Category Archives: S.E. Ward Local History

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article, 31 January 2013

Cork History, Landscapes, S.E. Ward Local History, Uncategorized

676a. Fords Works, 1930s

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Indepedent, 31 January 2013

“Technical Memories (Part 42) – Cutbacks and Apprenticeships

 

A late April meeting in 1928 for the City’s technical education committee reveals a raft of cuts to their educational programme. The minutes were published in the Cork Examiner on 2 May 1928 and they outline that the Department of Education wrote to the committee conveying approval to parts of their scheme for the academic year, 1927-28. They approved of payment on salaries and the cost of giving a bonus to the whole time employees for the period. A contribution of £2,227 10s 1d was to be made by the Department towards the overall programme, contingent upon the fulfilment on conditions laid down and the efficiency of the instruction.

Approval was withheld on certain expenditures that were proposed. In view of the small enrolment in the printing trade classes, high cost and bulk of machinery, and lack of accommodation for other classes, the Department were unable to sanction proposed expenditure of £270 for a printing press and accessories. They were unable to approve of the payment of a grant in excess of £450 to the School of Music. They were not prepared to sanction a salary in excess of £200 per annum to a Mr Tobin, the Irish teacher. They were not prepared to approve any increase in the existing wages of Mrs L Manning and Miss M Looney, cleaners, and Miss E Falvey and Mrs C Regan, Department of Education attendants. The Department drew attention to the limited amount of teaching undertaken annually by a large number of whole-time teachers. The Department had laid down 800 hours teaching per annum as a reasonable minimum for certain classes of whole-time teachers. It was requested that a reorganisation of duties be initiated as that would lead to the full employment of such teaching staff and a possible reduction in the employment of part-time teachers.

The Department also wrote stating that they were unable to contribute to any special financial aid towards the provision of adequate accommodation or equipment for the teaching of motor car engineering at the Technical Institute, owing to the heavy demands made annually by the other committees. They were in agreement as to the necessity for the development but suggested that the expenses could be defrayed out of the savings held by the committee or by means of a small additional loan from the Cork Borough Council. They approved of the invitation of tenders for the erection of a motor engineering laboratory in accordance with the specification and plan submitted. The Principal of the Technical Institute, Mr King, said the proposed accommodation was to consist of a garage, costing approximately £400. He considered it the most essential thing for the school at that moment as other classes were suffering owing to the overcrowding in the Motor Engineering Department. It was unanimously decided to advance the money from the Committee’s savings, and it was ordered that an estimate be prepared and tenders invited for the work.

The first committee meeting in early May 1928 gives insights into the committee’s opinions on the reform of technical education at government level. The sitting TD on the Committee R.S. Anthony referred to the fact that one of the upcoming matters that would come before the annual technical congress would be the position of the Education Commission, and its recommendations with regard to technical education going forward. He hoped that the delegates would interest themselves in such findings, especially the recommendations on the training of apprentices. He noted that in Dáil ireann he had made an effort to press for the putting into operation of such schemes for some time; “the Education Commission’s report had been referred to dozens of time in the Dáil by their representatives, and there was no delay in taking action on that report. A certain procedure had to be adopted before a Bill dealing with it could be introduced”.

Brother Ryan, another member of the technical education committee, expressed the view that a great deal of technical skill was required in connection with important City works that gave considerable employment. He noted “Cork people are practically unskilled owing to lack of facilities for the providing of technical education for them”. Mr Foley supported Brother Ryan’s and instanced cases where people seeking employment in Fords were unable to get positions owing to lack of training. Men with such training had to be brought from England and elsewhere to fill such positions.

Mr J F Murphy referred to the efforts of the Master painters’ Association in connection with the training of apprentices in that trade in the Cork School. They were informed by the government that funds would support it. The Lord Mayor, Seán French, said that such classes were needed. He referred to the external appearance of some of the city’s buildings, even in the main streets of the city, and said he thought that the firms having such buildings should do something to make them more presentable. They should be encouraged to decorate the outward portions of their buildings and premises. That would not alone give a good deal of work to painters but would provide a training forum for apprentices.

To be continued…

Wanted: looking to talk to people about their memories who attended the “Crawford Tech”, c.1930-c.1970, contact Kieran, 087 655 33 89

Caption:

676a. Ford Plant, Cork, c.1930 (source: Cork City Library)

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article, 17 January 2013

Cork History, S.E. Ward Local History, Uncategorized

674a. Capwell Road, October 1927

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 17 January 2013

 

“Technical Memories (Part 40) –Matters of Efficiency”

 

“The latest scheme of 148 buildings, on the Capwell site, off the Douglas Road are now all but ready for inhabiting. A further scheme of 115 houses at Evergreen and Curragh Road is definitely contemplated and is expected to be soon undertaken. The average rents of these houses, Mr Monahan intimated, would be from 11s to 12s per week, and this rent would apply to the cheapest class of dwelling house, with four or five rooms, and built in twos and threes” (Cork Examiner editorial, 16 November 1927).

One year after Cork: A Civic Survey (1926) was published, certainly the ideas within it had been embraced by City Commissioner Philip Monahan who led the city in light of the Council, the councillors themselves, being dismissed. In terms of Capwell Road, Philip Monahan outlined in an editorial in the Cork Examiner on 16 November 1927 that building long straight rows or terraces would mean a little saving in the original expense of erection. The lay-out costs could also be somewhat further reduced by limiting the size of the gardens, a restriction which in building layouts at that time was not desirable. Every house built by the Corporation under their previous schemes had at least half a rood of garden attached, and this was quite a consideration for the occupier to want.

According to Monahan, the income from capital on building investments had been set down as 8 1/3 per cent, so that the annual rent would equal one twelfth of the cost of building. The basis of reckoning also worked out that the cost of the house should be twice the annual wage, and taking the average wage in Cork City as being 50s per week, or £130 per annum, this would mean that the cost of a house for the average wage-earner should be £260 in order that it might be let at a reasonable rent. However, Monahan pointed out that £200 would not build even a three-roomed house at that time. The lowest contract price submitted to him for the erection of three-roomed houses averaged £429 and five roomed £601. These figures did not include acquisition of land, laying out of ground, making roads and footpaths and architect’s fees. In his opinion, the only way in which building costs could be reduced would be that labour should do one of three things-either work longer hours, accept lower rates of wages or give a greater output or agree on a combination of all three.

Efficiency seemed also to be the theme amongst the committee overseeing technical instruction in the city.  Indeed in early October 1927, they clashed with Philip Monahan over assistance he gave them through his city engineer Stephen Farrington over the repair of the roof in the School of Commerce on the South Mall. The committee noted that the assistance ran over the estimate given by Monahan and they wrote to him asking for reasons why. In a stern letter back, Monahan was unhappy with the thankless letter and for several months, both sides were unhappy with events as outlined in technical instruction committee meetings.

In early October 1927 as well, the Cumann na Gaedhael government under W T Cosgrave was returned to lead the Irish Free State. There was much debate in the papers at the time on what the future of Ireland should be like. Indeed, perhaps one of the most interesting insights into the ideas of educationalists on Irish society at the time came from Professor Alfred O’Rahilly, UCC. On 10 October 1927, the opening lecture of the session 1927-28 to the members of the Economic and Literary Society of the Cork Municipal School of Commerce, was delivered in the lecture hall of the School of Art by Professor O’Rahilly.  Entitled Efficiency, it was a critique on the social mobility of Ireland to embrace a positive future at that time. O’Rahilly was a Professor of Mathematical Physics. During the Irish War of Independence, he was supporter of Sinn Féin and was interned on Spike Island for his political writings. In October 1921 he was constitutional adviser to the Irish Treaty Delegation. O’Rahilly supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty and in 1922 he composed a draft constitution for the Irish Free State with Darrell Figgis.

In his 1927 speech Professor O’Rahilly in his opening section spoke about opportunities: “In this country very often they [citizens] heard it said that they had not got opportunities. Of course that was true, but it was not enough to provide the opportunities; they must also have a mentality in order to avail of them. They must have efficiency; mere institutions were not enough. The fundamental of efficiency was aliveness; efficiency meant an intensive doing of a thing, the power of bringing one’s mind to bear on the point. This might seem very easy but in his experience in life it was very rare. Most people he had met in life, he believed, lived in a permanent state of distraction. They were never wholly in command of their energies, not wholly asleep, and not wholly awake, but in a life long dose”.

To be continued…

Wanted: looking to talk to people about their memories who attended the “Crawford Tech”, c.1930-c.1970, contact Kieran, 087 655 33 89

 

Caption:

674a. Capwell Road, October 1927 (source: Cork City Library)

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 27 September 2012

Cork City Events, Cork History, Kieran's Council Work, Landscapes, S.E. Ward Local History, Uncategorized, Ward Events

660a. Cork Docklands, September 2012

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 27 September 2012

 

“Docklands Historical Walking Tour, 6 October 2012”

 

My historical walking tour of Cork’s Docklands is one I’ve been designing for a while. It runs, Saturday 6 October (2pm from Shalom Park, in front of Bord Gais, free, two hours).  Much of the story of Cork’s modern development is represented here. The history of the port, transport, technology, modern architecture, agriculture, sport, the urban edge with the river all provide an exciting cultural debate in teasing out how Cork as a place came into being. The origin of the current Docklands is a product of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century.

Ever since Viking age time over 1,000 years ago, boats of all different shapes and sizes have been coming in and out of Cork’s riverine and harbour region continuing a very long legacy of trade. Port trade was and still is the engine in Cork’s development. To complement the growth of the port, extensive reclamation of swampland took place as well as physical infrastructure quays, wharfs and warehouses.  I’m a big fan of the different shapes of these wharfs, especially the timber ones that have survived since the 1870s. A myriad of timbers still prop up the wharves in our modern port area, protecting the city from the ebb and flow of the tide and also the river’s erosive qualities. The mixture of styles of buildings, which etch themselves into the skyline, also create a kind of drama to unravel on the landscape itself.  Add in the tales of ships over the centuries connecting Cork to other places and a community of dockers, and one gets a site which has always looked in a sense beyond its horizons. Indeed, perhaps the theme that runs through the new walking tour is about connections and explores sites such as Jewtown, the National Sculpture Factory, the Docks, the old Park Racecourse, the early story of Fords and the former site of the Munster Agricultural Society. All these topics are all about connecting the city to wider themes of exportation and importation of goods, people and ideas into the city through the ages.

One hundred years ago, considerable tonnage could navigate the North Channel, as far as St. Patrick’s Bridge, and on the South Channel as far as Parliament Bridge. St. Patrick’s Bridge and Merchants’ Quay were the busiest areas, being almost lined daily with shipping. Near the extremity of the former on Penrose Quay was situated the splendid building of the Cork Steamship Company, whose boats loaded and discharged their alongside the quay.

In the late 1800s, the port of Cork was the leading commercial port of Ireland. The export of pickled pork, bacon, butter, corn, porter, and spirits was considerable. The manufactures of the city were brewing, distilling and coach-building, which were all carried on extensively. The imports in the late nineteenth century consisted of maize and wheat from various ports of Europe and America; timber, from Canada and the Baltic; fish, from Newfoundland and Labrador regions. Bark, valonia, shumac, brimstone, sweet oil, raisins, currants, lemons, oranges and other fruit, wine, salt, marble were imported from the Mediterranean; tallow, hemp, flaxseed from St. Petersburg, Rig and Archangel; sugar from the West Indies; tea from China, and coal and slate from Wales. Of the latter, corn and timber were imported in large numbers.

With such massive port traffic, there was silting up of what’s now the Tivoli channel. A wall called the Navigation Wall was constructed in 1763 to keep dredged silt behind. The wall was five feet across and about a mile in length. The completion of the wall led to a large tract of land behind the wall, stretch­ing from the Marina west to Victoria Road, being left in a semi-flooded condition. In the decade of the 1840s, City engineer Edward Russell was commissioned to present plans for the reclamation of this land, some 230 acres. Russell’s plan proposed the extension and widening of the Navigation Wall creating the Marina Walk, to exclude tidal water entering the land. He proposed the construction of a reservoir (the present Atlantic Pond), and the erection of sluice gates to facilitate the drainage and exclusion of water.

The slobland was gradually reclaimed and became a park and was used as a racecourse from 1869 to 1917. In March 1869, Cork Corporation leased to Sir John Arnott & others the land for a term of five years and for the purpose of establishing a race course. In 1892, the City and County of Cork Agricultural Society leased space from Cork Corporation in the eastern section of the Cork Park, which became the Cork Showgrounds. In 1917 a sizeable portion of the park was sold to Henry Ford to manufacture Fordson Tractors. Both the latter have a depth of history and memories attached to them.

Before the above tour, don’t forget, this Friday 28 September, 6.30pm, a historical walking tour with me of the Cork Blackrock Railway Line in aid of the Irish Heart Foundation, leaving from Pier Head carpark, Blackrock, E.15 per person. In addition, on that day, the city and county historical societies exhibit their local histories in the Millennium Hall, Cork City Hall, 11am-7pm.

 

Caption:

660a. Cork Docklands September 2012 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)

Historical Walking Tour Down the Old Line, Friday 28 September

Cork City Events, S.E. Ward Local History, Uncategorized, Ward Events

Cllr Kieran McCarthy will give a walking tour this Friday 28 September at 6.30pm. leaving from the Pier Head carpark. It focuses in on the Story of the Cork Blackrock Passage Railway Line. The event is in aid of the Irish Heart Foundation, and costs E.15 to register  (turn up on the evening). A ballad session will follow afterwards in the Pier Head pub.

Cllr. McCarthy noted: “South east Cork City is full of historical gems; the walk not only talks about the history of the line but also the history that surrounds it. For example, Fifty years ago this weekend, the foundation stone of the present St Michael’s RC church was laid. The walk us also a forum for people to talk about their own knowledge of local history in the ward. The walk also forms an important amenity walk through the south east ward.”

The Cork Blackrock and Passage Railway was among the first of the suburban railway projects which opened in 1850. The original terminus, designed by Sir John Benson was based on Victoria Road but due to poor press was moved in 1873 to Hibernian Road. The entire length of track between Cork and Passage was in place by April 1850 and within two months, the line was opened for passenger traffic. In May 1847, the low embankment, which was constructed to carry the railway over Monarea Marshes (Albert Road-Marina area), was finished. In Blackrock, large amounts of material were removed and cut at Dundanion to create part of the embankment there. Due to the fact that the construction was taking place during the Great Famine, there was no shortage of labour. A total of 450 men were taken on for the erection of the embankment at the Cork end of the line. Another eighty were employed in digging the cutting beyond Blackrock.

Tramore Valley Draft Masterplan, 22 September 2012

Kieran's Council Work, Landscapes, S.E. Ward Local History, Uncategorized

Letter Recently Circulated to Houses on South Douglas and Adjoining Estates

 

22 September 2012

 

 

Re: Tramore Valley Draft Masterplan

 

Dear Resident,

The attached is an overview of the development of Tramore Valley Park or the former dump into a municipal park. Many resident groups in the area, as well as current and former councillors and TDs, have lobbied hard to get the ‘dump’ closed and ready for the next phase of development. The next stage can be read amongst the pages attached. The project, I feel is an exciting and positive one, but you the resident will have to live adjacent to it. There are a number of issues that need to be thrashed out including the regulation of the access points to the park through the adjacent estates. Have a read of the attached. The full draft masterplan document in colour can be viewed at:

 

http://www.corkcity.ie/services/environmentrecreation/tramorevalleyparkmasterplan/5890_Tramore_Valley_Park_Masterplan%20final_opt1.pdf

 

 

Comments and submissions from the public on the Masterplan are welcome to the following email address: tramorevalleypark@corkcity.ie Or by post to: Environment and Recreation Directorate, Cork City Council, Angelsea Street Cork. Please have submissions for consideration in by Friday 5 October 2012.

 

I would also like to ask for any stories or pictures residents may have of the Black Ash before its development as a dump, in particular in light of a new historical walking tour I am developing across the site, which focuses in on the physical views from the new park and the area’s local history.

Yours sincerely,

____________________

Cllr Kieran McCarthy