UCC Philosophical Debate, Lord Mayor’s Gold Medal:

A Place for Democracy?

Lord Mayor’s Gold Medal, 21 March 2011

Speech, Cllr Kieran McCarthy

Ladies and gentlemen of UCC Philosoph, On behalf of the Lord Mayor, many thanks for the invitation here this evening. It’s a great privilege for me to be able to address you with my councillor hat on and my other hats. Leaving it open to what your guest wants to say presents challenges and opportunities.

Our four finalists this evening will speak about democracy – the west versus the Arab world and the place of democracy. That is no easy task trying to core to the depth of what democracy is and I have no doubt will create some oohs and ahs, nodding and shaking of heads, will expose truth and falsehoods and will incite anger in the bar afterwards. But perhaps what we will get to is how democracy is an ongoing process as society sets out to keep refining its values on ways of life.

For my part as an Independent Councillor I am happy that I was given a mandate by the people in the south east ward of Cork in June 2009 to represent them. But democracy to me is more than just politics and votes. It is a quest for a better city to live in.

I am a geographer by trade. I am currently pursuing a PhD in the Department of Geography. I am exploring how collective memory is created on the landscape and how this memory and associated heritage affects the human built environment through features such as ruins, memorials and acts of pilgrimage. Hence I have an interest in the importance of history, the heritage of the land, the psychology of people, the psychology of place and identity making, all of which affects in different ways the idea or ideas of democracy. My interests have informed my view of the world and hence my writing, my newspaper column I write in the Cork Independent, my publications, my walking tours of the city and the work I pursue in schools, primarily getting school children, both primary and secondary to complete local history projects on their localities.

But all of that is also my career – my interest in education and its power has also led me to huge interest in concepts of innovation, enterprise and citizenship, the idea of empowering people, the importance of community, identity, place building, community development and questioning and trying to define the importance of community

All of these threads may seem like a bundle of random ideas but they are all part of my life’s process – I work across these wide range of ideas. I stood in the local elections not from a political gene pool perspective but from a perspective that I am passionate about my city but also the idea that this place has always been an ambitious city and deserves to better recognised for its creativity and talent.

Cork City Imagined:

So democracy for me firstly is about the physicality of a place – in this case city and exploring what, who and when of its creation.

With that in mind, I have often marvelled in my research on how our city is built on a swamp – a fantastic piece of engineering in itself. I marvel at the city’s human built fabric – its higgely piggely architecture – how it sits in a basin crawling out as to grab its hilly suburbs as if to make sure it doesn’t completely sink. The concept of place-making in Cork also interests me and the multi dimensional perspectives that go with that and the effect on values, perceptions and beliefs on its people.

Cork City’s evolution can be narrated and conceived as an unfolding succession of stories; various people coming and going through the ages, leaving their own mark on the city and region. Cork’s urban landscape or textbook is throbbing with messages about the past, present and future. This throbbing or energy- with all its tensions, flows, complexities, even down to the look of the city’s architecture, cogwheels of traffic and people flows- all create the momentum to drive the city on –

The city’s poetic landscape of architectural monuments link to some form of celebration of the living past and present. Those links in turn combine to create a strong sense of place, emotional attachment and identity.   That place-making can be sometimes located in space, and at other times in the mind.

Cork’s landscape is indeed something ancient, soulful and purposeful – something motivating and ambitious. It’s as if the human built world does provide the landscape with a voice. For the walker, explorer, geographer like me, the human built fabric creates a landscape of living encounters, experiences, connections, journeys, ideas and re-interpretations – perhaps all of which ideas of democracy weave through.

Cork Shows Us:

Putting on the hat of councillor one sees alot more. Through my ward work I marvel at the work of individuals and groups who continue to bring people on a journey in life – the idea of active citizenship and its importance, calls for taking ownership of one’s life and the country’s direction.

With such noble call the physical landscape is peopled with interesting debates on what type of people we need to be to move forward. The present debate on what this country needs to do economically and how we need to do that is very relevant.

Recently we have heard terms such as democratic mandates from our politicians and calls for building change as well at grass roots level, to restore some kind of pride in ourselves – to debate yes and call for answers in our political and economic landscapes but not to become bitter to the point that we remain negative in everything we personally do.

The country, yes, badly needs a plan but so do Irish communities. We need leaders in our communities to show us alternatives in our lives – to show part of our lives that perhaps we have never explored – to help us to connect to other people so perhaps each one of use at a minimum is illuminated by advice or a nugget of wisdom… and that we have the ability to be open minded to other people and other ideas. Ultimately, people do need direction, something to work toward. That perhaps democracy should not be a static term but is reworked over and over by each generation.

Happy productive life:

Ultimately, I reckon when you think about your life, to live a happy productive on a minimum basis and whether we deem a need for them or not-

We need to be listened to and to listen… we need to be inspired and to inspire… we need to be encouraged and to encourage… be empowered and to empower… be enabled by action and to enable action … we need to be cared for and to care.

All of us here have experience of those basic actions and their relevance in our own lives

Our communities need a plan to create a better society, something that is better that what we left during the now mythic Celtic Tiger days. We need to take responsibility for part of this plan

We need realistic steps to achieve that. All too often we hear about a general vision for Irish community life but ultimately we need engines..drivers like our community leaders to drive forward the country so that will not become stale and disillusioned.

Community leaders are like giant spotlights in the sky; they can and will continue to uphold human values for all to see and replicate, they can send out the message that we do need to care – care about something… to do something purposeful…to move yourself forward… to hone our personal talents, which we all have or even seek advice.

So for me at this moment is time, Democracy and its processes or all important ideas, some physical and many more community based and imagined.

Perhaps what is also important and that really shines across in the field of democracy is yes the need for a vision but also a real step by step plan for Irish Society.

But Cork as a place shows us much – talent, confidence, self pride, self belief and innovation. And ladies and gentlemen, in the Ireland of today, we need more of such confidence, pride and belief and innovation– we need to mass produce these qualities and step by step approaches to pursue them.

John Giles Foundation:

Launch of Charity Walk from CIT to Cork Greyhound Stadium:

http://johngilesfoundation.com/

The “Walk of Dreams” is a national fundraising campaign to help build stronger clubs, schools and communities throughout Ireland. At 3pm on Sunday 27th of March, 2011 the Cork Soccer Clubs walked the “Walk of Dreams” for the first time.

Over 60’s Singing Heat in Sarsfield’s, Glanmire:

 On Board the French Naval Vessel:

Cllr Kieran McCarthy, Remarks on Investment by

City Council on E.100,000 into Fastnet Line

At the outset Lord Mayor I’m a big fan of the Fastnet Line and the company who re-engaged and re-energised the route between Cork and Swansea.  I appreciate the need for investors to supplement their business finances. And I welcome the fact that local enterprise is crucial to the future of this region.

This is the second year, this Council has been approached with requests for funding from the Fastnet Line. At the Council meeting in January 2010, we agreed to give them E.200,000; this time around it’s 100,000; so in the space of 16 months, the Fastnet line  will receive, if agreed this evening, the bones of E.300,000- nearly a third of a million euros.

What have the Council got for that investment? Well… that’s the problem I have – I don’t know – I have got no accounts or even an annual report before me or even the bones of a business plan before me–last year this Council invested over E200,000 in another company, a City institution and then it had to take the decision to close down a week later for three months during the summer because of its financial situation that the majority of the Council were unaware of.

So with no accounts, no annual report, I’m asked to give my approval to Fastnet Line project who I think, from media coverage, is doing well.

If you are a brass band in this city and you apply for an arts grant, you have to fill out acres of forms to get E.1000; it seems easier to get E.100,000, there seems to be no forms and no reports…. That’s my first issue and query – where are the reports or business plans by this company?

My second query is where does this investment fit into the new tourism sub directorate and the Council’s role in promoting the city. I wandered down to the ferry terminal this morning and there was not an ounce of paper in the ferry terminal on Cork City. Indeed, there is not even a welcome to Cork sign or anything to engage the visitor to think about their stay. Indeed for all the money Cork spends on its 100 days of festivals, one would like to see a sign saying something like “welcome to Cork: expect culture”.

Then there is the signage on the main roads. I was intriqued this morning to see the carboard signpost indicating the direction to West Cork stuck into the Shannon Park roundabout.

Lord Mayor once the tourist get as far as the Carrigaline Roundabout, there is a decision to be made if it hasn’t been made already by the tourist. If they head towards Carrigaline, the city loses the visitor to West Cork, if we can get them to turn right and bring them into the city, then we’re promoting the city’s tourism outlook

So I wonder about how this proposed investment of E.100,000 is going to be maximised. Now I’m not insinuating that the E.100,000 will not be invested in the MV Julia but certainly Cork City needs to get more of a look in where the money is going.

Is there going to be literature on Cork City on the ship, at both Cork and Swansea Terminals?

The Council already funds a festival forum? Where do they fit in? Are there even banners on the ship? They certainly are not in the terminal.

Where does the Cork-Swansea twinning link fit in?

These are all issues I would like to call on the manager to comment on. Indeed, I would like a vote on the granting of this matter be deferred to the next Council meeting until at least this Council is given by Fastnet Line at least an annual report in some shape or form to read; so that this Council can give an informed agreement to the granting of E.100,000 for 2011.