Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 20 April 2023

Recasting Cork: The Tragedy of the Stray Bullet

OnSaturday night, 21 April 1923, one of the last tragic deaths pre to the Truce of the Civil War occurred on the streets of Cork City. The Cork Examiner records that William Murphy, 42 years of age, married, a labourer employed at Murphy’s Brewery, and a resident of 24 Ninety-Eight Street (off Bandon road), was fatally shot in St Patrick’s Street. About 9pm an outburst of firing occurred near the corner of Winthrop Street, which was responsible for William’s death.

The initial story was that an attack was made by a number of armed youths, on a National Army officer passing through St Patrick’s Street. Several shots were reputed to have been fired at him from revolvers. William Murphy was unfortunate in coming into the line of fire, with the result that he was struck in the side by one of the bullets. William was conveyed to the Mercy Hospital, but it was obvious to everyone that his injury was a fatal one, and less than an hour after being wounded, he succumbed to his injury. Another man had a very narrow escape, a ricochet bullet struck him on the face. The wound, however, proved to be a slight one, being only skin deep.

The shooting created considerable alarm in the centre of the city. The usual Saturday evening crowds at the time were startled, but when there wasno repeat of theshots people became reassured, and again moved about as before.

At the Mercy Hospital on the afternoon of 23 April 1923 an inquest was held by Mr. Coroner William Murphy, solicitor. The Cork Examiner records that a military officer represented the authorities and Inspector Cronin was present on behalf of the civic police force. A jury, of which Mr John A Kelleher was foreman, having been sworn in and viewed the body, they began to take evidence.

The first witness was Jeremiah Murphy, brother of the deceased, who said he lived at Dean Rock, Togher Road. He had seen the remains, and identified those of his brother. Jeremiah saw him on the Saturday evening in question about 8.30pm. William was then in perfect health.

Jeremiah met William at the corner of Ninety-Eight Street. They walked towards the South Gate Bridge, across the Grand Parade, through St Patrick’s Street and McCurtain Street to the corner of the Coliseum. They returned from the corner of the Coliseum through St Patrick’s Street, on the Minister Arcade side. They came back through St Patrick’s Street again. That was about ten minutes to 9 pm. On again returning through St Patrick’s Street, and when opposite O’Regan’s shop, Jeremiah described that a number of rifle shots rang out. The shot came from the direction of St Patrick’s Bridge to the best of Jeremiah’s belief.

Jeremiah continued to describe that William put his hand to his side and screamed. Jeremiah caught him by the arm, and they went a few yards and the deceased said; “I am after being shot”. William then collapsed. Jeremiah immediately got a side car on the stand outside the Victoria Hotel, put William on the car and brought him straight to the Mercy Hospital.

Dr Riordan, house surgeon at Mercy Hospital, was also called as a witness at the inquest ad said the deceased was brought to the hospital on Saturday night about 9.15pm. He detailed that William was in a dying condition and suffered from a wound in his right side. He died threequarters of an hour after admission. Dr Riordan did not make a postmortem, but on examination he found a wound on the right side. It was a small punctured wound, such as would be caused by a rifle or small revolver bullet. There was no exit wound. Dr Riordan had found no bullet, but also did not probe for one. The bullet had probably penetrated the liver. In the doctor’s opinion death was due to shock and haemorrhage.

As the Coroner was about to review the evidence, the officer representing the National Army (whose name was not given in the press) came forward and was sworn in. He said he was in Cork Barracks on the Saturday evening in question. Between 9.15pm and 9.40 p.m. there were shotsfired at the barracks. It was his opinion they were rifle shots. The shots came from the back of the barracks from the area of Goulding’s Glen. It was the officer’s belief that the shots were fired aimlessly in the air with the intention of drawing fire from the barracks. He denoted that the fire was not returned from the barracks. He expressed his sympathy and that of the military authority with the relatives of the deceased.

Replying to the Coroner, the witness said he was of opinion post mortem evidence was necessary. If a rifle bullet had been fired at the deceased in St Patrick’s Street it would have gone clean through him. About twenty shots were fired at the barracks. The Coroner, in the course of his summing up, said “the deceased had done on Saturday night as many decent citizens had a perfect right to do—to walk the streets without being menaced by death”. He detailed that it was for the Jury to consider whether it was possible that the deceased had been struck by a stray bullet from the direction of the barracks.

The Coroner articulated that he had no evidence of firing in the vicinity of St Patrick’s Street. He noted he would leave the jury to consult amongst themselves the evidence as presented to them. The jury having consulted in private for about ten minutes, the foreman announced that they had found that the deceased met his death by a stray bullet. They were unable to say where the bullet came from, except from the military barracks or St Patrick’s Bridge. However, they wished to express their deepest sympathy with the relatives of the deceased.

Caption:

1198a. Mercy Hospital, c.1900 (source: Cork Public Museum).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 6 April 2023

Recasting Cork: A New Customs Regime

At midnight on Saturday 31 March 1923, a new customs regime was inaugurated at all Irish southern ports and approved outlets for ship traffic in the Irish Free State. At the appointed time, customs officers, accompanied by searchers, became active. The officers were attired in blue uniforms, embroidered with gold braiding and with peaked caps to match.

  The first vessel to come into Ireland to be examined was the SS Bandon. The ship arrived at Cork’s quaysides before 7am and having berthed, the vessel was at once boarded by customs officers. Luggage, passengers and crew and ships papers were checked. One hour later the SS Olive of the Laird Line, from Heysham, UK, with twenty passengers and cargo arrived. Altogether nine vessels came into Cork’s quaysides on the first day of inspections.

After an interval of 106 years, Irish customs were separated from British customs (into which they were merged in 1817). The Irish Free State assumed full independent control of its fiscal policy – a privilege that had not been enjoyed even under Henry Grattan’s Parliament in the late eighteenth century.

The Irish Free State government under William T Cosgrave took its time to think about a fiscal policy on its own. Many aspects had to be considered so that Ireland could efficiently collect its customs duties. Heretofore customs duties on tea, tobacco, sugar or champagne were collected at London, Bristol and Liverpool. Duties on a small proportion of dutiable goods were also collected at Cork, Waterford and Dublin.

Before April 1923 for British manufacturers the Safe guarding of Industries Act was a key piece of legislation. This measure gave a big preference to British manufacturers as against foreign trade. A tax was applied to Canadian, Australian and South African manufacturers. Ireland lost rather than gained through the operation of that act – for the British manufacturer of articles, which Ireland bought but did not produce had a big preference.

The new customs duties would give Irish manufacturers of goods a certain preference at home. Of course, these goods, if exported, to Great Britain, would have to pay tariffs at the other side. A Cork Examiner editorial on 2 April writes about “loose scare talk” and that thought of economic reprisals should be dismissed; “England is not likely to put a tariff on butter, eggs, beef or bacon; to do so may place the English farmer in a favourite position but the English working man would have to pay the piper. Moreover a British government could not very logically propose reprisals against Ireland for giving trial to a British act of parliament until such time as experience shows how far it ought to be modified… It is highly probable that both the British and Irish governments will find it necessary to alter the existing law. The free trade idea is not dead across the channel, and there are many convinced free traders on this side”.

The following was a list of the principle dutiable articles under the new regulations; tobacco, cigars, cigarettes, spirits, liqueurs, perfumery, beer, coffee, chicory, tea, dried fruit, cocoa, chocolates, sugar and confectionery, molasses and glucose, saccharine, wine, playing cards, musical instruments including gramophones cinematograph films, clocks and watches, gramophone records, wireless, vacuum tubes colour metallic tungsten, compounds of thorium, synthetic organic chemicals, optical instruments, optical glass, scientific glassware, scientific instruments, gauges, matches, table waters on cider, motor cars and accessories, motorcycles, fine chemicals, and laboratory porcelain.

The principle imported articles, which were prohibited were restricted, were extracts of tea, coffee, chicory, and tobacco, foreign reprints of registered copyright works including music come on dogs, arms, ammunition and explosives, prepared opium, cocaine, morphine, diamorphine, heroine and raw and ministerial opium.

In the case of motor cars, every car entering the Irish Free State market that was to be brought via a port or over the boundary of the six counties of Northern Ireland, they would be dutiable to the extent of 33 ½ %. if imported from outside the British Empire, and 22.2% if the place of origin was within the British Empire.

  From the date of the announcement of the new customs duties regulations in late February 1923 there was an intense rush on the part of motor dealers to land the greatest possible number of cars in the Irish Free State before the customs duties were enforced. Urgent appeals for immediate delivery were sent from Ireland to British traders. For many days the quays in Irish ports such as Cork and Dublin were congested by abnormal consignments of cars rushed into the country in an attempt to get ahead of the tariffs barrier.

In practical terms, the importing and exporting of merchandise across the Northern Ireland border was banned apart from through select routes and at select times. Construction began on customs huts and stations along the border. Between 9am and 5pm daily, except on Sundays, railway stations were open for the authorisation of merchandise. Farm produce was exempt, as was the exclusion of household furniture and small domestic supplies of non-dutiable goods.

As a result of the Common Travel Area agreed between the British and Irish Free State governments earlier in 1923, there was free movement of people. However, those who crossed the border had their person and personal effects checked to stop smuggling.

Kieran’s April Tours (free, no booking required):

Saturday 15 April 2023, The Friar’s Walk; Discover Red Abbey, Elizabeth Fort, Barrack Street, Callanan’s Tower & Greenmount area; Meet at Red Abbey tower, off Douglas Street, 2pm.

Caption:

1196a. St Patrick’s Quay, Cork, c.1900 by Cork Camera Club (source: Cork Public Museum).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 30 March 2023

Recasting Cork: Public Health and the Cost of Living

February and March 1923 coincided with a number of important reports published in the Cork Examiner on daily life in Cork. In late February, at a Cork Corporation Public Health Committee, Dr D Donovan reported that 71 case of diphtheria had been notified as against 29 cases the previous year. Dr Donovan commented that the Corporation was partly responsible for its spread through improper dumping of refuse in suburban locations. Cork Corporation was heavily dependent upon heavy rain to clean the streets and wash the sewers.

Conditions of sites such as the Mardyke stream were commented on by the Public Health Committee. A sum of £2,000 had been spent on improving it but the bed of the stream was in a poor state. At a late March 1923 meeting, the Corporation’s City Water Analyst, Mr D J O’Mahony, reported on the analysis of water supplied to him. One sample taken at 5 Anderson’s Quay came back as being of the lowest drinking quality. The principal problem was that the river water was being contaminated upstream by the growing number of houses in the River Lee valley and its tributaries.

On 22 March 1923, a committee of the Commission on Prices appointed by Dáil Éireann sat at Cork Courthouse to inquire into the current cost and profits of foodstuffs, including meat, bread and flour, milk and potatoes, vegetables, fruit, porter and stout.  There was a general concern that the cost of living was higher in Cork that in any city in the Irish Free State or in Great Britain. The Commission wished to interview interested citizens so that the exact facts could be brought to the fore.

The members of the committee present were Messrs C K Murphy (chairman), George Murphy, and Miss E Lyndon. A number of volunteer witnesses were called. Many noted that prices varied across the city especially vegetables. Some of the findings, which emerged, found that that the price of local food commodities were not fixed, but were dependent a good deal on locality and the state of mind of the vendor. Two housekeepers, who gave evidence before the Committee noted that in their experience prices varied very much, and especially the prices for meat in the Grand Parade Market. One witness noted that she sought a piece of mutton and she was asked 1s 8d at one stall, 1s. 10d at another, but eventually she bought mutton at a third stall for 1s 6d.

One of the witnesses said she found that some articles of food were always much cheaper in St Patrick’s Street than in some other parts of the city, her opinion being that shopkeepers elsewhere put on a few pence per pound for conveying food stuffs to her suburban district.

In the same week as the sittings of the food commission, the annual public meeting of the Cork Child Welfare League was held at the Victoria Hotel. Established in 1918, it was funded by public subscription with the main bulk of funding coming from Cork Corporation, Roman Catholic Bishop Daniel Cohalan and a fundraising committee within Ford tractor works.

For over five years the League had been working closely with families in Cork districts where the mortality rates amongst children was high and where the purchase of foodstuffs was limited. The chairman Mr J M White commented that the League had been very useful over its time. For seven years previous to the formation of the League the annual child death rate was 12 per cent, but five years after the formation of the League that rate had been reduced to 9 per cent. A total of 59 deaths were commented upon in the report with pneumonia and influenza being prominent causes.

The report detailed that overcrowding in housing was constantly increasing. Many houses were unfit for habitation and some really unfit. The report noted the need for a children’s care home – “a home for feeble-minded children is urgently needed in the city, where these little sufferers can get rest, quiet and sympathetic care”.

Unemployment was also commented on. It had caused much hardship and distress especially amongst women and children; “The women and children bear the brunt of the suffering, and the staple diet of many of them is bread and tea, and hardly enough of that. This is extremely bad for growing children, both mentally and physically, and it is important to expect a strong, healthy race when the youth of the nation, in addition to having its nerves shattered by the troublous times, is improperly nourished”.

A total of 1,108 babies and 213 ante-natal cases were added to the books of the League over the previous year. Over 7,659 infants were treated in three centres in the city over the 1922-1923 period, and over 2,000 mothers received advice. No less than over 7,247 visits were paid to the homes of mothers.

Many children who were left weak after influenza or measles were kept on milk by the League until they were restored to health. That was despite that over 93 per cent of the babies visited by the League were breast fed. Many parents were unable to afford the necessary quantity of milk and bread. A total of 404 families received 32, 926 quarts of milk and 1,744 pairs of bread at a cost of over £568.

Kieran’s April Tours (free, no booking required):

Saturday 1 April 2023, Shandon Historical Walking Tour,meet at North Main Street/ Adelaide Street Square, opp Cork Volunteer Centre, 2pm, in association with the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival.  

Sunday 2 April 2023, The Cork City Workhouse; meet just inside the gates of St Finbarr’s Hospital, Douglas Road, 2pm, with the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival.

Saturday 15 April 2023, The Friar’s Walk; Discover Red Abbey, Elizabeth Fort, Barrack Street, Callanan’s Tower & Greenmount area; Meet at Red Abbey tower, off Douglas Street, 2pm.

Caption:

1195a. The Mardyke, Cork, c.1900 (source: Cork Public Museum).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 23 March 2023

Recasting Cork: Spring Skirmishes in Cork City

Robbery, sniping and arson were all part of the Anti-Treaty IRA movement in Cork City in March 1923. From late February 1923, several postal pillar boxes in Cork were closed off. Of the ninety odd pillar boxes and wall boxes in the city, about forty were not in use. They were closed by the postal authorities in order to safeguard public property and correspondence. During hold-ups the keys of those boxes were taken from the postmen and consequently there was no alternative but to close those boxes until new locks could be fitted.

The Cork Examiner records that on 5 March 1923 at 9pm members of the National Army at the Cork terminus of the Cork Bandon Railway were sniped at, and one soldier was rather seriously wounded. The shots – seven or eight in all – were fired from the ruins of the City Hall, the fire being directed chiefly at the sentries on duty at the gates of the railway. None of the sentries were hit, but Michael Sullivan, a married man, employed as engine-driver on an armoured train, who was returning to the station and was near the gates when the shots were fired was wounded. A bullet struck him in the thigh, passing clean through and fracturing the bone. He was removed to the Mercy Hospital for treatment.

With the exception of a few panes of glass being broken, no other damage was caused by the snipers, who ceased to fire when the troops opened fire in their direction. A few minutes after the attack matters were again quiet. One arrest was made.

On 8 March shortly after 8pm, the Cork Examiner records that Commandant Scott of the National Army was seriously wounded at Blarney Street. He had just arrived at the residence of Mrs Powell, a sister of Michael Collins, when an attempt by Anti-Treaty IRA volunteers to burn the house down, was initiated. The house was saturated with petrol and oil and those involved were ready to set the house alight. Even the children, who had been in bed, had been ordered out by the raiders. When the Commandant knocked at the door, the door was opened by one of the raiders, a youth of less than twenty years of age. The lad, recognising that a miliary officer was standing at the door, immediately whipped out a revolver and fired point blank at Scott, hitting him in the right arm.

Several shots followed, the disturbance being the signal for the raiding party to get away as speedily at possible. They exited the house and got away under fire from Commandant Scott’s escort. One of the raiders that was captured was in possession of a Webley revolver and six rounds of ammunition, two of which had just been fired. Commandant Scott was operated at in the Mercy Hospital. One of his bones in his right arm was fractured.

On 12 March, a raid on a sweet shop on Penrose Quay in a disused loft – the property of the Cork Steam Packet Company – four canvas life-belts were discovered. The cork was removed from the life-belts and Thompson ammunition was found inside. The four belts contained 2,108 rounds. In another nearby raid, 1,000 rounds of Thompson gun ammunition were found concealed.

Elsewhere telegram wires were cut at Glasheen Road. Troops were at once on the scene and fired a few shots after the raiders who got away across the adjacent countryside. In the same day in the course of a search in Donoughmore, a six cylinder Buick car was discovered covered with Furze bushes. An empty dug-out was also found.

On 13 March in a raid in a sweet shop near Parnell Bridge, fourteen rounds of ammunition were found and some anti-treaty literature. A Miss Nolan was arrested. On the same day an ammunition dump complete with revolvers and two bombs was discovered near the wall of Mayfield Chapel. The intention was to use them in a night attack on troops passing Dillon’s Cross.

On 14 March, William Healy, 52 Dublin Street, was executed. He was arrested under arms during a raid on a house on Blarney Street. He was court-martialled on a charge of possession of arms and was executed by firing squad at Cork County Gaol on Western Road. On 16 March, Mr William G Beale, aged 52, and unmarried, residing at Elm Grove, Ballyvolane Road, and a member of the well-known form of Harris and Beale, Grand Parade, was shot and seriously wounded near his residence by men who stated that the act was a reprisal for William’s execution.

On 20 March 1923 the Cork Examiner records that an extensive raid was carried out on the Cork Lunatic Asylum. In the course of an extensive search a number of revolvers and several rounds of ammunition were discovered behind the fireplace in a room occupied by Warden Fitzgerald. In a room a large quantity of field dressing was captured as well as a bundle of seditious literature in one of the wardresses’ rooms. An empty Mills bomb case was found in another room. The warder Jerry Fitzgerald with four of his male staff George Wycherly, Charles Hyde and John Murphy were arrested. Three wardresses were arrested, who were all prominent members of the Anti-Treaty Cumann na mBan. They were Kathleen O’Sullivan, Miss N Connolly and Miss H Clery.

In addition, on 20 March 1923, an attempt was made to destroy the residence of Maurice Healy, solicitor, Ballintemple, by fire by a number of men, some of whom were armed. Petrol was freely sprinkled in the upper storey and set alight. The incendiaries, apparently fearing being surprised while on their work of destruction, retired rather hastily. A member of the household, with the aid of chemicals, soon had the fire quenched. Little damage was done beyond two rooms and the corridor being slightly scorched by the flames.

Kieran’s April Tours (free, no booking required):

Saturday 1 April 2023, Shandon Historical Walking Tour,meet at North Main Street/ Adelaide Street Square, opp Cork Volunteer Centre, 2pm, in association with the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival.  

Sunday 2 April 2023, The Cork City Workhouse; meet just inside the gates of St Finbarr’s Hospital, Douglas Road, 2pm, with the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival.

Saturday 15 April 2023, The Friar’s Walk; Discover Red Abbey, Elizabeth Fort, Barrack Street, Callanan’s Tower & Greenmount area; Meet at Red Abbey tower, off Douglas Street, 2pm.

Caption:

1194a. Liam Healy executed on 13 March 1923 (picture: Cork City Library).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 2 March 2023

Recasting Cork: Damages to Rail

Late February 1923 and early March 1923 coincided with AGM reports for the Great Southern and Western Railway (GSWR) Company and for the more local railway companies.

During the latter half of 1922, railway property was subject to a concentrated campaign of destruction by the anti-Treaty Republican forces. After their defeat in the Four Courts in Dublin in early July 1922 they intensified their campaign and targeted all operational railway infrastructure. The GSWR Company had a 1,800km network of which 240 miles (390 km) were double track. It was looked upon as the lines of communication of the National Army and therefore damaged with the object of preventing the movement of troops.

Numerous bridges over and under were totally or partially destroyed, signal cabins and other buildings burned down, and engines derailed. A map produced in the Dublin newspapers on 6 January 1923 showed the extent of the damage – 467 breakages in a “permanent way”, 55 overbridges damaged, 236 underbridges damaged, 3 engines destroyed, 86 engines damaged, 109 rolling stock destroyed, 260 rolling stock damaged, and a multitude of signal cabins and buildings were destroyed by fire. Approximately, a million in pounds sterling represented the losses incurred by the shareholders of Ireland’s principal railway. Claims for compensation in respect of these damages were made to the Irish Free State government.

The effects of civil war on rail traffic of the GSWR company were felt in various ways. It closed up altogether considerable sections of the line for long periods. At one time as much as 400miles of line were out of action and in early March 1923 there was a mileage of 250 miles of line on which no trains were ran. War created a general feeling of insecurity and restricted the general trade of the south and west of Ireland. The uncertainty of transit owing to constant damage to the railway temporarily turned trade to other channels. The serious delay to goods in transit reduced business. Less credit was being given. There was also a constant pillage of merchandise and trains being held up by armed forces.

The breaking of the three large viaducts in the south of Ireland practically isolated the County Cork and portion of Kerry and deprived the company of its long-distance traffic, which was the most valuable traffic they had. Passengers only travelled when absolute necessity arose. They could not rely on many parts of the line.

On 27February 1923 an AGM report for the Cork Blackrock and Passage Railway (CBPR) Company was published in the Cork Examiner. It relates that on 8 August 1922 one of the spans of the Douglas Viaduct was destroyed by explosives, and in consequence it had not been possible ever since to run any trains whatever. Such destruction hit the earning power of the line, caused unemployment for employees plus seriously inconvenienced the residents of the district.

The CBPR Company did their best to provide a substitute on the river and they took on a vessel called the Hibernia, which, jointly with the vessel called Albert, carried passengers upstream and downstream to various stations. The public were left only three days without connections with Cork and other stations. The company also put on a second goods steamer for the convenience of traders.

Furthermore, at the end of January 1923 the station buildings and signal cabins at Blackrock, Monkstown and Passage were burned to the ground by anti-Treaty Republicans, also the signal cabin at Rochestown, and, in addition, at Passage the workshops were seriously damaged and several carriages burned to cinders. The Company lamented: “At the time the train service had not been restored, and one may ask what purpose this latter act of brigandage effected? The people who will really benefit by these outrages are the bridge constructors, the carriage builders, and signal manufacturers outside Ireland. As you may readily imagine, the cost of restoration will be very heavy, so much so that unless the Government provide the money the line must remain derelict”.

On 1 March 1923, the Cork Examiner published the AGM report of the Cork Bandon and South Coast Railway (CBSCR) Company. During the War of Independence years, 1920 and 1921, damage was done from time to time to the Company’s line and many bridges were badly damaged. They were able, nevertheless, to continue working until the 9 August 1922. On that date, however, the Chetwynd Viaduct near the city was so seriously damaged by a huge explosion that it was impossible to run trains over it. Consequently, the line had to be closed for all traffic, and it remained closed for the rest of the year. The necessary stops for repairing Chetwynd Viaduct were taken as soon as protection could be obtained for the bridge repair contractors and by early 1923 trains ran again over it.

On succeeding days in August 1922 several other bridges at various parts of the Cork Bandon line were destroyed by explosives as well as other infrastructural damage.

In January 1923, ten of their stations and signal cabins were burnt down and five engines were destroyed. By early March 1923, the (CBSCR) Company was running a limited service between Cork and Bandon for passengers, goods and livestock.

Caption:

1191a. Bandon railway station, c.1920 (source: West Cork Through Time by Kieran McCarthy & Dan Breen).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 16 February 2023

Recasting Cork: A New Motor Association

In January and February 1923, debates by motor car owners on the growth of motor car ownership in Cork led to rising concerns on inadequate road infrastructure and questions on road taxation. A public meeting of owners of private and commercial motor cars was held on the weekend of the 17 February 1923 at Cork’s Victoria Hotel for the purpose of approving the formation of an Association to be known as the Munster Motor Association.

Over one hundred replies were received to a circular sent out, all promising support, and undertaking to join the Association. In addition, there were about fifty owners at the meeting, representing private owners, hirers, garage owners and commercial owners.

The Cork Examiner on 19 February 1923 notes Mr Richard H Tilson was appointed to the chair. Richard was a director of Messrs Cade & Sons Ltd Mineral Manufacturers and was former High Sheriff of Cork for three years, 1913-1915. He was a motor car enthusiast and was a founding member of the Munster Motor Association.

The Chairman, Richard Tilson, felt it was apparent from the large and representative nature of the meeting and the number of signed assents received that they were justified in the formation of the Association. They wished to be law-abiding and wanted to protect car owners and wanted the public to be aware of their aims.

Tilson noted that they had no intention of creating difficulties for the Irish Free Government or the local authorities. They were not there to resist in any “violent manner” whatever obligations were imposed upon them, but they considered the existing road tax for motor cars unjust and that the road tax needed to be reformed. The taxes, Tilson detailed, went towards many purposes, including the upkeep of local roads. He also highlighted that the motor tax was also supposed to go directly towards the requirements necessary for “improved modern locomotion”.

The Association were going to insist on greatly improved road conditions. Tilson commented that the Association needed to champion improvements in road fabric, danger points, and movement of horse and pedestrian traffic. He believed that a large percentage of horse-drawn vehicles did not even observe the rules of the road. He hoped to approach the local authorities in a constructive way with a view to making the roads safe for the public at large. He commented: “The motorist was an exceedingly blamed individual, and more stringent regulations would have to be introduced to deal with horse traffic, even in the City of Cork”.

Tilson also wanted to see horse-drawn vehicles to pay motor tax: “If a motor ear owner paid £20 per year as tax, towards the improvement of the roads, why not a horse-drawn vehicle…if a community raised a considerable sum for road improvement, why that should not be contributed to by the imposition of a small tax on horse-drawn vehicles, to provide for the wear and tear of the roads”.

Tilson hoped that the Munster Motor Association would grow in membership in the City and County of Cork and especially throughout Munster. He aimed that they should have a membership of 3,000, and if they took the valuation of each of those members at £50 at a moderate average each it would represent a valuation of £150,000, which would represent roughly £90,000 in road tax. This was, as Tilson highlighted, an enormous amount of taxation. He also commented that if they took the number of motor cars on the road at 2,000, with an average value of £400 it would represent acapital investment of £800,000 in local economies.

It was unanimously agreed that the resolution previously passed on the subject be rescinded and that the Association be called the Munster Motor Association instead of the City and County of Cork Motor Association.

Mr K O’Neill (Kinsale) said he was originally against the Association spreading its membership outside the City and County of Cork. He thought they would have enough to contend with, but on hearing concerns further afield in Munster he thought they were justified in pushing for a broader membership base. Mr O’Neil wanted fair taxation: “The question of tax was on everybody’s mind, and they were prepared to pay their share towards the upkeep of the roads, but they were all agreed that the tax falling on the shoulders of the motor owners was altogether too high, and though  they may have to pay the tax in the present instance, in the future it would be their duty to try and get it modified – they were prepared to accept their responsibilities, but those responsibilities must be fair”.

Mr O’Neil pointed out that the Association was not for the purpose of taking up individual grievances but was established with a view to benefiting the community of motor owners as a whole. He proposed: “That this large and representative meeting of owners of private and commercial motor cars hereby endorse the decision of a previous meeting forming the Munster Motor Association, and all present agree to join the said Association and to its future success”. Mr Mahony of the Universal Motor Company seconded the resolution, which was unanimously passed.

The Munster Motor Association lasted for several years before it was amalgamated into the Royal Irish Automobile Club (established in 1901).

Captions:

1189a. Advertisement of the sale of motor cars at Cross & Sons from Guy’s Directory of Cork, 1921 (source: Cork City Library).