There were two words – raw and epic – which constantly came to mind as my 400cc scooter motorcycle traversed the roads and byways of West Cork whilst researching this new book in the past year. Both words came to mind as I felt almost swallowed up on my small bike disappearing on routeways, which duck and weave through hollowed out rock scarred by glaciation movements 20,000 years ago or parked up on coastal beaches where the folding of the rock can be seen from near the origins of the universe.
This new book, 50 gems of West Cork, builds on a previous publication called West Cork Through Time (Amberley Publishing 2015), which explored the fascination by post card makers one hundred years ago of West Cork in its scenery, its culture and its people. This new book returns to some of those sites chosen and details new ones exploring how these key sites became the focus of attention and development – and how their stories, memories and the making of new narratives were articulated in an attempt to preserve an identity and/ or communities locally and nationally at sites or to create new identities and communities.
Several sites in this book came into being in the fledging years of the Irish Free State where tourism and story-telling about the nation’s history were highlighted or some sites were created from the burgeoning boom time of 1960s Ireland, where the focus was on developing industry and recreational amenities. For example, the promotion of areas such as Inchidoney Island for more tourism was driven by the Irish Free State’s Irish Tourist Association (ITA), which was established in 1925 to market the young Irish Free State as a tourist destination internationally. Small resorts along the West Cork coastline were developed simultaneously at sites such as Courtmacsherry, Glandore, Bantry Bay, Glengarriff and Berehaven.
The title book explores 50 well-known gems of the West Cork region. It brings their stories together in an accessible manner. It is not meant to provide be a full history of a site but perhaps does try to provide new lenses on how heritage is looked at and the power of narrative construction and collective memory in West Cork. The book takes the reader from Bandon to Dursey Island, from Gougane Barra to the Healy Pass.
Researching West Cork, the visitor discovers that each parish has its own local historian, historical society, village council, sometimes a library, tidy towns group, community group and business community who have inspired the collection of stories, the creation of heritage trails and information panels, and the championing of a strong sense of place and identity. Relics from the past also haunt the landscape with prominent landmarks ranging from Bronze Age standing stones to ivy clad ruined houses and castles, churches and old big houses, to beacons, cable cars and lighthouses. All add to the narrative of the spectacle that is West Cork.
The origins of the beautiful towns of the West Cork can vary from medieval times to the early twentieth century. On walking around them what is particularly impressive is the nineteenth century fabric, which make for very photogenic spaces to capture. There are old and colourful shopfronts, old narrow laneways and streets, ornate water pumps, cobbled surfaces, historic market places, eye catching churches as well as two hundred year-old bridges and older bridges. These latter traits define the look of and layer with stories much of West Cork’s towns. For example, on a sunny day as the sun sets, the colourful shopfronts of Bandon’s Main Street with its stone-built fabric bridge are illuminated.
Where much is written down and attempts made at compiling local histories in West Cork, there is a need to compile the macro historical picture of West Cork. Certainly, the work of Fáilte Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way has been key in bringing many threads of stories together, kickstarting long forgotten traditions and empowering communities to present their story to the visitor. In particular, this book draws on the brilliant Irish Newspaper Archive where the past editions of the Cork Examiner and the Southern Star are digitised and provide much information at different points of a site’s evolution. With a building, statue or a view, looking closely at the human detail can reveal nuances about how places are seen and understood and ultimately can be championed going forward into the future.
In all, this book comprises a myriad of stories of different shapes, patterns and colours just like a painter’s palette of colours. Every site or gem presented is charged with that emotional sense of nostalgia – the past shaping and inspiring present thoughts, ideas and actions. However, this book only scratches the surface of what this region has to offer. West Cork in itself is a way of life where generations, individuals and communities, have etched out their lives. It is a place of discovery, of inspiration, a place of peace and contemplation, and a place to find oneself in the world. What’s the best way to see West Cork – travel through it, sense it and enjoy it!
50 Gems of West Cork by Kieran McCarthy is available in good Cork bookshop.
The book is being launched at a book signing by Kieran in Waterstones, St Patrick’s Street, Saturday 30 November, 3-5pm. All welcome.
Captions:
1025a. Front cover of 50 Gems of West Cork by Kieran McCarthy
1025b. Main Street, Bandon, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
Kieran’s New Book, Championing Cork, Cork Chamber of Commerce, 1819-2019
Championing Cork, Cork Chamber of Commerce, 1819-2019 is my new book and has been funded and published by the Cork Chamber of Commerce. Following on from last week, below is another snippet from the book– focussing on some aspects of its early history and the creation of its commercial hotel, which became known as Royal Victoria Hotel.
Circa 1819, the Committee of Directors of the Cork Commercial Buildings Company made a rule banning campaigning on political or religious matters and possibly Catholic Emancipation. This displeased many of the subscribers who left and formed the Cork Chamber of Commerce. On 8 November 1819 a meeting of subscribers of the new chamber met at Mr Shinkwin’s Rooms (later the site of the Victoria Hotel on St Patrick’s Street) to discuss the rules of governance, to be based on “liberal principles”. The meeting was chaired by Mr Murphy while Mr Alex McCarthy presided at the inaugural General Meeting of 13 November.
A set of rules for the organisation was drawn up and it is significant the word “chamber” was used in the antique sense, it being the intention of the organisation to provide literally a room where merchants, local and visiting could assemble to conduct business. It was also envisaged that the Chamber would act as a repository of commercial intelligence and accordingly newspapers were provided daily.
The early minute books of the Chamber indicate that the committee members were designated and did not appoint a chairman in the modern context of the word. It appears that the chairmanship alternated between the members, each one taking it in turn to chair meetings. Such was the degree of stability between 1819 to 1831, the same members were returned by ballot at each succeeding annual general meeting, and so not more than nineteen chairmen officiated. These comprised James Daly, Martin Mahony, Richard Ronayne, David Baldwin, Thomas Fitzgibbon, Richard O’Driscoll, Robert Honan, James Hackett, Charles Sugrue, Joshua Hargreaves, George Waters, Daniel Murphy, Denis Mullins, John O’Connell, Dan Meagher, J Barry, Paul McSweeney, Thomas Lyons and Edward Penrose. It should be noted that this list is not in chronological sequence.
An examination of the occupations of the members reveal that practically all were involved in trade as opposed to the professions and many of their domiciles and/or business premises were situated in the centre of the city. They were glass manufacturers, distillers, butter and tallow chandlers, woollen manufacturers and food processors.
Policy papers didn’t get published straight away – their first forays into galvanising support was through hosting networking dinners, setting up a reading room where all the weekly newspapers of the day could be read, honouring notable Cork emigrants abroad such as Daniel Florence O’Leary, an aide de Camp in Simon Bolivar’s government in South America, honouring the Catholic Emancipator Daniel O’Connell and his diplomatic work in Westminster, and interviewing prospective candidates for membership of Westminster and asking them what their policies were.
From the earliest minute book of the Chamber it appears that no president was elected. For several years, the Chair was taken by various members of the committee, who were elected each year. In 1822, Thomas Worthington was President. He had an eminent position in the city as Surveyor-General of Customs of Goods. By 1832 Mr D Meagher generally presided, and from that date until 1838 he is described as president. Then Mr Thomas Lyons was elected president, and he continued in this role until 1850. Thomas Lyons was active in local politics. He became an Alderman in Cork Corporation and became the first Roman Catholic mayor of Cork since 1688 after the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act of 1840 reformed the system of local government. He took a dynamic role in the early 1840s in promoting campaigns by Daniel O’Connell on the ongoing repeal movement of the Act of Union and Fr Theobald Mathew’s Temperance campaign. The firm T Lyons and Co was a major commercial drapery factory located on Cork’s South Main Street.
In the early 1830s, the Chamber wished to have its own property and on 25 March 1831 two leases of property were taken out. One lease was for 479 years – the premises being described in the lease as containing 35 feet in front, 35 feet in width at the rear and 67 ½ feet from St Patrick’s Street down Cook Street. The other lease was for 649 years and was described as the ground on which the dwelling house of Catherine Anne Barrett stood and also its back yard and back kitchen. From 1834 onwards, the Chamber built a hotel and reading room at the corner of Marlboro Street and 104 St Patrick’s Street under a trust deed led by James Daly, Thomas Lyons, Charles Sugrue and various shareholders.
The overall Chamber building facing onto St Patrick’s Street was a plain unornamental building, faced with cut limestone. Its reading room was described as a spacious apartment. The lower portion of the building was let into shops, and the rere was occupied as a Hotel.
In 1838, the Chamber of Commerce Hotel was renamed the Royal Victoria Hotel, on the occasion of the accession of Queen Victoria to the throne by Mr Thomas McCormick, senior. The Royal Victoria was patronised by the Royal Families of England, France, and Prussia, by the Grand Duke and Duchess of Saxe Coburg and Gotha, his Royal Highness Prince Phillippe, the Princesses Amelia and Clotilda, and other Royal personages.
Text Extract from Championing Cork, Cork Chamber of Commerce, 1819-2019 (2019) by Kieran McCarthy and published by Cork Chamber of Commerce. The book is available from Vibes and Scribes on Lavitt’s Quay or the Nano Nagle Centre Book Shop on Douglas Street or through the Cork Chamber of Commerce, 021 4509044 or info@corkchamber.ie.
Captions:
1024a. Advertisement for Royal Victoria Hotel, 1919 (source: Cork City Library).
1024b. Front cover of Championing Cork, Cork Chamber of Commerce, 1819-2019 by Kieran McCarthy and published by the Cork Chamber of Commerce (2019).
A new book Championing Cork chronicles the history of city region and that of the Cork Chamber of Commerce, which was founded 200 years ago on 8 November 1819.
Early last year, Douglas Road local historian Cllr Kieran McCarthy was commissioned to research the history of the Chamber, and the book was launched at a dinner to celebrate the Chamber’s anniversary last week.
This book draws on the Chamber’s records in Cork City and County Archives and from its press coverage over two hundred years. It highlights the big stories of the Chamber’s past but also the subtler elements – the conversations, speeches, the messages, the creativity, the elements of empowerment – the intangible pulses, which drive an institution forward.
Speaking at the launch of the history book at The Metropole Hotel Cork, Chamber PresidentPaula Cogan said, “This book brings together 200 years of history of the region. It gives a wonderful flavour of the Chamber’s activities through the decades, describing them in relation to the socio-political and economic context at the time. Kieran took on the responsibility of bringing together 200 years of history with great enthusiasm and with an appreciation of both the importance and impossibility of such a task!”
Cork Chamber has lobbied on behalf of its members on key projects that have transformed the Cork over 200 years. Some of the early campaigns included the first railway services in Cork and supporting the establishment of the further education institutions.
Over the years the Chamber has been a strong advocate for infrastructure developments, such as the growth of Cork Airport, the Port of Cork and the docklands. Working to raise the profile of the region nationally and internationally has been a key part of the Chamber’s mandate and this continues to be a core activity.
Commenting on the book, author and historian Cllr Kieran McCarthy said: “Two hundred years ago a small group of gentlemen met at Shinkwin’s Rooms on St Patrick’s Street – a small two storey building not overly developed. Minutes were kept, a chair appointed, and the rules of the new organisation were set out as their winter meetings progressed.
As the years passed, the new Chamber etched out its own vision and pursued development, across themes such as docklands development, the need to harness new technologies, the need for enhanced commuter belt transport, the need to mind and enhance the City’s appearance, the role of Cork Harbour in the city’s economic development, Cork’s relationship with the UK, diplomatic opportunity building, branding the city – to name just a few. In essence, this new book explores the Chamber’s journey and lobbying work into these themes over two hundred years and much more”.
Speaking at the launch, CEO Conor Healy said: “While some things change over time, the core of the Chamber’s remit of supporting our members through good and more challenging times remains unchanged. The Chamber values of being dynamic, purposeful, inspiring and above all responsible, underpin our vision and purpose, and we look to the next chapter of our history with confidence”.
An Tanáiste, Dear distinguished guests, Dear ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for the opportunity to speak here this evening at such an important occasion. This book took 18 months – a year and a half – to compile, piece together and publish, and all of its roads led to this evening – the actual 200th anniversary date of the Chamber being established.
Eighteen months though is only a very small proportion of time of the 200 years of the Chamber’s history. But for me and all behind this book, this publication celebrates the nature, essence, energy, character and the power of knowledge and marks a group who came together and continue to champion Ireland’s southern capital and region. So for me this book is not just a history book but a toolkit where a cross section of a multitude of moves by the Chamber over the 200 years are documented and mapped.
Two hundred ago today, on a wintry evening a small group of gentlemen- not over a dozen in number – met at Shinkwin’s Rooms on St Patrick’s Street – a small two storey building not overly developed. Minutes were kept, a chair appointed and the rules of the new organisation were set out as their winter meetings progressed.
We are very lucky that those original minute books and 98 per cent of the minute books survive and are now minded in Cork City and County Archives as well as a vast majority of the minutes were written up in local newspapers such as the Cork Examiner. The Cork Examiner in our time is now completely digitised and completely readable online going back to 1841.
On the 8 November 1819, some of the merchants of the city were aware of the need for a Chamber. Dublin and Waterford already had their chamber for many years. The first members of the Cork Chamber don’t jump out of Cork history as highly recognisable figures. But they do come across though as people who cared about the city and region, as hard sloggers, and that they were acutely aware of the challenges of their time and of the acquisition of knowledge to resolve such challenges.
Policy papers didn’t get published straight away – their first forays into galvanising support was through hosting networking dinners, setting up a reading room where all the weekly newspapers of the day could be read, honouring notable Cork emigrants abroad such as Daniel Florence O’Leary, an aide de Camp in Simon Bolivar’s government in South America, honouring the Catholic Emancipator Daniel O’Connell and his diplomatic work in Westminster, and interviewing prospective candidates for membership of Westminster and asking them what their policies were.
So what has changed from those first policies- the dinners are ongoing, the Chamber still honours Corkmen abroad interestingly the Columbian Ambassador recently unveiled an info panel to Daniel Florence O’Leary at Elizabeth Fort recently. The chamber still asks questions of this city’s politicians of what are your policies- and our senior politicians now pass on questions to present day Westminster candidates.
Indeed probably the only aspect that has changed since those early policies is the ability to read 20 newspapers for free in one place– but one can argue that aspect that has been replaced by the glossy and always thought provoking Chamber Link, which always faces the viewer in every corner of the Chamber’s Summerhill North residences.
Awareness and The Power of Place:
I like to think that those members who signed up on the 8 November and in subsequent weeks were aware of their city, walked its streets, had ideas on where Cork needed to go. That their awareness had many facets.
They were aware of Cork’s economic position in Atlantic Europe, not just in Ireland, aware of competitiveness within that space – from Spain through France through the UK and through Ireland.
They were aware of its physical position in the middle of a marshland with a river – and from this the hard work required in reclaiming land on a swampland. I like to think they saw and reflected upon the multitudes of timber trunks being hand driven into the ground to create foundational material for the city’s array of different architectural styles.
They were aware of its place with an Empire, the relationship with Britain with barracks high upon a hill and across the County, and forts within the harbour area.
They were aware of the importance of its deep and sheltered Cork harbour for shipping.
They were aware of the shouts of dockers and noise from dropping anchors- the sea water causing masts to creak, and the hulls of timber ships knocking against its wall, as if to say, we are here, and the multitudes of informal international conversations happening just at the edge of a small city centre.
And they were aware of much unemployment and economic decline following the end of the Napoleonic Wars.
The Power of Vision:
Within this framework of awareness, the new Chamber of Commerce etched out its own vision, which aimed to provide one of the voices in economic development highlight business and provide a networking platform. The process was slow at the start but gathered momentum in accordance with the enthusiasm and energy of its members in getting things done.
The Chamber though was one of several other voices two hundred years ago who also had a vision for Cork plus were responsible in creating the foundations of our modern city and region. They set threads of thought, which the Chamber followed in time.
The early nineteenth century Corkonian had a rich vision for their city and region, much of which still resonates quite strongly in our present day and the Cork of the future.
The Cork Harbour Commissioners, founded in the 1810s created a new custom house complete with bonded warehouses, built enlarged docks spaces at Lapp’s Quay and pushed the extension of the docks eastwards, all of which set up our modern day North and South Docks.
Two hundred years ago the Cork Steam ship Company also came into being which harnessed the age of steam engines and influenced the adoption of this new technology in emerging breweries and distilleries in the city, as well as the creation of a more effective pumped water supply – and in a few short years steam was harnessed to create a commuter system of railways lines feeding into the city and out into the wider region.
The Wide Street Commission aimed to clean up slum ridden areas and dereliction in the city centre and create new and enhanced drainage systems– their greatest achievement was to plan for a new street, which opened in 1824 called Great George’s Street, which was later renamed Washington Street. Indeed, if one walks the older historic streets of the old medieval core such as South Main Street and North Main Street, one can see a form of rough red brick, which once you see it once you can see how much rebuilding was pursued c. 1820 to c.1830 and how much dereliction was cleared.
The inspection methods of the Cork Butter Market reigned supreme but also their vision to create new routeways for their customers from Kerry and Limerick – to become known as the Butter Roads.
The Grand Jury of Cork comprising local landlords and magistrates complimented this work by lobbying Westminster to give funding towards bridge construction across County Cork’s river valleys – such as the Lee, Bandon and Blackwater.
The knock-on effect of the improvement of roads and bridges led to new mail coach systems established in County Cork.
Reading the minute book of Cork Corporation meetings, one can see their continued investment into re-gravelling streetscapes, taking down and replacing of inadequate bridges, dealing with the decaying fabric of the eighteenth century city and investment into a proper water supply scheme.
The Cork Society of Arts emerged in the 1810s and asked for philanthropic support for artists and sculptors. They also welcomed the Antonia Canova Sculpture Casts to the city– the society, which was informal and small in its initial set-up – within a few short decades led to the creation of the Cork School of Art and a municipal art gallery.
Emerging artists adorned the city with the images of the Coat of Arms and also a branding strategy emerged to reflect its history – one can see passing remarks in travelogues two hundred years ago to Cork being one of the “Venices of the North” – of Northern Europe – a reference to a glory age of democracy in Europe plus a direct reference to canals in eighteenth century Cork, which were filled in the 1780s due to mass over silting. It’s not a strong branding platform but flickers every now and again in narratives about the city in the present day.
There also political visions to end the penal laws and enact Catholic Emancipation.
There were also visions to provide new residential spaces for the growing Roman Catholic middle class –Mini mansion in places such as Blackrock and Ballintemple came into being.
The Cork Chamber of Commerce was born in the midst of all these visions – some of the institutions I have described merged with other bodies as time went on- some were done away with economic decline – some survived and evolved into stronger institutions – but the themes I have described the small Chamber took on with gusto as the decades progressed –
– docklands development, the need to harness new technologies, the need for enhanced commuter belt transport,
the need to mind and enhance the City’s appearance, the role of Cork Harbour in the city’s economic development, our relationship next to the UK,
networking and creating opportunities, diplomatic opportunity building, branding the city, breaking silos, working together – all define the core themes of the Chamber’s work over two hundred years.
– indeed in turning the pages of all the minute books over two hundred years – history repeats over and over again, some themes advanced and some themes have regressed but the Chamber and all its members through out the ages kept fighting for a better Cork – some times that road led forward, sometimes led back and sometimes it even split the membership – but in the overall scheme of 200 years – consistency of lobbying shines through.
The Power of People:
The minute books record names of people who stepped up to offer advice, to offer leadership and to lobby. Certainly reading between the lines of the minute books and chatting to members today listening and cultivating action has been very important to the Chamber survival for two hundred years – plus to also to ignite people’s passion for their city and region plus harnessing the concept of their openness, their skillsets, and knowledge.
So this evening we also remember the people connected with the Chamber for over two hundred years. Sometimes history can be just reduced to dates and figures – so in this book you will notice it contains the quotes of past speeches by Presidents and even letters from the general public.
On the aspect of people, I have no doubt there were moments in the early days when the founder members held firm on why they established the Chamber. Tonight, we remember their tenacity and vision.
I have no doubt there have been moments where the Chamber suffered the blows of members who left for various reasons or who passed away. Tonight, we remember past members and not just that we rejoice in the skills and talents of the present members – from the 15 original members to the over 1,000 members now.
I have no doubt there have been moments in the multitudes of meetings where complex issues confounded and angered even the sharpest of members and later in time the Executive, but both members and the executive stood tall in the face of unfolding events. We remember all the past committee members and the executive for their dedication and vision.
I have no doubt that there have been moments in a break of a meeting – when a fellow member asked “is there anything wrong” to another member and a worry was shared -and in that quiet moment – the power of solidarity and friendship prevailed to soften the blows of life. We remember those guardians of empathy and the listening ear.
There have been moments when members knew that at a moment in time – they were the guardians of the city and region and the city’s DNA – an intangible quality of all things Cork – is also embedded into the members.
There have been moments whereby the Chief Executive and his staff felt they has changed something. In particular I would like to highlight the work of Michael Geary and Conor Healy for their respective visions.
Over the past two hundred years, there have been many moments, which this book aims to document. To be a guardian of Cork is no easy task as it filled with much ambition.
In my meetings this week, a member of the EU’s URBACT programme noted to me – you know Cork is all over our social media at the moment – there is so much happening in your city” – I replied – “yep, good, we’re not finished yet, you should see what else we are up to!”.
So tonight, we celebrate 200 years, we reflect on the two hundred years of its history and everyone associated with in the past, present and going forward. We sincerely thank the Chamber for the journey they have taken the city and region on, and we think about the journey going forward.
My sincere thanks to Chamber 200 Committee and Paula Cogan and to Conor, Katherine, Imelda of the Chamber, Robin O’Sullivan, as well as the Chamber Executive or their consistent positivity, ongoing energy and charting a vision my thanks as well to Kieran in the Irish Examiner for help and assistance with the old photographs, to Brian Magee, the City Archivist, and Cliodhna in Coolgrey for her design and patience.
Saturday 8 November 1919 coincided with unresolved grievances being discussed by the members of the Cork Branch of the Irish Federation of Discharged and Demobilised Soldiers and Sailors. Shortly after 3pm many members formed into processional order in front of their rooms on St Patrick’s Quay. To the accompaniment of the music supplied by the band attached to the Federation, they marched to City Hall, where a meeting was held. The body of the Hall and the side galleries were fully occupied. Apart from city contingents, members also arrived from Bandon and Mallow.
Mr H B Fisher, President of the Cork Branch, presided. The meeting also aimed to mark the first year passing since Armistice Day. The Cork Examiner records that in opening the proceedings the chairman explained that the meeting had been called for the purpose of drawing public attention to the manner in which ex-soldiers and sailors were being treated. He spoke on behalf of upwards of 1,900 members in his branch. They had been promised in 1914 that they would get employment post the war, but nothing was forthcoming. They had been promised adequate pensions, but none were forthcoming. He strongly urged the Westminster Government to fulfill their promises.
Mr Barry O’Leary, Chairman of the Southern District Divisional Council, said there should be no mistake about the protection of the interests of ex-service men. They were non-sectarian and non-political, and their claim was a good one in spite of the political upheaval that occurred in their country since 1914; “We went out and offered our bodies. This is all we had to offer to stop the rush of the German hordes…We went out with the unanimous consent and voice of the country, and now I ask are we disgraced; No, we held the Germans, and it was good logic that the men who paid the piper should call the tune. We have nothing to disgrace or sully Ireland’s record for chivalry…the promises made to us when we went out, that their King and country would look after them, have not been carried”.
To give an example of the way discharged and demobilised soldiers were treated, Mr O’Leary detailed that the Government gave officers who had served in the army, even those of the lowest rank, a gratuity of about £90 for the first year. They were offered £45 for the second and every subsequent year the war lasted, and the grand total sum that the men of the rank and file, who fought through it all, were to get was £29. The Cork branches as well as other nationwide branches wished to know why there was such a great disparity between the amounts granted to a second lieutenant and the regimental sergeant-major who taught him his work.
On the proposition of Mr Barry, the following resolution was carried with acclamation: “We, the discharged and demobilised sailors and soldiers of Cork City and County protest against the action of the Government and other responsible officials in keeping out of employment men who have served their country during the great war. We condemn as a breach of the promises made to us – the keeping of, in Government and War Department employment, civilians who, under no circumstances whatever would serve in the navy or army, no matter how great the need, and we call upon those responsible to now and at once have such people replaced by discharged and demobilised men. We, who have satisfied the needs of our ‘King and Country’, now call upon our ‘King and Country’ to satisfy our needs, and we wish it to be known that those responsible for satisfying such needs have ignobly failed”.
The next resolution was the motion of Mr Kirby, unanimously adopted. It was as follows: “That we, the discharged and demobilised soldiers and sailors of Cork City and County wish to place on record our dissatisfaction at the inadequacy of the war gratuity paid to us, and wo call on the Army Council to raise the amount granted to the Imperial troops so as to bring them into line with the Colonial troops”.
The Lord Mayor, William F O’Connor highlighted in his speech that when the soldiers and sailors went out in 1914, he was with them in sympathy, and now, twelve months after Armistice they still had his sympathy. He would do all in his power to have those grievances redressed; “It was a shocking state of affairs for a mighty Empire like the British Empire to see that after all their service in the war the discharged and demobilised soldiers and sailors were compelled to come to that hall an ask for the justice that was not given to them. They had entered the war as a war of justice. They had gone out, and risked their lives; they stormed the heights; they filled the gaps in the bullet swept zone, and they now had to ask the Government to give them fair play…Where would the might of England be today but for the Ministers, the Dublins, and the Connaughts. They would have a German Dictatorship ruling in England today if the Irish had not jumped into the breach”.
Caption:
1022a. Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr William F O’Connor, 1919 (source: Cork City Council).
On 5 November 1919, a public meeting was held in Cork City Hall to discuss the public milk scheme in operation for the winter. The scheme is another lens to study living conditions and the poverty in Cork, one hundred years ago. Bishop Daniel Cohalan presided at the meeting, and the attendance included the Lord Mayor William F O’Connor, the city’s High Sherriff and members of the clergy and approximately 25 male and female leading citizens.
The Honorary Secretary Fr P Cahalan outlined the report of the Milk Supply Scheme and its operational period of 24 weeks from November 1918 to the end of April 1919. During this time, the quantity of milk subsidised was two pints per family per day and the cost of subsidy was 2d per pint. The number of families relieved varied from 900 to 950 and the cost of the scheme averaged about £100 a week. The scheme would have cost £2,400 were it not that some families were provided with milk at less than the retail price. For the 24 weeks, the scheme came in at £2,292 19s 6d. Overall the scheme and its committee subsidised 275,000 pints of milk. The general secretariat work cost less than one per cent while Mr Pelly gave the work and the work of his staff free.
The subsidisation came from monies raised from different groups and companies in the city and region. For example, in the 24-week season for 1918-19, special sums came from the dairy farmers regionally of £180; the O’Meara Company concert raised £58 and two church collections amounted to £560. Smaller amounts had also been forwarded by other firms. Cheques were received for £50 from both Messrs J J Murphy and Company and Dwyer and Company.
The Lord Mayor proposed that the scheme be put into operation again for the winter of 1919 in order that impoverished citizens may be able to procure enough quantities of milk for their children at a comparatively cheap rate. Canon O’Leary seconded the resolution and highlighted that the scheme was needed more than ever. In collaborating with the milk vendors of the Middle Parish he found multitudes of poor people amongst the population of circa 5,000 people living in tenement houses without any milk. The Canon noted that the milk vendors had told him that they were not selling half as much milk as they did the previous year – the reason being because of increasing costs. Some milk vendors had even made an allowance of 1d per pint for some needy cases.
Fr Cahalan outlined that in the city centre schools the numbers of children suffering from swollen glands had increased due to a lack of calcium. Some of them had to be treated at the Infirmaries. The teachers explained to him that this was because they were not provided with natural food for children. Many of the city’s poorest citizens were returning to the habit of using black tea. In 1919, black tea was deemed ruinous for personal health.
The Bishop outlined that the parish priests and administrators of the city went to great length to find out the families who were really in need, as well as those families with young children, and those who had not enough income to provide milk for their children.
The Bishop expressed the view that no matter how much wages had increased there was always many families who for one cause or another did not have a living income and had not enough income to maintain themselves and their families. The Bishop deemed that milk was not the only question that required public discussion in society. The whole question of prices and inflation was also serious problem across the country.
In the beginning of the Milk Supply Scheme in the winter of 1917, the Cork and Kerry Creamery Company supplied milk to the poor of the South Parish. The Scheme dealt with children only and babies for whom milk was an absolute necessity. Excellent quality milk was supplied at a very cheap rate of one penny per pint. Subscriptions from local merchants and businesses made up the balance of price to the vendor. Initially, there were 660 families registered to be given milk, with the figure rising to 965 families by the end of 1917. The income threshold of families interested in the Scheme was not to exceed 25s per week, and in any one family there had to be children under six years of age.
In 1918 the milk was sold at 3 ½ d a pint, and then the poor paid 1 ½ d whilst the subsidisation fund paid was 2d per person. The committee decided that the distribution of funds would be on the basis of the number of families on the parish lists as follows: North Parish – 400 families, SS Peter and Paul’s – 200, St Finbarr’s – 200; Lough – 70 and St Patrick’s – 60.
The price in 1919 was 4 ½ a pint and the Milk Scheme made provision for 1,000 families. The organising committee believed that the number seeking milk would be higher in 1919-1920 Milk Supply Scheme. There had been a greater number of people who could pay for provision such as milk through receiving war bonuses in their employment with war However since the end of the war and by the winter of 1919, these had all but disappeared leaving many families under financial pressure with rising inflation levels also hitting in.
Kieran’s book The Little Book of Cork Harbour (2019) is published by The History Press and is available in Waterstones, Vibes and Scribes and Easons.
Captions:
1021a. Map of Middle Parish, c.1900 (source: Cork City Library)
Tales from 1919: A Detroit Visitor to the Cork Ford Plant
In October 1919, American writer, Mr Jay G Hayden, contributed an engaging article for the Detroit News on the history and prospects of the Ford factory on the Marina in Cork. His story begins with a brief sketch of the Ford family in Ballinascarty. He then moves to write about Henry Ford who visited Ireland for the first time in 1913. He describes how Henry Ford introduced the Fordson tractor manufacturing and distributing plant to Cork to appeal to the European market. Cork, he deemed, was an ideal industrial location as every commodity needed in the manufacture of tractors could be procured in Europe and these could come through English ports.
Mr Hayden describes in his article that the experts whom Henry Ford sent to work out his plans in Cork found many obstacles in their way. The First World War was in progress and British war regulations imposed a ban against any new industries, which absorbed British materials and labour. Mr Ford’s team argued that the tractors manufactured would do much to support the relieving of the food shortage. There was also no labour force in Ireland skilled in the way of American manufacturing methods. Mr Ford placed against these shortcomings, the superiority of his manufacturing methods and the ability to train workers in Cork.
The Cork Park Racecourse, lying beside the River Lee, was selected as the development site, but the procedure for its acquisition was not straightforward. The property was owned by the Corporation of Cork but permission to sell the property had to be sanctioned by the Local Government Board – the British administrative body, which supervised Irish municipal and local affairs. An act of the British Parliament was required and this took many months before it was pushed through various technicalities. Construction of the plant was not begun until after the Armistice in November 1918. It was only on 1 July 1919 that the first Irish assembled tractor was ready to roll off the assembly line. By October 1919, the plant was turning out five tractors a day.
The manager of the Cork plant was Edward Grace, a young businessman from Detroit. He went into the Ford manufacturing business from high school and his industrial education was in the plants at Highland Park and Dearborn. He was sent to Cork with three other superintendents from the Dearborn plant. Every other employee was a Corkman, many of whom had been trained in rural industry but had to be retrained as mechanics.
Mr Grace on being interviewed by Mr Hayden denoted that the Cork labour pool had to be retrained in an American way of working so that productivity was higher than the Irish way of working; “The raw labour, we get here is highly superior to that which we are now getting in Detroit, and there is an unlimited number of men to choose from…our great aim is to get men to start with who haven’t anything to unlearn. We want to start with them from the ground up. The great trouble with the average Irish labourer in the beginning is that he works slowly with the first purpose of making his job last as long as possible”.
Mr Grace explained that there was a great difference between the Ford method of manufacturing and the British method. The British manufacturer depended on skilled trades and a great many special tradesmen in the plant. The American plan was to have “very few men who know how but to have a great body of common labour”. It was also fundamentally the difference between machine and hand production. As to machinery Mr Grace argued that the British manufacturer had a different idea, as to machinery; “The life of a machine is fixed to so many years, and hence machines are run at speeds, which will not wear it out before the appointed time. The Ford theory is that if a machine wears out in one month, so much the better. We get our money out of it just that much quicker and make way for a more modern machine, which may do the work faster and better”.
On trade unions, Mr Grace did not have an issue with them and in his interview, he presumed that every man in the Ford plant was a member of a labour union; “We have solved the labour question here just as we have solved it in Detroit, by paying more than the union scale of wages. You don’t have much trouble with workers when they are getting more than they can get anywhere else. Our present minimum wage is 40 cents an hour. We fixed the amount as best we could on the basis of the Irish cost of living and the wages paid elsewhere in Cork. We wanted to make the wages sufficient so the men would be contented while at the same time not disrupting the existing but industries in the city”.
In October 1919, the Cork Fordson plant was not yet manufacturing many tractor parts in Ireland due to the inability to secure raw materials. Mr Grace outlined that there were no ships to be had to haul supplies from England and even if it could be gotten over, British steel had increased to a prohibitive purchasing price. The British quotation for steel was approximately 115 dollars per ton, as against 58 dollars in America. It was found more economical to ship finished parts from America. Mr Grace highlighted that he hoped that the Cork plant would eventually manufacture no parts at Cork, but to ship raw steel from America, at lower prices than the British ones. The Ford plant had been compelled though to manufacture most of its working tools from raw steel in the Cork plant.
Kieran’s book The Little Book of Cork Harbour (2019) is published by The History Press and is available in Waterstones, Vibes and Scribes and Easons.
Captions:
1020a. Lord Mayor William F O’Connor on the first Fordson tractor produced in the Cork Plant, 3 July 1919 (source: Cork City Library).
1020b. Jay GHayden, Detroit Newspaperman and Henry Ford at White House, Washington DC, USA 28 April 1938 (picture: Library of Congress, US).
President of UCC, distinguished members of the academic platform, ladies and gentlemen, and most significantly graduates here this afternoon. It is an immense honour to be able to address you.
Those who have collected their degrees this afternoon you should be very proud of your achievement. Have no doubt that the top platform is very proud of you and your family and friends present are beaming with pride. Days like today are ones to be treasured.
In our busy lives, we often don’t take the time out to celebrate our achievements. And I hope that for many it won’t be your last parchment or your last efforts in learning something new, and that today is just one chapter in an interesting and engaging journey of your life that you are trekking across. Whether you are a young student or pursuing education from an older adult’s perspective, lifelong learning is very important.
Do take the moment to reflect on the scroll within your hand, and please don’t consign it to a drawer but do frame it and put it up. And most importantly use what you have learned – whether that be new skillsets or the beginning of a lifelong love with sub-topics within your chosen subject fields.
It’s twenty years since I graduated with my BA degree in archaeology and geography – and one of the first aspects I learned is that the afterlife of a BA degree is up to yourself. From the perspectives of a humanities degree, you have all learned new skills sets, new ways of looking at the world, at society, at community life – to mind it, to engage with it, to push forward narratives, and add to knowledge itself.
I took what I learned from UCC and applied it to a hobby which has also become my career – that of a local historian plus have applied it to my several other hats – in my community work, my local government work and my European work. I am for all intents and purposes one of many local historians which Ireland possesses – guardians of stories and story-telling and who are very passionate about their home place.
I spend large tracts of my time collecting histories and memories of Cork’s past gone by. I criss-cross the landscapes of Cork City and regions looking to find what makes it tick and looking to see how this “tick” can be harnessed to make my home city, region and its communities a better place.
The heritage of Cork survives in various conditions from complete disappearance to physical and metaphorical ruins to surviving because it is being used in everyday lives in a personal way.
Shortly after my BA degree, I embarked on a post degree personal project – an exploration of the River Lee Valley from source to city; I estimated at the start of my personal project that it would six months- in truth it took six years to reach the weir at the Lee Fields.
One aspect for certain is that the more I researched the places within the valley or the more doors I knocked on, the more information came to the fore. What is also apparent is that everybody’s view of the world is different. It could be an insider’s view or an outsider’s view, such as my own. For most people I have met, heritage was a personal and collective experience focusing on their own roots. In fact, the historical data played ‘second fiddle’ to their personal stories. It has been interesting to see how stories and values have been handed down, and how each successive generation has taken it in turn to hold a torch for some element of the past in the present.
One recurring aspect is how much the region’s cultural heritage runs metaphorically in ‘people’s blood’. There were a large number of people who noted, ‘my father used to say’ or ‘my mother used to say’. That sense of inheritance is important and it is more than just honouring people. It conjures up debates about achievement and loss, and it is more than just recalling the memory of a few. For each person I interviewed many more are represented through their life experiences. One is allowed to ponder on the power of the individual and their contribution to society, whether at a local or international level. The evolution of ideas can be mapped.
So one of the most abiding aspects I have learned over the years and one I have become a very firm believer that everyone has a story to tell – and everyone engages with the world in their own personal way. Hence respect for each personal perspective is paramount. But not just the personal perspective but how stories interact with each other in community life.
All of you will bring what you’ve learned back to a community you’ve come from or you will carve out a career in a new communities.
With the humanities degree you receive today you are the next generation of a community of story collectors and story tellers. There is a power in the scroll you hold. You now have the responsibility to be guardians of what you have learned.
From my own journey, I regularly see the power of a community outreaching and working together. Of course, the nature, depth and value of participation in creating inclusion or bringing people together are significant factors. As an exercise, in preparing for this address I broke up the respective letters of community, I came up with the following thoughts, which I wish to share, and which I hope connect to some of where you find yourself this afternoon:
The C is for citizen; active citizenship develops a sense of belonging. One is also taking ownership of one’s life direction. So please Use your degree.
O is for onus and responsibility. I think that any community in particular has a responsibility to its people and must move forward with a plan as best as possible. So please move forward with your plan.
The first M of community is for motivating. A group of people together can be inspiring, encouraging, empowering and enabling. You are an enabler of your own future.
The second M is for moving forward. The future is a worrying element for many people. But as we grow older we all grow wiser. You can’t buy wisdom, go and earn it.
U is for understanding. From my own travels and attending community meetings, every attender has something to bring to a community. As a result, community has various meanings to people. Listen and engage with people to carve your future.
N is for the next generation in the community. New people bring vibrancy and energy to any work they engage with. Most are also looking for opportunities to develop their talents and to fit in. Community adds to help people develop in personal ways. Stay fresh and dynamic and stay focussed.
The I is for ideas. Brain storming and a plan on paper is important. People need direction, something to work toward. Otherwise, the heart of the community will become stale and disillusioned. Flesh out your ideas.
T is for tolerance of the ‘other’. Working together as a team, getting everyone involved is important. People working together can stop the decline of local living places and bring them to renewed states of stability and viability. Everyone’s story is important to the mosaic, which is life.
The Y of community is about the yearning to be part of something- to do something purposeful, to hone our personal talents, to create and sustain strong bonds. Yearn and go do.
These are just ideas. If you are a story-teller, then building community capacity must be a core element of your future plan in passing on knowledge and developing a sense of identity and a sense of pride.
If you are the story tellers of the future, then today closes a page in one chapter but as you walk out in a few minutes into the Atlantic light of Ireland’s southern capital, a new page will appear. It is up to you what you wish to write on it.
Enjoy the celebrations and thank you for listening to me on your special day.
