Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy continues
his commissions of street art on Douglas Road. In recent weeks, two new pieces
have emerged on traffic switch boxes. The first mural, which is located at
Cross Douglas Road, is that of Terence and Muriel MacSwiney who lived at 5
Eldred Terrace in 1917.
Cllr McCarthy highlighted: “There was a commemorative plaque erected on the wall of their former house in June 1980 but unfortunately the plaque was taken down a few months later. There have been calls within the Ballinlough area and Douglas Road by locals to once again mark the story from over hundred years ago of the MacSwineys living within the local community. This mural’s central image is from an old photograph of the couple whist the rose motif is a nod to the always beautiful adjacent flower shop.
Terence and Muriel MacSwiney by Kevin O’Brien, Commissioned by Cllr Kieran McCarthy
The second mural is opposite the entrance
to St Finbarr’s Hospital. Cllr McCarthy noted: “The mural has the theme of
“hold firm” and is dedicated to healthcare staff within the hospital who have
held firm against COVID-19. The mural adds to the existing street art mural,
which was painted Kevin O’Brien outside CUH last year”.
“It has been great to commission artist
Kevin O’Brien again. This is my sixth commission with him. He really brings
ordinary municipal utility boxes to life with his creativity, imparting
uplifting and positives messages. Roads such as Douglas Road are well walked everyday,
so it is great to bring his work into heart of suburban communities, concluded
Cllr McCarthy.
Artist Kevin O’Brien noted: “Street art is
a fantastic way to improve the aesthetic of urban areas and build a sense of
character in communities, but beyond that, with cultural
spaces currently closed, the availability of street art in public
spaces takes on an even greater importance”.
Hold Firm by Kevin O’Brien, Commissioned by Cllr Kieran McCarthy
Cllr Kieran McCarthy is calling on any community groups based in the south east ward of Cork City, which includes areas such as Ballinlough, Ballintemple, Blackrock, Mahon, Douglas, Donnybrook, Maryborough, Rochestown, Mount Oval and Moneygourney with an interest in sharing in his 2020 ward funding to apply for his funds. A total of E.11,000 is available to community groups through Cllr Kieran McCarthy’s ward funds.
Application should be made via letter (Richmond Villa, Douglas Road) or email to Kieran at kieran_mccarthy@corkcity.ie by Friday 5 February 2021. This email should give the name of the organisation, contact name, contact address, contact email, contact telephone number, details of the organisation, and what will the ward grant will be used for?
Please Note:
– Ward funds will be prioritised to community groups based in the south east ward of Cork City who build community capacity, educate, build civic awareness and projects, which connect the young and old.
– Cllr McCarthy especially welcomes proposals where the funding will be used to run a community event (as per COVID guidelines) that benefits the wider community. In addition, he is seeking to fund projects that give people new skill sets. That could include anything from part funding of coaching training for sports projects to groups interested in bringing enterprise programmes to encourage entrepreneurship to the ward.
– Cllr McCarthy is also particularly interested in funding community projects such as community environment projects such as tree planting, community concerts, and projects those that promote the rich history and environment within the south east ward.
– Cllr McCarthy publishes a list of his ward fund allocations each year on this page.
Evening Echo is a public artwork by New Zealand artist Maddie Leach. It is sited on old gasometer land gifted by Bord Gáis to Cork City Council in the late 1980s. This site was subsequently re-dedicated as Shalom Park in 1989. The park sits in the centre of the old Cork neighbourhood known locally as ‘Jewtown’. This neighbourhood is also home to the National Sculpture Factory.
This year the last night of Hanukkah is Thursday 17 December and offers the only opportunity to see the tall ‘ninth lamp’ alight until next year. The cycle begins 10 minutes before sunset, which occured this year at 4.13pm, and continued for 30 minutes after sunset when the ninth lamp was extinguished.
Evening Echo, Shalom Park, 17 December 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)Evening Echo, Shalom Park, 17 December 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)Evening Echo, Shalom Park, 17 December 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy
has welcomed the reopening of Douglas Library in Douglas Village Shopping
Centre. The library will be a transformed space both in design and enhanced
services. The refurbished library includes a complete transformation of the
children’s space, including a new children’s fiction area, a larger children’s
story time area and a new personalised kiosk for the children and families to
use.
The Listening Lounge is new to the
adult area and will be a space for the public to listen to audio books and
music on cd and vinyl. It will be a relaxing and calm space. My Open Library
will be part of Douglas Library early in the new year and will significantly
increase the opening hours for the public.
Plans are also being finalised to
support those with dementia in the community, including a new Tovertafel magic
table and memory café which will be a great addition to our Age Friendly
Libraries initiatives.
A Per Cent for Art Commission has
been awarded to two Cork based textile artists as part of the reopening of the
refurbished Library. Taking its inspiration from the historic textile industry
of the Douglas area the proposal includes a strong community engagement element
with nursing homes and local schools. The end piece will be a textile wall
hanging, a focus for discussion of the local history of the area for many years
to come.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The staff of Cork
City Libraries put in extra hours adding new items to ensure the stock of
Douglas Library will be second to none, providing the most up to date titles
available to the people of Douglas and the surrounding areas. The library will
continue to host many activities, book clubs, writing groups and craft
activities for all ages within the community. The City Council’s intention is
that the library will continue to proactively support learning, diversity and
social and cultural inclusion”.
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy
has welcomed the reopening of Douglas Library in Douglas Village Shopping
Centre. The library will be a transformed space both in design and enhanced
services. The refurbished library includes a complete transformation of the
children’s space, including a new children’s fiction area, a larger children’s
story time area and a new personalised kiosk for the children and families to
use.
The Listening Lounge is new to the
adult area and will be a space for the public to listen to audio books and
music on cd and vinyl. It will be a relaxing and calm space. My Open Library
will be part of Douglas Library early in the new year and will significantly
increase the opening hours for the public.
Plans are also being finalised to
support those with dementia in the community, including a new Tovertafel magic
table and memory café which will be a great addition to our Age Friendly
Libraries initiatives.
A Per Cent for Art Commission has
been awarded to two Cork based textile artists as part of the reopening of the
refurbished Library. Taking its inspiration from the historic textile industry
of the Douglas area the proposal includes a strong community engagement element
with nursing homes and local schools. The end piece will be a textile wall
hanging, a focus for discussion of the local history of the area for many years
to come.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The staff of Cork
City Libraries put in extra hours adding new items to ensure the stock of
Douglas Library will be second to none, providing the most up to date titles
available to the people of Douglas and the surrounding areas. The library will
continue to host many activities, book clubs, writing groups and craft
activities for all ages within the community. The City Council’s intention is
that the library will continue to proactively support learning, diversity and
social and cultural inclusion”.
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed the positive news that
Douglas Village is to receive its first parklet. The National Transport
Authority (NTA) provided Cork City Council stimulus funding to implement a
suite of initiatives to support mobility across the city. This included
the provision of 10 parklets to enhance greening of the city and to
improve the attractiveness of the city to pedestrians. Partners in
businesses and communities were sought to maintain and manage the
parklets.
Cllr McCarthy
noted: “A public call was issued to communities and businesses and as a
result the parklet initiative was significantly oversubscribed, which
highlights the enthusiasm of residents, businesses and communities to see
greening projects of this nature in the city. In line with the objectives
of the stimulus, prioritised areas in the city centre and villages / towns
throughout the Council’s administrative area were chosen.
“An assessment
of the suitability of areas was conducted to accommodate parklets, in
terms of health and safety and access to essential services. Ten parklet sites
with partners were chosen. All parklets must encourage a pollinator friendly
approach. The Douglas Village Parklet will be managed by Douglas Tidy Towns who
have an excellent track record in the roll out of community biodiversity
programmes”.
“Cork City
Council also engaged with Benchspace, a social enterprise, to deliver the
timber-clad parklets. The parklets, which occupy a traditional car space,
will be installed over the next number of weeks/months as they are available
from Benchspace”.
“The parklets are
installations in the midst of busy streets with the focus on important
issues such as the environment and biodiversity. They also offer people
an alternative place to sit down for a few minutes and to reflect on their day or
to meet friends”, concluded Cllr Kieran McCarthy.
1067a. Project page on the local history of the Vikings in Cork from Our Lady of the Lourdes NS student 2019/20 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 24 September 2019
Launch of Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage
Project 2020-21
Covid-19 has brought many challenges to every
part of society and never before has our locality being important for recreation
and for our peace of mind. In the past few months more focus than ever has been
put on places we know, appreciate and even on places we don’t know but now
depend on as we remain grounded in our neighbourhoods and corners of Cork City.
Against the backdrop of Covid-19, the Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project 2020/21
(Cork City Edition) launches in its 19th year and is open to
schools in Cork City. Funded by Cork City Council. The Project is an initiative
of the Cork City Heritage Plan.
The 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 “Living Through History”, which is a nod to the historic pandemic we are
living through.
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 2020.
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 eighteen 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
importance of doing a project in local history is reflected in the educational
aims of the history curricula of primary and post-primary schools. Local
heritage is a tool, which helps the student to become familiar with their local
environment and to learn the value of it in their lives. Learning to appreciate
the elements of a locality, can also give students a sense of place in their
locality or a sense of identity. Hence the Project can also become a youth
forum for students to do research and offer their opinions on important
decisions being made on their heritage in their locality and how they affect
the lives of people locally. I know a number of students who have been
involved in the project in schools over the years who have took their interest
further and have gone on to become professional tour guides, and into other
related college work.
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,
Learnit Lego Education, and Sean Kelly of Lucky Meadows Equestrian Centre,
Watergrasshill (www.seankellyhorse.com). Overall, the Schools’ Heritage Project
for the last eighteen 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 website, www.corkheritage.ie.
Captions:
1067a. Project page on the local history of the Vikings in Cork from Our Lady of the Lourdes NS student 2019/20 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
1067b. Gameboard on Cork historical landmarks created by Eglantine National School student 2019/20 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
1067b. Gameboard on Cork historical landmarks created by Eglantine National School student 2019/20 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
Covid-19 has brought many challenges to every part of society and never before has our locality being important for recreation and for our peace of mind. In the past few months more focus than ever has been put on places we know, appreciate and even on places we don’t know but now depend on as we remain grounded in our neighbourhoods and corners of Cork City.
Against the backdrop of Covid 19, the Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project 2021 (Cork City Edition) launches in its 19th year and is open to schools in Cork City. Funded by Cork City Council. The Project is an initiative of the Cork City Heritage Plan.
The City Edition of the Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project (est. 2002/03) is aimed at both primary and post primary level. Project books may be submitted on any aspect of Cork’s rich past.
Collapsed Monkey Puzzle Tree, Mahon, August 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
Over the past few days great progress has been made in relation to the monkey puzzle tree and how best to use it. Following a very productive meeting between O’Callaghan Properties, St. Michael’s Credit Union, Cllr. Kieran McCarthy and Dr Eoin Lettice of UCC, a plan has been developed to distribute the felled iconic monkey puzzle tree back to the community where it was here for approximately 161 years.
It is a beautiful wood and we’ve worked together to make sure it’s used in a variety of forms to commemorate this iconic tree. Crafts people and artists in the area and from Cork City have been contacted about using the wood to create artistic pieces.
A number of local businesses have also expressed an interest in wanting to use the wood to create a featured piece to be displayed within the communities of Blackrock and Mahon. St. Michael’s Credit Union has engaged with a number of local sports clubs and organisations to see if they would like to acquire a piece of this historic tree. A section of the tree will also be provided to University College Cork for educational purposes.
Collectively the decision has been made to also offer blocks sized approximately 30 cm x 23 cm from the tree to members of the public for them to use and remember this iconic tree. This is an initiative that gives the tree back to those from within the Blackrock and Mahon areas who had enjoyed the tree for generations.
Due to limited availability and COVID 19 restrictions we ask people who are interested in securing a piece of this iconic tree to complete the follow short online registration of interest form on this website.
Douglas Road and Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy invites all Cork young people to participate in the tenth year of McCarthy’s Make a Model Boat Project. This year because of the Coronvirus all interested participants must make a model boat at home from recycled materials and submit a picture or a video of it to the competition organisers at kidsmodelboat2020@gmail.com. The event is being run in association with Meitheal Mara and the Cork Harbour Festival Team who have cancelled nearly all of their festival this year bar their collaboration with Kieran on the Make a Model Boat Project. There are three categories, two for primary and one for secondary students. The theme is ‘At Home by the Lee’, which is open to interpretation. The model must be creative though and must be able to float. There are prizes for best models and the event is free to enter. For further information, please see the events section at www.corkharbourfestival.com. The closing date for participants is 30 April 2020.
Cllr McCarthy, who is heading up the event, noted “I am encouraging creation, innovation and imagination amongst our young people, which are important traits for all of us to develop. I am going to miss this year seeing the models float at The Lough. The Make a Model Boat Project is part of a suite of community projects I have organised and personally invested in over the years– the others include the Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project with Cork City Council, the Community local history walks, local history publications, McCarthy’s Community Talent Competition and Cork City Musical Society. Many of the latter projects were have gone digital or soon will go digital for this year. I look forward to the digital challenge”.
