Kieran’s Cork City Council Speech, 9 November 2020:
This part 8 is another very important addition to the story of Tramore Valley Park. I am happy that the Park 8 report has reflected upon the enthusiasm expressed in submissions and the issues raised by the submissions.
It is very important that Half-Moon Lane does not become an additional car park for the Park but a value added pedestrian and cycling access point. Funding now needs to be secured for this part 8 report to progress past this report.
Tramore park is just in its first
phase of development and this public consultation on a Half Moon Lane opening
is about ensuring that family, community and park life all remains at the heart
of the southern suburbs.
Phases two and three of the park,
such as a bridge crossing from Grange, are the next elements to chase now for
the future and to engage the public on their perspectives.
It is important to acknowledge at
public meetings such as this how far the site has come – Over the ten years,
the old landfill site of what is now Tramore Valley Park has undergone a €40m
decontamination and remediation process – part of which saw the site capped and
landscaped, internal roads and walkways constructed, new sports pitches put
down, a BMX track developed, and a large multi-use event space created”.
During the last few months in particular Tramore Valley Park was a second home to many people. Great credit is due to the park wardens onsite who are always friendly, as are the recycling staff. Tramore Valley Park has etched itself a jewel in the growing necklace of parks in the city, which are highly significant to the mental and physical health of citizens.
To ask the CE for the most recent update on progress associated with the re-opening of Daly’s Bridge? (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
Motions:
That info gathered from the
consultation on the Marina’s permanent pedestrianisation be presented to the
South East Local Area Committee (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
In light of ongoing work on Penrose Quay, that the unfinished Cork Main Drainage infrastructure feature upon the quay be finished (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
Arising from the difficulties with some
older buildings within the old medieval core, that a plan be put in place that
every single building be inspected from ground to roof on South and North Main
Streets, and on Washington Street – and the data be collated and presented to
the Planning SPC (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
That Cork City Council calls
upon central government to ensure that local authorities are allocated part
funding from the REACT-EU fund or Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the
Territories of Europe Fund (Cllr Kieran McCarthy). This will enable local
authorities such as Cork City Council to keep carrying out their work in job
creation and in the green and digital transition (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
Autumn at Ballinlough Community Park 2020 (Picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy)Autumn at Ballinlough Community Park 2020 (Picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy)Autumn at Ballinlough Community Park 2020 (Picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy)
Great to see the paths re-opened this week through the woods; I spoke with An Coillte officials on site this morning who are all ready to replant the harvested area with Oak and Beech saplings in January.
Old Court Woods, Garryduff, Rochestown, Cork, 6 November 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) Old Court Woods, Garryduff, Rochestown, Cork, 6 November 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) Old Court Woods, Garryduff, Rochestown, Cork, 6 November 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) Old Court Woods, Garryduff, Rochestown, Cork, 6 November 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) Old Court Woods, Garryduff, Rochestown, Cork, 6 November 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy)
1073a. Coffin of Terence MacSwiney being taken from the North Cathedral, 31 October 1920 (source: Cork Public Museum).
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 5 November 2020
Remembering 1920: Terence MacSwiney’s Funeral
The SS Rathmore ploughed her way across the Irish Sea bringing back to Ireland the coffin containing the Lord Mayor’s body. During Thursday night, 28 October 1920, the mortal remains of Terence MacSwiney returned to Ireland surrounded not by friends, but by British soldiers.
The remains of the Lord Mayor of Cork arrived off Deep Water Quay, Cobh, at 1.45pm on Friday 29 October. The SS Rathmore was met inside the harbour by the Admiralty tug Hellespont. The moment the vessel was sighted, the population of Cobh gathered along the Beach, and when the SS Rathmore reached its berth hundreds of people awaited it. But nobody would take charge of the remains. The people were only complying with the wishes ofthe relatives.
So, the SS Rathmore remained beside
the quay – the space full of armed men. These included Black and Tans, London
Metropolitan Police, and a strong force of RIC Auxiliaries. They stood grimly
on the deck. Soon after deck hands unloosed the ropes around the
coffin, which was covered with sail cloth and the coffin and wreaths were
transferred to Mary Tavy, an Admiralty tug. The tug, flying a black flag,
moved up the river for Cork. Whilst leaving the quays of Cobh, the Bishop asked
the crowd to kneel to pray whilst the bells of the Cathedral tolled.
At 4.15pm, the tug arrived at the Custom
House Quay. Again, every advantage spot was taken and the crowd densely packed.
Again no one chose to receive the body. It was over two hours later that the
special train from Dublin conveying the relatives of the deceased Lord Mayor
arrived at the Glanmire Terminus, and were driven to City Hall, the wreaths,
which accompanied them, being conveyed in the Corporation ambulances. Soon
after the auxiliary police removed the body from the tug and placed it on the
quay.
At 9.30pm the body was carried into the City Hall on the shoulders of Volunteers, being preceded by clergymen, who recited prayers. Volunteers also preceded the coffin and they carried wreaths. The remains of the Lord Mayor lay in state in City Hall the following day, Saturday 30 October and the ensuing Sunday morning. Notwithstanding the extreme inclement rain a continuous stream of mourners flowed towards the City Hall, where the remains lay in state in a coffin with a glass lid on a catafalque in the large chamber of Cork’s City Hall. A guard of honour of six IRA men was placed standing solemnly to attention around the coffin. These were relieved at two-hour intervals during daylight, but during the night, with curfew in force, they had to remain overnight in the City Hall.
Touching scenes were to be seen as the
transfer of the remains from the City Hall to the North Cathedral preparatory
to the funeral on 31 October 1920. As early as 8am large crowds packed around
the vicinity of City Hall. So large was the crowd that the volunteers had to
draw a cordon, which extended from Parnell Bridge to Clontarf Bridge and only
those with admission papers were permitted to enter. Major General Strickland
had issued a proclamation prohibiting any demonstration or any procession in
formation at MacSwiney’s funeral. But the proclamation was ignored.
The coffin was taken from City Hall and was enveloped
in the Republican flag. It was shouldered, and on each side marched the
Volunteer Guard of Honour. Immediately behind marched the MacSwiney brothers,
Peter and Seán, with members of Dáil Éireann such as Arthur Griffith and the
Republican Government, senior officers from General Headquarters, IRA, and his
colleagues on the Cork Corporation. Heading the Volunteer columns was
A-Company, 2nd Battalion – MacSwiney’s own – from University College, Cork.
At the North Cathedral, an enormous
assemblage had gathered. The coffin was covered with the Republican Flag once
more and Terence’s uniform hat. At midday mass Requiem Mass began led by Bishop
Daniel Cohalan and Archbishop of Cashel John Harty and a large number of
clergy. Owing to military restrictions, the number of mourners, public bodies
had to be strictly curtailed, and Volunteers numbering over 200 tried to keep
order in the vicinity of the Cathedral.
After the High Mass, the coffin was shouldered
to St Finbarr’s Cemetery by relays of Volunteers, which was followed by
relatives, members of Dáil Éireann, corporation bodies, Sinn Féin
organisations, University professors wearing Academic robes, Trade and Labour
bodies, and other bodies. Each side of the cortege walked Volunteers, each
bearing a wreath. Other volunteers were tasked to keep the public on footpaths
and to maintain minimum crowds. Other armoured cars and lorries loaded with
Black and Tans joined at intervals, flanking the marching IRA men an along the
funeral route.
As the Gaol Cross was reached, the salute “eyes
left” was given to MacSwiney’s heroic fellow-strikers still in the death throes
of hunger in the hospital of Cork’s grim prison a nod to the deaths of Michael
Fitzgerald and Joseph Murphy.
At St Finbarr’s Cemetery, Terence’s grave was
adjoining that of the late Lord Mayor Tomás MacCurtain and not more than a few
yards from the burial spot of Joseph Murphy, the recently deceased hunger
striker from Cork Gaol. The final absolution was given by Bishop Cohalan and a
short address delivered by Arthur Griffith TD.
The wreaths were then laid on the newly-made
grave, and so numerous were these floral tributes that they covered the whole
of the Republican Plot. A Volunteer bugler sounded the Last Post and as
a final and fitting tribute to the memory to Terence, seven volunteers then
fired three rounds from revolvers over the grave. British armour and lorries
were still below at the Old Ballincollig Crossroads within sight and sound, but
they made no attempt to interfere. The thousands of people who had collected in
the vicinity of the graveyard were then permitted to pass in the view the grave
and passed out immediately using another gate. People continued to visit the
grave until darkness had fallen.
Captions:
1073a. Coffin of Terence MacSwiney being taken from the North Cathedral,
31 October 1920 (source: Cork Public Museum).
1073b. Section from one side
of Terence MacSwiney’s memorial card 1920 (source: Cork City Library).
1073b. Section from one side of Terence MacSwiney’s memorial card 1920 (source: Cork City Library).
During the
virtual October plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions,
members held a debate on the first EU Annual Regional and Local Barometer, with
the European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and Maroš Šefčovič,
Vice-President of the European Commission for Interinstitutional Relations.
The European Alliance Group was represented by their
president, Douglas Road councillor Kieran McCarthy who in his speech to
Ms Von der Leyen stressed that cities and regions need to be to the heart of
resolving priorities such as environmental change, SME development, Just
Transition & general citizen buy-in into EU-led projects. Such priorities
were outlined by Ms Von der Leyen in her recent State of the Union address.
Cllr McCarthy added:
“Many of the priorities represent common challenges for the over 95,000
local and regional authorities across Europe. The Committee of the Regions
will continue to collaborate with the other EU institutions in the delivery of
this vision albeit we wish for our work, the opportunities that go with such
work, and the strong added value connected to such work, to be recognised more
by those who lead the European Project forwards”.
During his intervention, Cllr McCarthy reminded the
Commission President that local and regional authorities, from small to large,
are on the frontline in building the future of Europe; “We are the story
builders, the capacity builders, strategy builders, we are the builders of the
lighthouses of innovation. We build ideas from scratch and bring them to life.
We are more than the sum of our parts. Empower the Regions and the EU will be a
success”. Kieran’s full recorded speech is on his facebook page, “Cllr
Kieran McCarthy”.
Cllr
McCarthy had also been active in lobbying for the EU Annual Regional and Local Barometer,
which comprises a comprehensive report on the most pressing challenges for
European local authorities ahead. This first report focuses on the impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic in EU Cities and Regions. Cllr McCarthy re-iterated as
well the ongoing work of Irish local authorities such as Cork City Council and
their approaches in being one the front-line bodies, which helped local
communities with community response projects and social distancing measures on
City streets.
Today Minister Eamonn Ryan recently attended a virtual Special Meeting of Cork City Council’s Roads, Transportation and Mobility Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) where he outlined central government’s commitment to the Cork Metropolitan Area Transportation Strategy (CMATS) 2040.
In his intervention to Minister Ryan, Member of the SPC Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy noted:
“It is important that Ireland’s second city gets the full CMATS project across the line – that it just doesn’t become another report collecting dust on a shelf. We cannot go on to have 70% of commuters arriving into the city utilising private cars or have trucks going through our city’s city centre because of a lack of options.”
“Cork City Council must remain as a strong partner in delivery of CMATS.There is an ambition at national level but it is also important to note Cork City Council’s ambition for its citizens and indeed our frustration on the ground when there is only a narrow bank of funding available at national level, and our complete dependency on such funds due to a lack of funds at local level”.
“When thinking about the delivery of CMATS, linkages also need to be promotedsuch as between sustainable housing development and public transport, air quality control, and the continuing importance to keep bringing a wide range of stakeholders around the table – silos need to be broken and linkages and building partnership capacity encouraged”.
“There is also a larger amount of work required to access funding from larger financial tools. The cost to deliver CMATS is far beyond the resources of Cork City Council and Cork County Council – both face vast cut-backs in this COVID and in the post COVID world – we also don’t have the localised funding in our budgets to bring about the significant behavioural change and infrastructure that needed. But we do have the expertise to implement projects on the ground”.
“I would ask of the Minister to explore the future role of expanding government’s Urban Regeneration Development Funds, the role of investment packages from the European Investment Bank, and even the role of the new Green Deal funds from European Regional Development Funds package”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.
Cork Metropolitan Area Transportation Strategy (CMATS) 2040
