIGURES IT OUT),
6 Sonata, air (sonata air), medley (= anagram indicator) (sonata air = SANATORIA) for those in need of recuperation (SANATORIA),
7 One making a speech (ORATOR) overlooking (= reverse indicator) river (-R) starting trouble (starting ‘Trouble’ = -T-) in row (oar = -RA-O-) leading to obscenities (leading to ‘Obscenities’ = O-) (ORATOR),
8 Journalist (-ED) after (= position indicator) trial (TEST-) (TESTED) did a fact check (TESTED),
11 Ridiculous (PREPOSTEROUS) sign (-POSTER-) carried by daft (= anagram indicator) poseur (poseur = PRE-OUS) (PREPOSTEROUS),
15 Sample of the fabrics (swatch = S-WATCH) found around Cork (-TOP-) (STOPWATCH) – it just shows you the times and how fast they’re going? (STOPWATCH),
16 Anger (-IRE-) at work (-W-) in the autumn in New York (Fall = F-ALL) (FIREWALL), as one is employed to keep out bugs (FIREWALL),
17 Disturbed (AGITATED) by advertisement (ad = A-D) about Soldier (-GI-) Museum (-TATE- museum) (AGITATED),
19 Rush (dash = DA-SH) around at home (in = -NI-) serving up (= reverse indicator) (DANISH) one with afternoon tea (DANISH pastry),
20 Every second character in Carlow (every second character in ‘cArLoW = ALW-) speaks (says) off the top of head (s) (‘says’ without ‘s’ = -AYS) (ALWAYS) without fail (ALWAYS),
23 Local unpleasant person (LOUSE) running (= anagram indicator) Seoul (Seoul = LOUSE).