Category Archives: Ward Development

Cllr McCarthy: Democratic Call Held Up On Pedestrianising The Marina, December 2020

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

Press Release:

Cllr McCarthy has welcomed that the democratic call on permanently pedestrianising The Marina has been upheld and passed at the most recent City Council Ordinary Meeting. Cllr McCarthy notes; “The recent public consultation process of 250 submissions showed that 90 per cent were for the plan, with 5 per cent with specific issues on carparking and access, which are also resolved in the Directors response leaving 5 per cent against the proposal.

Several referred to The Marina’s function as a road in modern times and several have called for a review of the heavy traffic on Blackrock Road – and that latter thorn is something the City Council will have to grasp – especially around traffic speeds and pedestrian safety.

What we have seen down The Marina in recent months – in terms of the temporary pedestrianisation and the investment into Marina Park, phase 1 –  is probably the first time in several decades that investment has filtered into renewing this area  as one of the City’s key recreational areas.

The Marina as a pedestrianised space has a great future ahead of it – there is much to do on its place-making vision and to enhance the vision of the Council for The Marina walk, that has been around for almost 170 years.

My hope is that Marina Walk 2.0 would be worked at – I certainly would like a refocus to be placed on some of the heritage assets both built and natural – and also that we become bold in beginning to look at river front of ESB Marina and the Marina Commercial Park in terms of extending the western end of the Marina Walk and extending it to Cork Docks. That right of way was there 150 years ago when The Marina name was fashioned”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.

Cllr McCarthy: Opening of Douglas Library will support social and cultural inclusion

Arts, Cork City Events, Cork History, Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Ward Development, Ward Events

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”.

Kieran’s Speech, The Marina Pedestrianisation, Cork City Council, 13 December 2020

Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Landscapes, Uncategorized, Ward Development, Ward Events

“Lord Mayor,

The section 38 on the proposed pedestrianisation of the Marina is most welcome. The public consultation process of 250 submissions has shown that 90 per cent are for the plan, with 5 per cent with specific issues on carparking and access, which are also resolved in the Directors response leaving 5 per cent against the proposal.

So we are dealing with 95 per cent of those who wrote in wanting this pedestrianisation to happen and I wish to support this democratic call this evening.

I see within the arguments of the 5 per cent – several referred to The Marina’s function as a road in modern times and several have called for a review of the heavy traffic on Blackrock Road – and that thorn is something the Council will have to grasp – especially around traffic speeds and pedestrian safety.

What we have seen down The Marina – in terms of the temporary pedestrianisation and the investment into Marina Park, phase 1 is probably the first time in several decades that investment has filtered into renewing this area  as one of the City recreation destination area – not just a local recreational landscape.

October 2022 will mark 150 years since the name change of the New Wall to The Marina – a proposal at the time by ex town councillor Denis O’Flynn – at that time – the Council saw the Marina as a key recreational site and the debate within the Cork Examiner of the summer and autumn of 1872 shows the Council’s ambition to put an extra focus on the old Navigation Wall dock – a proposal by one Cllr was Slí na hAbhann, which wasn’t adopted – the lofty name The Marina was chosen as a reference to a gorgeous Mediterranean garden in Palermo, Sicily.

Dedicated funding was followed up by the Council of Corporation of Cork in the 1870s and new structures appeared– an elaborate care-taker’s lodge, decorative drinking fountain, a flag post symbolic of shipping, two canons mounted from the Crimean War, a bandstand, the support of placing rowing clubs on the Marina, and the continued support of the Cork Passage Railway Line and Cork City Park Racecourse.

Almost 150 years later, one can visibly see the effect of the car as being king on this history and heritage.

–  the Cantillon family sponsored Drinking fountain is now just pieces of metal up on a mound up by Shandon Boat Club,

 – the Captain Hanson donated flag post  is cut in half,

– on the Crimea War guns – one is missing and one is almost thrown on the grass,

– The Caretaker’s Lodge is gone,

the removal of Gunpowder Pier and the Crinoline Railway bridge,

and one now has the tree ridden Barrington’s Folly.

The Marina as a pedestrianised space has a great future ahead of it – there is much to do on its place-making vision and to enhance the vision of the Council for the Marina, that has been around for almost 150 years.

My hope is that Marina Walk 2.0 would be worked at – I certainly would like a refocus to be placed on some of the heritage assets both built and natural – and also that we become bold in beginning to look at river front of ESB Marina and the Marina Commercial Park in terms of extending the western end of the Marina Walk and extending it to Cork Docks. That right of way was there 150 years ago when The Marina name was fashioned”.

Ends

Cllr McCarthy Welcomes Douglas Village Parklet

Arts, Cork City Events, Enterprise, Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Landscapes, Uncategorized, Ward Development, Ward Events

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. 

Cllr McCarthy – “A Further Dagger into the Hearts of the Survivors’ Alliance”

Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized, Ward Development

Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has noted that the proposal for a Strategic Housing Development of 179 units in Bessborough and the proposal for 67 units as a general application to Cork City Council are a further “dagger into the hearts of the Cork Survivors and Supporters Alliance (representing 56+ families)”.

Cllr McCarthy noted: “The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes has just submitted its final report to the Minister for Children. The document, which runs to more than 4,000 pages, will be published after it has been reviewed by the Attorney General. It will include the testimonies of people who lived and worked in 14 mother-and-baby homes and four county homes between the 1920s and the 1990s.

But here we have an SHD proposal and a proposal to Cork City Council, which really should wait and see what the findings are first and to review what the recommendations are for each one of the Mother and Baby Home sites. By not waiting just drives another dagger into the hearts of the Survivor’s Alliance, who are just looking for recognition, knowledge of what happened, and a chance to memorialise their babies.

The Survivor’s Alliance deserve way better than an SHD proposal and a proposal to Cork City Council on a fence outside the premises. There has been no consultation with them. The Alliance have put forward, in my opinion, very straightforward proposals.

They want to ensure that the Childrens’ Burial Ground, the nuns’ marked graveyard and the castle folly are brought under City Council jurisdiction, and that the City Council could facilitate grounds maintenance, visitor access and preservation of these connected sites. We should wait and see what the recommendations of the Mother and Baby Home Commission are – there could be provision within that for funding for local government to maintain Mother and Baby Homes graveyards in the public interest.

A City Council managed site at Bessborough’s burial grounds could honour the human rights obligations of the state to the family members of the deceased children. Currently access to the area (Childrens’ Burial Ground, castle folly and adjoining nuns graveyards) is limited to pre-arranged access or trespass.

The Bessborough Commemoration Group have been obliged to negotiate access, on a year by-year basis, and pay public liability insurance for the annual Bessborough Babies Commemoration event.

Many survivors and family members living abroad return to Ireland for this event and others return to Cork from other Irish counties. Indeed the diaspora of survivors includes others who have never returned but may do so if they have somewhere to visit and honour – i.e. memorials and burial grounds. Surely in this day and age the installation of headstones can be done.

The creation of a survivors’ memorial park on the ‘waste ground’ to the east and south of the Bessborough buildings should be pursues. It is important that this park be created in consultation with the wider community of Bessborough survivors and family members.

The establishment of an onsite interpretive centre and archive in collaboration with the survivors and family members of Bessboro inmates should also be looked at – not just a SHD proposal on a fence with no proper and real public consultation”, concluded Cllr Kieran McCarthy.

Bessboro Strategic Housing Development, Application to An Bord Plenanala Site Note, 28 November 2020

Bessboro Strategic Housing Development, Application to An Bord Plenanala Site Note, 28 November 2020

Cllr McCarthy: “Permanently pedestrianising one of Cork’s best-loved amenities has been cemented by ‘overwhelming’ public support, 25 November 2020

Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, S.E. Ward Local History, Uncategorized, Ward Development

25 November 2020, “Permanently pedestrianising one of Cork’s best-loved amenities has been cemented by “overwhelming public support” and signals a sea change in the urge people have for increased green and liveable city areas. That is according to independent Cork city councillor, Kieran McCarthy”. ‘Overwhelming’ support for permanent car ban at Cork’s Marina, ‘Overwhelming’ support for permanent car ban at Cork’s Marina (irishexaminer.com)

Cllr McCarthy: Welcome Publication of Public Consultation Findings on The Marina Pedestrianisation

Cork City Events, Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized, Ward Development

Press Release:

Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed the conclusion of the public consultation process on the permanent closure of the Marina from its junction with the northern entrance of Páirc Uí Chaoimh to its junction with Church Avenue, to vehicular traffic 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Cllr McCarthy noted: “The report arising from the consultation was discussed by local councillors at their local area committee meeting this week. Two hundred and fifty (250) submissions were received in relation to the proposed scheme. A total of 224 of the submissions expressed support for the proposal and in some cases suggested additional work or amendments to the proposal. A total of 21 of the submissions objected to the proposal. Overall, there was strong support for the proposal presented for the pedestrianisation of The Marina”.

The City Council propose to respond to a number of recurring items that were raised by the general public. The current proposed pedestrianisation on The Marina will be given effect initially by installing removable bollards on The Marina at its junction with the northern Páirc Uí Chaoimh entrance and with its junction with Church Avenue. A consultant has been appointed to look at the feasibility of providing fixtures of a more permanent nature such as automatic rising bollards at this location.

The current proposed pedestrianisation on The Marina will only provide access to the area for emergency vehicles and vehicles used for the purposes of the operation, maintenance, repair and improvement of services & infrastructure. A car park accommodating approximately 200 vehicles and disabled bays has been provided as part of the Marina Park development and is located at Centre Park Rd/ Marina junction running west towards Shandon Rowing Club

Requests to extend the scheme to the City Centre is outside the scope of this proposal, however, this may be considered as part of the development of the South Docklands area.

Public realm improvements such as the resurfacing, shared space, public lighting, seating, etc. are outside of the scope of this proposal, however funding is being sought to upgrade The Marina. Subject to the allocation of funding, a scheme will be designed and be brought forward for consideration to the public and local councillors.

The Marina, Cork, November 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
The Marina, Cork, November 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)

Following assessment of the submissions received and the issues raised at the local area committee meeting, the report has now been referred for voting upon at the mid-December Council meeting of Cork City Council.

Cllr Kieran McCarthy: Work in Garryduff Woods on Track

Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Landscapes, Uncategorized, Ward Development

Press Release:


Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed that Garryduff Woods is fully open to the public again. This followed a series of works by the wood’s manager, An Coillte. It was agreed earlier this year with the local community that the next step was to replant the area with broadleafs. The programme of works already completed included hedge cutting, tree surgery and road maintenance prior to the felling, the felling itself, ground cultivation and timber haulage.
The site is now prepared for planting which is planned to take place in quarter one of 2021 when plants are available.

The site does not need to be closed for this operation as it is manual work only and no heavy machinery will be required. The replanting will consist of the following species – Oak (2 hectares), Birch (2 hectares), Scots Pine (1.4 hectare), Norway Spruce (1 hectare). The Oak, Birch and Scots Pine will be planted, mixed at a ‘stocking rate’ of 3,300 stems per hectare for the oak and birch and 2,500 stems per hectare for the Scots Pine. Norway Spruce to be planted in small groups throughout the site at 2,500 stems per hectare.


This site will be managed primarily for biodiversity values and a critical element of this is will be future interventions that will form part of the overall biodiversity management plan. Such interventions are necessary for the maintenance and enhancement of the biodiversity values for e.g. light thinnings to favour Oak, which will be done manually.

The Norway Spruce cones are favoured by red squirrels due to the soft cones that it produces. The cones produced by the Scots Pine will also add to the diversity of food source for red squirrels on site. This new replanting will also allow for the staggering of age-classes should help the red squirrel and the biodiversity value of the site.


Cllr McCarthy noted: “Since the boundary extension last year, Cork City has inherited this very beautiful 26-hectare forest amenity managed by An Coillte. It is a site I am rediscovering over the past year especially from a historical perspective of the Old Court estate and the Civil War Battle of Douglas in 1922, which was held across the woods. Plus I have been vocal many times in the Council Chamber that the City Council needs an effective urban forestry management strategy within the city area. Such a strategy should also connect to other entities such as An Coillte for cross collaborative work”.

Cllr McCarthy calls for Ballinlough’s Our Lady of Lourdes Road Junction to be Re-Examined, 21 November 2020.

Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized, Ward Development

Press Release:

Cllr Kieran McCarthy has asked the Operation Directorate of Cork City Council to re-examine the road safety measures at the junction of Ballinlough Road and Bellair Estate. Cllr McCarthy highlights: “It’s a regular issue local people have raised with me. The corner of Old Lady of Lourdes National School is a blind corner and has many people crossing this dangerous stretch of road every day”.

In response to Cllr McCarthy’s motion, the Operations Directorate of Cork City Council noted that “earlier this year improved signage and line markings have been installed on the western arm of the junction on the one-way portion of the Ballinlough Road to increase visibility and awareness that this section is a one-way road”. Notwithstanding this, the Council have said the road junction will remain on the list of areas for assessment for a traffic management project or road safety improvement scheme. The assessment will also consider which additional measures may be appropriate and feasible to improve road safety in the vicinity of the area. Concluding the operations directorate have noted to Cllr McCarthy’s motion; “Currently there is no funding available for traffic management projects. Any works deemed appropriate can be added for consideration in the future roads programme and undertaken subject to selection by the Members and available resources”.

Our Lady of Lourdes road junction, Ballinlough, Cork from Google Maps