Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 24 March 2022

Journeys to a Free State: Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, 1921-22

Cork’s institutions such as its hospitals offer another lens to look at the life and times of Corkonians amidst the challenges of war during 1921-1922. Cork hospitals usually submitted their annual reports to newspapers such as the Cork Examiner one hundred years ago and their publication provide an insight into their workings and challenges. Indeed, without the annual publication of their AGM reports it is difficult to reconstruct their stories and institutional evolution. Many of the physical paper copies of reports that would have been given to shareholders have been destroyed over the past century.

The annual general meeting of the Cork Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital was held at noon on Saturday 11 March 1922. In 1868 at the age of 24 Henry MacNaughton-Jones founded a 30-bed Cork Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, in a building at the western end of Sheares Street. He was also physician there between 1868 and 1882. In the first eleven years, the hospital treated over 2,000 intern and 20,000 extern patients. A new hospital building was constructed 200 yards from existing building in 1895-97. Designed by architect James McMullen it has an elaborate ruabon brick with limestone dressings design. The foundation stone was laid by the Mayor of Cork, Patrick Meade on 29 or 30 December 1895. In today’s context the building is still owned by the HSE but its services were distributed to other hospitals in Cork in the late 1980s.

In March 1922, well-known Cork merchant Mr William T Green presided at the AGM with the secretary being C J Lane. The report and statement of accounts for the year 1921 were read. It was noted that it had been a difficult and anxious year in many ways. The hospital had, in common with other fellow institutions suffered from surrounding conditions of war, unrest and instability. Financial questions had caused grave anxiety to the committee, while the insecurity or uncertainty of railway travelling arrangements had caused great inconvenience. Continued high prices of provisions, coal, and other necessaries also rendered more difficult the justification of expenditure.

A total of 2,273 patients received treatment at the extern department involving some 10,000 individual attendances, while 508 were admitted to the wards as intern patients. The report noted that the high number of individual attendances—proved the necessity for such a hospital which had done, so much for patients and especially for children in the city.

For many years extern patients were received and treated gratuitously. In 1920 the committee believed that many of those, who could afford to do so, would gladly contribute voluntarily some small sum towards the working expenses of the extern department, from which they received benefit. Facilities were, therefore, provided for the reception of small voluntary donations, and the committee were content that the “donation box” had contributed during the year the substantial sum of just over £93. The report notes: “The voluntary contributions to the donation box proved that those who came for treatment didn’t wish to be treated as objects of charity. They contributed something towards the upkeep of the hospital, and that showed their independence of spirit, which was a very gratifying feature”.

The revenue from all sources, including subscriptions, donations, and payments from paying patients, amounted to £5,326, while the expenditure was £3.082. The year begun with a debt to the bank of £107 and ended with a credit balance of £137. A donation of £534 from the Welfare of the Blind Fund was received through the Local Government Board. Another donation of £259 was received as a donation from the Prince of Wales Fund.

The annual subscription list has suffered sadly by the removal of several generous subscribers. It was earnestly hoped that others will come forward to fill the vacant places, and to keep up or augment this, the only stable source of hospital revenue.

The Committee were very grateful for legacies of £99 and £50, received through the representatives of the Mr Thomas Bones and Mr Samuel Kingston, respectively. Both these very welcome, contributions have been added to the reserve fund of the hospital. In considering the question of hospital finances, the Committee venture to hope that sooner or later would be possible to re-establish the Hospital Saturday and other annual collections, which for many years provided a steady source of income for all the hospitals without pressing upon any individual.

Warm thanks were given to the surgical staff for their constant and untiring work in the hospital. In particular the committee thanked the Matron, Mrs Crofts, and the nursing staff under her for their loyal services. Ill health and advancing years led Mrs Crofts to retire in 1921. She had been associated with the institution from its earliest days, for forty years and much of its success could be attributed to her capacity and work ethic.

 The vacancy caused was being filled by the promotion of Staff Nurse Murphy, who for the previous seven years had been associated with Mrs Crofts in the hospital. She, as the report highlights had “won the approval of all those responsible for its management and proved her ability to fill the position of matron”.

Caption:

1143a. Former Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, Western Road, Cork, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 17 March 2022

Journeys to a Free State: Deputations and Expectations

The pro Treaty rally hosted by Michael Collins on Cork’s Grand Parade on Sunday 12 March was deemed a success. The following day, Monday 13 March, before taking the afternoon train back to Dublin, Michael took the time with Diarmuid Fawsitt from the Provisional Government’s Ministry of Economics to visit and take a tour of the Ford factory.

The Cork Examiner describes a 9am start. Michael was met with an enthusiastic reception along the route to the factory. Even the quay workers paused to cheer his presence. At the Ford works, the party were received by the factory’s managing Director Edward Grace. He showed Michael the extent of the works including the machinery, the moulding shops and casting shops. In the casting room Michael cast four motor-car cylinders. On the short journey returning to the city centre, Michael was recognised and was acknowledged by labourers working on roads in south docklands.

At Turner’s Hotel on Oliver Plunkett Street Michael Collins received several deputations. The proceedings were in private, but the names of the groups were published in the Cork Examiner. Not only was the lobbying of support for the Treaty, but there was also a job of work to do to resolve economic and social challenges, which faced cities such as Cork.  The city had 8,000 people unemployed with a large proportion of whom were artisans, mechanics and unskilled labourers.

A deputation of the Legion of Irish Ex-Servicemen waited on Michael Collins. The position of the ex-service men under the Irish government was gone into, the matters touched upon relating to award granted the dependents of the men killed in the First World War and the question of civil employment.

A deputation on behalf of the Unpurchased Tenants Association urged Michael to complete the land purchase programme and directed attention to the action of certain landlords in threatening bankruptcy proceedings against the tenants. They also urged a temporary reduction pending the completion of land purchase.

Mr George Nason, President of the Cork and District Labour Council, brought matters to the notice of Michael Collins affecting the interests of the trades and the workers generally, with special reference to the unemployment problem.

A deputation on behalf of the Evicted Tenant’s Association was also received in the course of the day by Michael.

John Kelleher (Lyons and Company), John Biggane (Munster Arcade), John Cashman (Cashman & Sons), Michael J Mahony (John Daly & Co), Patrick Crowley (Moore and Co.), William Roche (Roches Stores), and John Rearden, Solicitor, appeared as a deputation about the question of rebuilding the premises destroyed in the Burning of Cork, and to clear up certain remarks regarding the advancing of money for the purpose or rebuilding. Some building owners and architects were ready to start their plans.

The latter remarks were a reference to a meeting of representatives of Cork Corporation and Michael Collins on 22 February 1922. At this meeting Michael noted that the Provisional Government would be in a position to arrange to grant to the extent of finance of £250,000 over a period of time. It was suggested that a sum that a sum of £50,000 would be made available in late Spring 1922 to five or six firms that were ready to pursue contracts. On the 4 March, a Cork Corporation sub committee of nine members was appointed to formulate a scheme for the administration of the available grants and discussion began on the vouching of the claims and the distribution of funding. Diarmuid Fawsitt represented the Provisional Government. By early April 1922, a sum of £10,000 was placed at the disposal of the committee. The money was to be placed to the credit of the City Treasurer.

Michael Collins was interviewed shortly before his departure from Cork on 13 March by the Cork Examiner and asked for his impressions of the Cork meeting. He called the rally a great success, which he deemed the further highlighting of support for the Treaty. He noted “The demonstration was unexpected in its dimensions and enthusiasm. The people came out of their own free will to express their feelings, and then came out without canvassing and without organisation. Of course, I knew that Cork was for us. I knew I was as good an interpreter of the desires of the people of Cork, as anyone, and I am glad my interpretation was confirmed…and everywhere I have gone there has only been approval and assent of the action of the plenipotentiaries”.

Michael continued to speak about how the crowd was not daunted by the gun shots fired at the rally; “The thing that was most marvellous was the coolness displayed by the women – old and young – when a few young men fired shots. I do not blame the men who pulled the triggers. I do blame the people who organised those young irresponsibles, for those people, expected to get a stampede. They know how easy it is to create confusion at a meeting where 50,000 people are assembled, and they got those unfortunate puppets to fire those shots in the full knowledge that if there had been a stampede women and little children would have been trampled under foot. But there was no stampede, everyone stood still, calm, and confident, and the. magnificent altitude of the people prevailed against the intentions of the disruptionists…The will of the people must prevail in spite of these things”.

Caption:

1141a. Michael Collins at St Francis Church, Broad Lane, Cork, on Sunday, 12 March 1922, before the rally at the Grand Parade; (left to right) Diarmuid Fawsitt, economic advisor during the Treaty negotiations; Commandant Cooney, Michael Collins, T.D. Padraig O’Keeffe T.D., Fr Leo Sheehan, Very Rev. Fr Edmund Walsh and General Seán Mac Eoin (picture: Cork City Library).

Earlier this month the award ceremony of the Discover Cork Schools’ Heritage Project took place outdoors at the Old Cork Waterworks Experience. A total of 25 schools in Cork City took part in the 2021/22 school year, which included schools in Ballinlough, Beaumont, Blackrock and Douglas and with a reach to Glanmire, Bishopstown, and inner city suburban schools as well. Circa 800 students participated in the process with approx 220 project books submitted on all aspects of Cork’s local history and it cultural and built heritage. 

The Discover Cork Schools’ Heritage Project is in its 20^th year and is a youth platform for students to do research and write it up in a project book on any topic of Cork history. The aim of the project is to allow students to explore, investigate and debate their local heritage in a constructive, active and fun way.

    Co-ordinator and founder of the project, Cllr Kieran McCarthy noted that: “It’s been a great journey over twenty years of promoting and running this project. Over the years, I have received some great projects on Cork landmarks such as Shandon and Nano Nagle Place but also on an array of oral history projects – students working closely with parents, guardians and grandparents. I’ve even seen very original projects, such as this year I received a history trail on fossils on Cork’s buildings and on public pavements. The standard of model-making and in recent years, short film making – to go with project books – have always been creative”.

“This year the Project technically had two award ceremonies – an online YouTube video presenting winning projects to the Lord Mayor of cork Cllr Colm Kelleher, and an informal and outdoor prize-giving event at the Old Cork Waterworks Experience”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.

The Project is funded by Cork City Council with further sponsorship offered by Learnit Lego Education, Old Cork Waterworks Experience and Cllr Kieran McCarthy. Full results for this year’s project as well as the YouTube award ceremony are online on Cllr McCarthy’s heritage website, www.corkheritage .ie. This website also has several history trails, his writings, and resources, which Kieran wrote up and assembled over the past two years.

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 24 February 2022

Journeys to a Free State: Challenges of Commercial Life

There were plenty concerns for Cork society in early 1922. In early February, the 39^th annual report of the Cork Incorporated Chamber of Shipping and Commerce – and one of two Chambers of Commerce in the city at the time – was published in the Cork Examiner. Reflecting on the previous twelve months, the Chamber report describes that during 1921 they hosted fifteen meetings of the Chamber’s central council and several meetings of subcommittees dealing with special subjects were held. John Crosbie was the elected president and the Vice President for 1921 was Braham E Sutton.

Social and political unrest were key characteristics of their 1921 report, which details the practical paralysis of business. In the early part of the year, large areas were cut off from communication with Cork by rail owing to the shutting down of portions of the railway system by the military authorities and through the closing down of the Cork and Bandon, and Cork-Macroom railway lines, due to industrial strikes in late 1921. In June 1921 the Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway was closed by the military and was shut down for nearly four weeks. The transport situation was much alleviated after the proclamation of the Truce in July 1921.

During 1921 the topic of the transhipment of the mails to the south of Ireland was one of the most repeated campaigns by the Chamber’s council. They continued to point out that the delivery of cross channel letters to Cork at 1pm daily rendered it impossible to reply to them for the next outgoing mail at 2pm the same day. A Belfast incoming mail delivery system of cross channel mail had been accelerated to 10am. No solution was forthcoming for Cork.

The Chamber’s council identified that firstly an acceleration of 40 minutes in the delivery of mail could be affected by firstly a quicker transfer at Holyhead and Kingstown. The delay at Holyhead had been due largely to the examination of luggage there. Secondly the Great Southern and Western Railway could run a special engine with the South of Ireland train from Kingstown to Kingsbridge at an extra cost of £450 per annum to the post office. Representatives of the Great Southern and Western Railway Company promised to bring the matters affecting their mail system before their directors but by early 1922, everyone was still waiting for that outcome.

In general, though, the Chamber’s council expressed ongoing and strong disapproval of the postmaster general’s increased postal charges on the ground. This was also coupled with a late morning delivery of local letters and the curtailment of Sunday mail facilities. They also championed the acceleration of the Fishguard and the Rosslare mails service.

The aftermath of the Burning of Cork was still felt in early 1922. However, in the early part of 1921, the Chamber lobbied for the General Strickland enquiry into the Burning of Cork in December 1920 be published. In a letter by the Council’s Honorary Secretary, Christian Danckert, to UK Prime Minister Lloyd George in February 1921 the Chamber noted: “We learn from the newspapers that it was considered by the Cabinet some weeks ago, and we are at a loss to understand why no indication of its contents has as yet been allowed to transpire. Seeing that property and the value of millions of pounds is in question, the very existence of the city as a commercial community may be said to be at stake. The Council think it lamentable that the unfortunate victims of this terrible calamity should be left in suspense week after week. Nor is interest in the matter confined to Cork, seeing that London underwriters are also concerned for large amounts of compensation. One would suppose the common feelings of humanity would prompt those in authority over this unhappy country to allay the lacerating anxiety, both public and private, which for more than a month has been allowed to prevail. No other means being available to us, my council now addresses this enquiry to you in the hope that I will obtain a response more adequate than the bold acknowledgement, which was thought sufficient for previous communications to the Chief Secretary on this terrible subject”.

Early in 1921, the Chamber’s council created a conference of the owners of property affected by the Burning of Cork. A special committee consisting of representatives of the firms affected and members of the council was formed. This committee held several meetings, collected valuable evidence regarding the origin of the burnings, took up the question with the server insurance companies involved, and obtain special legal advice on the various aspects of the question. They deemed that the preliminary work of that committee would be of much assistance from the final claims for reparation in connection of the Irish settlement come to be adjusted. The council specifically called for Cork claims to be presented separately from these of the other parts of Ireland – due to the extent of “exceptionally aggravating circumstances” and the “convincing evidence of the origin of these fires”.

The Chamber’s council was also involved in a campaign for the establishment of a proper cattle market for Cork. Such a campaign had been ongoing for a quarter of a century. They supported the work of the County of Cork Committee of Agriculture. The proposal was to establish a Cork central cattle market to serve as a clearing ground for the south of Ireland.

A committee was appointed to explore the question and they reported back that their preference was for the site occupied by the corn and Haymarket behind City Hall. However, with City Hall in ruins and its compensation still not sorted the report of the committee was stalled, and ultimately did not come to fruition.

The Chamber’s council was also active in strongly protesting the continuance of the embargo on Eastbourne vessels calling at Cork Harbour. Irish passengers and mails, instead of being landed at Cork harbour, were taken onto English ports and sent back again to Ireland. The embargo was lifted at the end of 1921.

Caption:

1139a. Postcard of Parnell Bridge, Cork City Hall & Cork Carnegie Library, c.1900, pre the Burning of Cork, from Cork City Through Time (2012) by Dan Breen & Kieran McCarthy.

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 10 February 2022

Journeys to a Free State: De Valera Comes to Cork

On Sunday 12 February 1922, the Anti-Treaty side marked the launching of a determined campaign by Éamon de Valera and his followers in Dáil Éireann. They were against the policy adopted by Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins in recommending the Treaty.

The announcement of the launch was issued on the previous Thursday, 9 February and stated; “It is evident from Mr Lloyd George’s speech in the British House of Commons that his policy is once more to trick the Irish people and deal with President Griffith and Mr Collins as he dealt with Messrs Redmond and Dillon”.

The Cork Examiner records that it was under the auspices of the Republican party that three platforms were erected in the heart of Dublin’s O’Connell Street, on Sunday afternoon, 12 February.  The event was densely thronged with people. Thousands of men arrived led by their belief, some in uniform and nearly every one of them carrying arms. They marched in military formation and attracted great attention. De Valera in his speech denounced the treaty, declared that it denied the sovereignty of the Irish people, was signed under the threat of an immediate untenable war, and that it “hopelessly compromised the independence and unity of Ireland”.

Such was the success of the Dublin event in terms of large supportive crowds that De Valera continued his demonstrations at various towns and cities across the country. On Saturday evening 18 February 1922, the Republican demonstration with De Valera and his leading members reached Cork. On receiving a warm welcome at the railway station, De Valera in a short speech remarked: “You don’t want to go into the British Empire; you don’t want to disestablish the Republic, and if an election is forced upon you, we feel certain that the people of Cork will do their part in proving to the world that they still stand for the Irish Republic”.

On the following day on Sunday 19 February, a large public demonstration took place on the Grand Parade and was attended in every respect by a representative contingent of those who supported the Republican cause. Special trains from all the railway lines in the county were requisitioned. The influx was huge. Companies of volunteers marshalled and took their places along the Grand Parade, South Mall, on Washington Street and along the entrance to the place of the meeting. Two platforms were erected – one by the National Monument and one by the Berwick Fountain.

Tram and car services were entirely suspended along the various routes converging on the meeting space. Amongst the bands that took part in the demonstration were the Workingmen’s Brass and Fife and Drum Bands, the MacCurtain Memorial Fife and Drum Band, the Volunteer Piper’s band, and a number of drum and fife bands from across the country.

The Cork Examiner details that De Valera’s arrival was heralded with much enthusiasm by the public present, as he was motored up to the site of his platform. He was escorted by Cathal Brugha TD, Constance Markievicz TD, Seán MacSwiney TD, and other prominent supporters. At platform number one at the National Monument, the proceedings there were presided upon by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Donal Óg O’Callaghan TD. He briefly addressed the meeting in Irish and then called on De Valera to speak. De Valera stepped up with cheers, and cries of “Up the Republic”.

De Valera opened his speech by noting that he went to America to speak to the people of America, and to ask them to recognise the Republic that was “set up in Ireland by the free will of the Irish people”. Little did he dream, he described, that the day would ever come when he would have to come to the Irish people themselves, asking them to affirm that Republic that itself had set up. He noted: “What I have to say to you can best be summarised by the resolutions that I am going to propose to you. They are the same resolutions that were adopted in Dublin by tens of thousands of the citizens of the Irish capital and here in Cork today I am certain that they will be adopted equally without question by the people of the southern capital, the people of Cork”.

De Valera then read the resolutions, which repudiated the Articles of Agreement or Treaty, asserted that any election based on the Treaty would cause partition, deemed the Treaty a threat to the disestablishment of the Republic and its cause, and would do nothing to honour the sacrifices of the men and women who suffered most during the Irish War of Independence.

Proceeding, De Valera said it was not necessary for him to use any argument to impress upon them their approval of the resolutions. He appealed to the crowds present that the nation was in danger – to a greater danger than it was in 750 years. He asserted: “This was the first time in 750 years in which they had been fighting Britain that there was a suggestion to give a democratic title to England in Ireland. Up to this present every Irishman could say that Britain had No title in Ireland”.

De Valera said that it was because they were threatened by an outside enemy and an outside force thought there was any question of departing from the Republic. He noted “if the treaty was signed under duress, then the men who went over broke their faith with the Irish people”.

That afternoon of 12 February 1922, Cathal Brugha TD, Liam Mellows TD, David Kent TD, and Professor William Stockley TD also spoke of the vision of the Irish Republic under threat.

Caption:

1137a. Footage still of Éamon de Valera delivering his oration at the Anti-Treaty event in Dublin, 12 February 1921 (picture: Irish Film Archive).