Category Archives: Uncategorized
Cllr McCarthy: Warm Welcome for Advancement of Bus Connects Project, 23 October 2021
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed the most recent update on the Bus Connects project by Cork City Council’s Roads and Transportation Directorate. The improvement and expansion of Cork bus services has been a long- standing objective for the City. The availability of frequent, reliable and cost effective bus based transport is a critical enabler for the planned growth in Cork over the period to 2040. Bus Connects is a key component of the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy and it is supported by the National Development Plan.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The National Transport Authority (NTA) is now progressing the necessary measures for planning and delivering Bus Connects in Cork. Additional staff have also been recruited by the City Council with National Transport Authority assistance to support the development and roll out of the programme. A number of separate design teams have been appointed to develop concept designs for the core bus corridors. These corridor improvements will be necessary for the efficient running of an expanded bus service and will include provision for bus priority as well as cycle and pedestrian facilities”.
Cllr McCarthy continued: “The issues to be addressed in the network review were presented for public consultation in July 2021 and submissions received have been fed into the design process. It is expected that the emerging draft network proposals will be subject to further consultation in November 2021 and that the revised network layout will be published in quarter one of 2022”.
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 21 October 2021
1122a. Hugh C. Charde’s Portrait of Terence MacSwiney, 1920, oil on canvas, 77 x 64 cm. Collection Crawford Art Gallery, Cork. Many thanks to Michael Waldron for his help at the gallery.
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 21 October 2021
Journeys to a Truce: Commemorating Terence MacSwiney, One True Man
October 1921 coincided with the first annual anniversary of Terence MacSwiney’s death. He was commemorated through a number of means – many of which were politically linked to the formal opening of the Treaty negotiations in London. First up on Sunday 16 October 1921 Dublin’s Abbey Theatre presented Terence’s play The Revolutionist (1915), which was presented by special permission by the MacSwiney family. The proceedings were in aid of the Irish Republican Prisoners Dependents’ Fund.
During the play’s interval, an interesting address was delivered by Richard Mulcahy, Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army. He expressed regret that the committee of the fund had been unable to get Mary MacSwiney to deliver an address. He said that Terence MacSwiney needed no introduction to them. Mr Mulcahy referred to some of his associations with Terence mentioning that his first introduction to him was through reading some “wonderful articles” on the pages of the newspaper entitled Irish Freedom. Irish society, said the speaker, was “on the threshold of big things” and they faced a future with the realisation that all of them had certain duties if they were going to win. He noted: “A few men could do very great things, but it was the people of Ireland who are fighting against the enemy. The few men doing great things could be undermined if the people of Ireland did not realise that these great things were to be done and if as a whole, they do not make themselves one in the work and on the outlook of those great men”.
On 23 October 1921, a demonstration in commemoration of Terence MacSwiney was held in Trafalgar Square. The members of 40 branches of the London district committee of the Irish Self Determination League (ISDL) of Great Britain, many of which were Sinn Féin supporters, were present at full strength. These contingents were headed up by banner bearers and accompanied by pipers, brass and reeds, and fife from drum bands. They marched through different thoroughfares on their way to the square.
At Trafalgar Square, Republican colours were worn by large numbers of the crowd while colour draped banners hung in different positions around the plinth of the Nelson monument. A number of these banners contained models, one of which attracted a good deal of attention been written as follows – “In loving memory of Terence MacSwiney, Irish Patriot, who died for his country in Brixton Gaol, October 25th, 1920 – One True Man”.
The audience heard stirring speeches, which made reference to Terence’s great sacrifice. Art O’Brien, Vice President, ISDL of Great Britain, and Sinn Féin London correspondent & Dáil Éireann Envoy to London, opened the proceedings. After him the crowd was addressed by other speakers from three platforms. Alderman Liam de Róiste was present, representing Cork and the municipality. Liam was greeted with loud cheers and cries of “Up the Rebels” and “Up Cork”. He said as a friend of Lord Mayor MacSwiney and as a representative from his city he deemed it his duty to attend the demonstration to honour an Irish patriot. He highlighted that it was important that Terence’s memory should be honoured in London because “it was in an English gaol, he laid down his life for Ireland” and that his memory is honoured in Cork and in Ireland and throughout the world.
At the conclusion of the addresses, a resolution was simultaneously submitted from each platform and the following was adopted unanimously and enthusiastically;
“That this meeting of Irish residents in London expresses its reverent admiration for the glory of sacrifice made by Terence MacSwiney in defence of the rise of his country, and its sincere respect for his memory; and the Irish residents in London further take this opportunity to call for the release of all Irish prisoners and internees who, like Terence MacSwiney, have been seized and imprisoned by the British government on account of the part they have taken in Ireland’s fight for freedom”.
On the anniversary of Terence’s death on 25 October 1921 at Saint Georges Cathedral, Southwark, London, a requiem mass was held for him. It was attended by the Irish delegates to the peace conference negotiations as well as by other Irish people living in London.
In Cork on 25 October, high mass was celebrated for the repose of the souls of Terence MacSwiney, Michael Fitzgerald, and Joseph Murphy at the North Cathedral. Bishop Daniel Cohalan presided. There was a full attendance of clergy, and members of Cork Corporation, Cork Harbour Board, the Cork United Trades and Labour Council, the University College, and the city’s hospitals – were all represented.
In addition, a beautiful portrait of Terence got a formal showing and was unveiled at the Munster Fine Art Club in the gallery of the Crawford Municipal School of Art. It was completed by the school’s principal Hugh Charde.in late 1920. A native of Cobh, Hugh Charde (1858-1946) was Principal of the Crawford School of Art from 1919 to 1937. He was a teacher in the School as far back as 1889 and received his early tuition in the Drawing School of the North Monastery. He later studied at the School of Art under Mr James Brennan, RHA. Apart from instructing and encouraging young art students, during his forty-eight years connection with the School of Art, Hugh Charde was a painter of great ability himself. Of latter years he specialised in water colours. Hugh Charde was also the founder of the Munster Fine Art Club, of which he was President for very many years. The Terence MacSwiney painting is still a much favoured piece within the collection of the current Crawford Art Gallery.
Caption:
1122a. Hugh C. Charde’s Portrait of Terence MacSwiney, 1920, oil on canvas, 77 x 64 cm. Collection Crawford Art Gallery, Cork. Many thanks to Michael Waldron for his help at the gallery.
Cllr McCarthy: Welcome for Replacement of Lead Pipes in Blackrock Village, 16 October 2021
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed the replacement of lead service connections in the Blackrock area to provide a more reliable water supply and improve water quality. The project is a collaboration project between Irish Water Cork City Council.
Works are due to be undertaken on the Blackrock Road (greenway crossing to pier), Church Avenue, Glandore Avenue, Post Office Avenue, the Marina, Castle Road, Convent Avenue, Rope Walk, Upper Convent Road, Castle Avenue, Sandy Lane and Dunloe Cottages. This will involve the replacement of existing lead pipes connecting the public water network to a customer’s property with modern polyethylene (plastic) pipes. Property owners will be notified if it is likely that there is lead present within the boundary of their property. Property owners are responsible for replacing this lead.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “These works have been called for by local residents for a long time. Works are limited to short sections to minimise impact on customers. They may involve some short-term water outages. It is crucial though that the project team engage on the ground and ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours prior notice of any planned water outages. A local traffic management needs to be put in place. It is important that emergency traffic and local traffic, including deliveries, are maintained at all times”.
Residents and businesses in the areas to benefit from the planned improvements will be notified directly and customers can phone Irish Water on 1800 278 278 if they have any questions about the project.
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 14 October 2021
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 14 October 2021
Journeys to a Truce: Landscaping The Lough
In October 1921, Irish newspaper outlets reported on the second visit of representatives of the American Committee for the Relief of Irish Distress. They came to view sites of devastation plus also how their White Cross fund was being distributed.
Founded in December 1920, the Committee for the Relief of Irish Distress was founded in America by Dr William J Maloney, a Republican cause sympathiser. The committee was inspired by the many charitable organisations that went out from the United States to offer relief in the days of the First World War. The committee influenced a series of great drives for funds, which were organised throughout 48 States of America. In a short period of time, it had at its command a large sum – approximately five million dollars – for the relief of people in Ireland.
From the establishment of the committee American members of the Religious Society of Friends were prominent in the ranks of its active members. In January 1921, several members of the latter group with experience in relief and reconstruction work in France and other areas devastated in the great war arrived in Ireland. Their mission lasted until April 1921. The delegation’s subsequent published report in August 1922 (which in the present day is now digitally scanned and online) outlines that during their first visit members visited nearly one hundred communities in Ireland in which acute distress existed.
Following the delegation’s first visit, over the ensuing 18 months £788,215 was sent to Ireland to be distributed through the Irish White Cross in Dublin and down to parish committees and in the Cork context to the city’s own Distress Committee. A total of £170,1398 was sent to Cork City to be distributed to those effected by the Irish War of Independence. For the most part documentation has not survived of how the Cork fund was spent.
One of the most prominent projects though of which information has survived was the near £5,000 spent was on the landscaping of The Lough during the summer and autumn of 1921. Nineteenth century maps of The Lough show the varied shapes of the natural spring lake, whose volume could grow and substract depending on the rain. It was also riddled with a build up of mud and overgrowth extending beyond its island birdlife island.
The 1921 works programme involved removing a depth of mud from four to ten feet deep in some places exposing the lake’s gravel bed. The mud was deemed a dangerous feature, both as a trap during skating times and a danger generator in the summer months, when the mud was exposed in the hot sun. During the summer and autumn of 1921, forty to fifty men were employed in the work per week, and in the short time, they removed hundreds of tons of mud. A Fordson tractor and lorry were kindly supplied by Messrs Henry Ford and Son. The horse transport and tools were provided by the Corporation of Cork.
Arising from the provision of the a horse and tools, the works programme was discussed at the meetings of Corporation members across September and October 1921. Apart from the removal of layers of mud, several other features were pursued – the reclaiming of ground to enable a playground for children, consolidating the immediate path around the Lough by providing kerbing on the edge of the Lough, creating an outside path twenty metres from the water’s edge as well as cutting small canals through the wildlife island to facilitate the further shelter of birdlife. It is all of the latter landscaping that has created the modern look of The Lough today.
On 14 October 1921, representatives of the Committee for the Relief of Irish Distress arrived back in Cork for another tour of Cork City – to hear about its reconstruction and to hear where possible further fundraised funding could go towards. The notable US representatives comprised Mr John J Pulleyn, Judge Richard Campbell, Miss Pulleyn, and Mr and Mrs C J France. In the course of an interview with the Cork Examiner the delegation outlined they had already visited Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford, part of Kilkenny and Tipperary.
On arrival by motor car to the city, they were welcomed by Lord Mayor Donal Óg O’Callaghan and a number of local councillors. During their visit in Cork they visited the city centre’s burnt ruins to see the devastation first hand and to hear about the reconstruction challenges. The took a trip down the harbour with Frank Daly, the chairman of the Cork Harbour Commissioners, to hear about the port’s future economic prospects and also took time to kiss the Blarney Stone.
At a packed formal dinner in the city centre, which was held to mark the stay of the representatives, a number of speeches were made by. Judge Campbell noted he had just read what he deemed as one of the “best classics” – The Principles of Freedom, by Terence McSwiney – a collection of his writings compiled after his death. He remarked that it was a great honour to speak in front of Terence’s sister Mary McSwiney. He believed that her brother’s book upon the subject of liberty would “do honour to any country, and that the author would go down in history for the part he had played in the fight for liberty”. Mary McSwiney was asked to reply and she thanked the representatives present for all they had done and what they were still doing for Ireland, and referenced her brother’s ongoing legacy to the cause of Irish freedom.
The representatives Committee for the Relief of Irish Distress left the city to travel to Bantry and from there to Killarney and Tralee, Limerick, Clare, Galway, Mayo, Donegal and Belfast before returning to Dublin.
Caption:
1121a. The Lough, present day, showing landscaped areas funded by the Irish White Cros fund – footpath kerbing and landscaping were principle elements that can be viewed today (picture: Kieran McCarthy).
Kieran’s Press, Former Lakelands Bar Redevelopment, 8 October 2021
7 October 2021, “Cllr McCarthy explained that Cork City Council Council is also continuing to work with the multitude of landowners on the renewal part of Avenue De Rennes. “What has been revealed is a complex network of over a dozen owners of property in a small area,” he said, He said a substantial packet of investment, probably from central government may be needed to help renew the area, “Welcome for news that vacant building in Mahon will be demolished and redeveloped”, Welcome for news that vacant building in Mahon will be demolished and redeveloped (echolive.ie)
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 7 October 2021
1120a. Noreen and author Timothy R Murray of Courtbrack, Blarney at the recent book launch of A Safe House, One Family’s Fight for Irish Freedom, September 2021 (picture: Kieran McCarthy).
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 7 October 2021
Journeys to a Truce: A Safe House, One Family’s Fight for Irish Freedom
The book A Safe House, One Family’s Fight for Irish Freedom has recently been published by Timothy Murray in Courtbrack, Blarney.It is the story of the Murray family from Courtbrack during 1913-23. Four brothers, Michael (1890-1957), Timothy (1891-1959), James (1896-1942) and Denis (Sonny) (1894–1966), as well as their sister Helena (Nell) took an active and leading role in the local volunteers/IRA and Cumann na mBan.
The family had an 80 acre farm. Two of the brothers Timothy and James were medical students but were never destined to finish their studies. With no immediate hardship the family were willing to risk life and fortune in getting involved in Ireland’s struggle for freedom.
The family was inspired by the stories that were told around his family fireplace. Michael Murray from Tullyniskey Clonakilty came to live in Courtbrack when he married into the farm of Hanorah Finn in 1883. Michael’s sister Mary Murray married and gave birth to James O’Brien who in turn fathered Marion O’Brien, who was the mother of Michael Collins.
In Courtbrack Michael Murray had three sons and a daughter. His eldest son Denis inherited the family farm. James became a priest and emigrated to Clinton Iowa in the US and became a successful and wealthy attorney in law. He never married. The third son Timothy joined the RIC and retired from the force in 1911.
Three of the Murray siblings – Nell, Denis and James – have left written accounts of their activities during the revolutionary period.
Nell Murray brought an application for a military pension in 1941 which was granted. This record has been reproduced verbatim in the book. She was a member of Courtbrack Cumann na mBan. She helped volunteers and supplied outfits for Easter Week 1916. She supplied food for volunteers after Sunday parades. She fed and provided beds for brigade officers Tomás MacCurtain, Seán Murphy and Seán O’Sullivan. Her home was raided twice in Easter Week 1916 by RIC and military. She reported on military activities and delivered urgent dispatches to the volunteers in the company area in Gurrane.
In 1917 and 1918 Nell organised the Cumann na mBan in the Courtbrack district whilst acting as secretary. She attended weekly meetings and drill lessons for volunteer officers. She attended first-aid lectures and provided beds for callers from Cork, Kerry, and Dublin – then on the run – as well as to brigade instructors. She visited men in Cork County Gaol and brought them food and comforts. During 1919 Nell catered for men engaged in the manufacturing of munitions on the Murray farm. Indeed, several times men would call for the guns. There were shotguns, American rifles and revolvers. She never had to carry them anywhere outside her own place nor to go to any attack.
In December 1920, Nell tried to save her home from fire when the military set fire to an upstairs room. They burnt the old house on the same evening. In addition, in late January 1921, she helped the local IRA to get ready for Dripsey Ambush.
The eldest son, Denis, in 1957 wrote an extensive account of his activities and the new book reproduces this verbatim. Over 150 pages are given over to his written up notes. Denis took an active part in local politics and was a member of the Cork Rural District Council and the support of the William O’Brienite party. Denis bought the farm from the landlord in 1908 and married Nora Sullivan from Castletownkinneigh near Enniskeane. Norah was a formidable woman and took an active role in the Land League in 1882. She was secretary of the Enniskeane branch of the Women’s Auxiliary Organisation of the Land League in the 1880s.
Denis outlines that Courtbrack was one of the first rural areas in County Cork to have its own company of Irish volunteers. Established on Sunday 9 August 1914, the local parish priest Father Shinnick encouraged young men to join. On the first afternoon they even took part in their first drill.
For Easter Sunday 1916 the company set out on the road to Bweeng, the collecting point for the mid Cork companies. They were armed with 12 rifles, 12 shotguns, six revolvers and 20 Pikes. Some hours later the Courtbrack company was stood down along with other mid to north Cork companies by Tomás MacCurtain.
On the morning of 30 August 1917 Denis Murray and volunteer Michael O’Sullivan were arrested by a force of RIC and were removed to Cork Military Barracks but would not be accepted so the escort took them to the Cork County Gaol.
On 19 September 1917 Denis and two others were removed with a police escort from Cork County Gaol to Mountjoy Prison. There Denis took part in a hunger strike. Almost a month later Dennis was moved to Dundalk Gaol. He was released in mid-November 1917.
Fast forward to Spring 1920 and the Courtbrack company was a ‘well-oiled’ unit. Denis’s home was often raided but despite this, company meetings continued to be held one night each week. In the period April 1920 to March 1921 Denis outlines manoeuvres involving the Turpin’s Rock Ambush, Inniscarra Ambush, the Courtbrack Ambush position plus the defence of mid County Cork.
A Safe House, One Family’s Fight for Irish Freedom by Timothy R Murray is a great and enlightening addition to the story of the War of Independence especially in mid County Cork. The book is available from various shops in Blarney and Cloghroe plus also can be bought from the author, Timothy R Murray at 087 663 9750.
Caption:
1120a. Noreen and author Timothy R Murray of Courtbrack, Blarney at the recent book launch of A Safe House, One Family’s Fight for Irish Freedom, September 2021 (picture: Kieran McCarthy).
Cllr Kieran McCarthy, quote on Lakelands mixed use development, Mahon, 5 October 2021
“The permission for the mixed use development scheme is very welcome. For many years, the look of the former Lakelands bar building on the outside has been terrible. The large craters in the private car park have been in dire need of resurfacing. Part of the planning conditions now stipulate that re-surfacing of that section of the car park has to be done. A new pedestrian crossing will also appear adjacent the site on Avenue De Rennes.”
“Cork City Council Council is also continuing to work with the multitude of landowners on this part of Avenue De Rennes. What has been revealed is a complex network of over a dozen owners of property in a small area. Such a network complicates the short term renewal of this part of Avenue de Rennes. What has become very apparent is the area needs a substantial packet of investment, probably from central government, so that the legal complexities can be began to unpicked, legal titles with liquidated owners gathered, and then new plans drawn up. Hopefully any success of the Lakelands investment will attract more investors for the benefit of the wider area of the avenue ”.
Full planning report here:
ePlan – Online Planning Details (corkcity.ie)
Press Coverage: 1 October 2021, ” Earlier this year, when plans for the redevelopment of the site emerged, Independent Councillor Kieran McCarthy said it was “really positive” for Mahon and had been “a long time coming”, Former Cork bar to be demolished and redeveloped,
Former Cork bar to be demolished and redeveloped (echolive.ie)
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 30 September 2021
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 30 September 2021
Launch of Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project, Year 20
It is great to reach year 20 of the Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project. It is just slightly younger than this column but both this column, the school project and the walking tours are all about popularising more of Cork’s history and story for interested citizens and the next generation.
Over 15,000-16,000 students have participated in the Schools’ Heritage Project through the years with many topics researched and written about – from buildings and monuments to people’s stories and memories.
Covid-19 has brought many challenges to every part of society and never before has our locality and its heritage being so important for recreation and for our peace of mind. In the past eighteenth months, more focus than ever before has been put on places and spaces we know, appreciate, and attain personal comfort from.
The Schools’ Heritage Project is aimed at both primary and post primary level. Project books may be submitted on any aspect of Cork’s rich past. The theme for this year’s project is “Cork Heritage Treasures”. Funded by Cork City Council, the Project is an initiative of the Cork City Heritage Plan.
The Project is open to schools in Cork City at primary level to the pupils of fourth, fifth and sixth class and at post-primary from first to sixth years. There are two sub categories within the post primary section, Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate. The project is free to enter. A student may enter as an individual or as part of a group or a part of a class entry.
Co-ordinated by myself, one of the key aims of the Project is to encourage students to explore, investigate and debate their local heritage (built, archaeological, cultural and natural) in a constructive, active and fun way. Projects on any aspect of Cork’s rich heritage can be submitted to an adjudication panel. Prizes are awarded for best projects and certificates are given to each participant. A cross-section of projects submitted from the last school season can be gleamed from links on my website, www.corkheritage.ie where there are other resources, former titles and winners and entry information as well.
Students produce a project on their local area using primary and secondary sources. Each participating student within their class receives a free workshop in October 2021. The workshop comprises a guide to how to put a project together. Project material must be gathered in an A4/ A3 size Project book. The project may be as large as the student wishes but minimum 20 pages (text + pictures + sketches).
Projects must also meet five elements. Projects must be colourful, creative, have personal opinion, imagination and gain publicity before submission. These elements form the basis of a student friendly narrative analysis approach where the student explores their project topic in an interactive and task-oriented way. In particular, students are encouraged (whilst respecting social distancing) to attain material through visiting local libraries, engaging with fieldwork, making models, photographing, cartoon creating, and making short snippet films of their area. Re-enacting can also be a feature of several projects.
For over twenty years, the project has evolved in exploring how students pursue local history and how to make it relevant in society. The project attempts to provide the student with a hands-on and interactive activity that is all about learning not only about heritage in your local area (in all its forms) but also about the process of learning by participating students.
The project is about thinking about, understanding, appreciating and making relevant in today’s society the role of our heritage, our landmarks, our oral histories, our environment in our modern world for upcoming citizens. So, the project is about splicing together activity on issues of local history and heritage such as thinking, exploring, observing, discovering, researching, uncovering, revealing, interpreting and resolving.
The project is open to many directions of delivery. Students are encouraged to engage with their topic in order to make sense of it, understand and work with it. Students continue to experiment with the overall design and plan of their work. For example, and in general, students who have entered before might engage with the attaining of primary information through oral histories. The methodologies that the students create provide interesting ways to approach the study of local heritage.
Students are asked to choose one of two extra methods (apart from a booklet) to represent their work. The first option is making a model whilst the second option is making a short film. It is great to see students using modern up todate technology to present their findings. This works in broadening their view of approaching their project.
This project in the City is free to enter and is kindly funded by Cork City Council (viz the help of Niamh Twomey, Heritage Officer) Prizes are also provided by the Old Cork Waterworks Experience, Lee Road.
Overall, the Schools’ Heritage Project for the past twenty years has attempted to build a new concerned generation of Cork people, pushing them forward, growing their self-development empowering them to connect to their world and their local heritage. Spread the word please with local schools. Details can be found on my dedicated Cork heritage website, www.corkheritage.ie.
Caption:
1119a. Front cover of 2021-2022 brochure for Discover Cork Schools’ Heritage Project.
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 23 September 2021
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 23 September 2021
Journeys to a Truce: The City Engineer’s Perspective
Cork Corporation’s Reconstruction Committee’s six-month report was an important one to release in September 1921. It was over nine months since the Burning of Cork. Politically there was pressure to move the reconstruction on but there was also the headache of who brings all the physical thinking and oversees the actual construction. Last week, the column mentioned the addendum document to the six month report and Joseph Delany, the City Engineer, who outlined that without plans being submitted, the rebuilding ran the risk of building heights and respective architectural design being out of sync with neighbouring rebuilds.
In truth there was so many moving parts for Joseph. In an earlier report, penned by him, in January 1921, he argued that several features of the restoration problem were complex. The problem had its opportunities and its difficulties. Due to the unprecedented nature of the rebuild, from the outset, he called for a special administration facilitation and “diversion from the ordinary lines of procedure by which building operations are usually regulated”. He noted of the need for a public spirit: “The desired improvements can only be achieved by the parties concerned adopting a sound policy of public spirit in the public interest. The proprietors of the lately destroyed property will, I have no doubt, appreciate their obligations to assist, both individually and collectively, the civic authorities and with their architects and advisors in making the work of restoration and the improvements incidental there to a success”.
Arriving to Cork Corporation in 1903, Joseph amassed nineteen years experience within the organisation. Joseph was also interested in Irish industrial and language movements, in the country’s national well-being, its educational advancement and in economic reform.
Joseph’s back story reveals a learned man. W.T. Pike in his Contemporary biographies’, published in Cork and County Cork in the Twentieth Century by Richard J. Hodges in 1911 reveals that Joseph (1872-1942) was educated at St Vincent’s College, Castleknock, Dublin. He continued his studies at Art School, Clonmel and there he was awarded the Mayor’s Prize in “Science and Art Subjects”. He also attended the City of Dublin Technical Institute, and the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art, where he was awarded “School Prize in Art Subjects”.
Joseph trained as engineer and architect by indentured pupilage under well-known Dublin architect Walter Glynn Doolin. Joseph became a certified surveyor under the London Metropolitan Building Act, combined with private study in the engineering courses of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and of the Institute of Municipal and County Engineers. He was awarded a travelling studentship of the Agricultural Association of Ireland in 1897 and was medallist in architecture in the National Art Competition, South Kensington Science and Art Department in 1898.
Joseph believed in networking and learning from other engineers and architects. He was Honorary Auditor at Royal Institute of Architects, Ireland in 1900 and Honorary Secretary Castleknock College Union, 1901-10. He was member of the Committee of the Irish Roads Congress and member of the Joint Committee on Waterworks Regulations, London. He was also a Member of the Society of Engineers, London, the Institution of Municipal and County Engineers, England, the Royal Institute of Architects, Ireland, the Royal Sanitary Institute, London, the Architectural Association of Ireland, and the Royal Institute of Public Health. He also published technical contributions to engineering and architectural magazines and penned a book called “A Memoir of Walter Glynn Doolin”, which was dedicated to his mentor Walter.
Joseph served on the temporary Civil Staff of the Royal Engineers and was Assistant City Architect in Dublin, for five years. In 1903, he was then appointed City Engineer of Cork. On taking up the Cork post he immediately set about improving the water supply system and reducing the abnormally high rate of water wastage in the city.
However, one of the many legacies Joseph left Cork City came from a visit to the US on an inquiry into American methods of municipal engineering and architectural practice, and an inspection of public works of civic utility. There he learned about the remodelling of American towns and cities to meet the modern requirements of their everyday life and that this was a common feature of civic pride in America.
In his January 1921 report, apart from his report covering the Burning of Cork, Joseph outlines in a few pages the need for Cork to have a town plan noting that “town planning should be considered advantageous in Cork, with a view to the future improvement and better shaping of the city”. He called for this work to be investigated by specially appointed commissioners, consisting of prominent citizens and commercial and professional life, together with representatives of municipal councils. Planning ahead was crucial he argued; “The schemes produced, and in many cases accomplished, have resulted in the complete re-casting of the plans of cities, with consequent improved public convenience, and enhanced amenity of environment”.
Joseph detailed that clear foresight was very essential to the future development of Cork City, and the preparation of a town plan by a town planning competition or otherwise, as was pursued in Dublin after the Easter Rising of 1916, would result in useful suggestive proposals for the future betterment of the city. Although Joseph moved on from Cork in 1924, he did influence the creation of a Cork Town Planning Association – a group who two years later in 1926 produced Cork: A Civic Survey – technically Cork’s first town plan or guide at any rate.
Joseph resigned in 1924 from Cork Corporation because of illness brought about by pressure of the reconstruction work. He is said to have retired from Cork to Clonmel. From circa 1926 until 1936 he kept an office at 97, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin. He died at Clonmel in 1942.
Caption:
1118a. Joseph F Delany, City Engineer, c.1911 in W.T. Pike’s “Contemporary Biographies”, published in Cork and County Cork in the Twentieth Century (1911) by Richard J. Hodges.