Category Archives: Cork History

Kieran’s Lord Mayor’s Echo Column, 17 February 2023

Cork City Events, Cork History, Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Lord Mayor's Work, Uncategorized

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting a civic reception in City Hall for Cork City FC who are celebrating their fortieth birthday this week. It is appropriate that the first event to mark the club’s birthday was held in City Hall, as, in the words of the founding Chairman, Jim Hennebry, “Cork City FC was conceived in the Cork Lord Mayor’s office”. The idea was mooted by the late Hugh Coveney (RIP) with Joe Delaney (RIP) FAI and Pat O’Brien, President of FAI (RIP).  Officially the Club was born in Bundoran at the League of Ireland AGM in July 1984.

For the People of Cork:

On 25 September 1984, the Cork Examiner published a write-up of an address of Jim Hennebry to the Cork Rotary Club luncheon on the vision of the club. He noted that Cork City AFC belongs to the people of Cork rather than to the group of individuals who formed the club. Jim further praised the efforts of the individuals who took up the challenge of getting a team into the League of Ireland in serious recessionary times.

Jim highlighted that much of the club’s income is derived from contributions from the private and commercial sectors in Cork business life, and he felt that sponsorship has a major role to play in the future of the game here;

“There is an urgent need for commercial involvement in the club, and having a team in the League of Ireland can only benefit Cork City as a whole. It is important that a city the size of Cork should have a recognised League team. With the support and backing of the people of Cork the team will continue to prosper. A successful team will have great effect would have on the city in terms of community spirit, and the commercial life of the city…The people behind Cork City soccer team hope to bring back top class football to the city, and hopefully it will not be too long before the League championship, or the FAI Cup are back on Leeside”.

From 1984 onwards, a boldness to put football in Cork and Cork itself on the map grew. The connections grew and the ambitions grew. Partnerships, friendships and followers grew.

Unrivalled Longevity:

Whilst many great clubs have been celebrated on Leeside over the years, such as the great Cork United, Cork Athletic, Cork Celtic and Cork Hibernians, the longevity of Cork City FC is unrivalled.

Much credit for the club’s longevity must go to FORAS, who stepped in to ensure the continuation of Cork City FC ahead of the 2010 season. Ten years ago, when the club celebrated its 30th anniversary, it became the first League of Ireland club from the city to do so, so to reach 40 years is yet another precious milestone.

Over the 40 years, the club has enjoyed some great days – the first national trophy, the League Cup, in the 1987-88 season, a first league title in the 1992-93 season and, finally, the first FAI Cup in the 1997-98 season.

The club has won the Premier Division title twice more, in 2005 and again in 2017, when City then lifted the FAI Cup as well to become the first Cork club to win a double since Cork Athletic in the 50’s.

As well as the national stage, the club has proudly represented our City, County and Country on the international stage in European competition for over 30 years. Beginning with a defeat against Torpedo Moscow in 1989, the club has memories such as the famous draw with Bayern Munich, defeating former European Cup finalists Malmo FF and Dutch side NEC Nijmegen in 2004 and Europa League runs in 2016 and 2017.

A Social and Cultural Asset:

Cork City FC is a really important social and cultural asset to the city and region of Cork. It matters in our city and region and how it adds significantly the essence of building community values in Cork and grassroots sports initiatives in Cork – the tangible and intangible benefits.

One does not have to look far to see how Cork City FC is rooted in the life of the city and how proud the city is of it, and how it represents the many legacies of football clubs going back over 100 years.

Indeed one just has to go to any match to see the sense of pride, ownership and love for Cork City FC amongst players, management and the supporters who chant, laugh, cry and shout more and then even chant, laugh, cry and shout more Cork City FC on.

That essence of pride is hard to physically replicate. There are individuals who have spent decades every week supporting the team and there are parents or guardians who proudly bring the next generation on in all kinds of weather, and they wouldn’t miss it for anything. There are incredible special moments of human connection are bound up with Cork City FC.

One cannot buy that energy or connection but it is so important to have in a city such as Cork whose heart when it comes to social and cultural capital beats very passionately.

It is a testament to the impact and reach of the club in the city that so many friends and supporters joined the 40th birthday celebrations in City Hall. You can also see this reach clearly in the range of Cork City FC provides an enormous ripple effect across different layers of Cork City FC from the physical street corner green all the way up to the professional side of the teams – as well as the senior men’s team, there are seven academy teams (boys and girls), an amputee team and a senior women’s team.

As well as their loyal fans, I know the club is very fortunate to have the support of many great sponsors, without whom the club would simply not be able to function.   Zeus Packaging are in their second year as the club’s main sponsor, while the club is also fortunate to count University College Cork, the Mardyke Arena, SONAS Bathrooms, EZ Living, Everseen and Audivox among their key sponsors.

How lucky is our city to have a club with such memories and cultural and sporting heritage and which promotes community values and togetherness. Happy 40th birthday Cork City FC!

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 15 February 2024

Cork History, Kieran's Council Work, Lord Mayor's Work, Uncategorized
1240a. Bons Secours Complex, College Road, 1975 (picture: Bons Secours Hospital archive).
1240a. Bons Secours Complex, College Road, 1975 (picture: Bons Secours Hospital archive).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 15 February 2024

Making an Irish Free State City – The Bons Secours Legacy

On 2 February 1924, the centenary of the foundation of the Sisters of the Bon Secours was observed in their Cork Convent on College Road (bicentenary in 2024). The inside portion of the institution was decorated for the occasion. The attendance included a large number of clergy and friends of the convent.

High Mass was celebrated by Bishop Daniel Cohalan. During the mass it was recalled during the sermon by Canon O’Leary of SS Peter and Paul’s of the origins of the Bons Secours. The congregation had very small and very modest origins. In the year 1821 in Paris, a well-meaning lady named Madame de Montale formed a small purely lay association for the purpose of nursing the sick, especially the poor, in their own homes. Both she and the young women, whom she assembled around her, were steadfast in their work.

The initial outreach project was not without its challenges. Disappointed and disheartened Madame de Montale ended her effort. However, the small group of twelve in number, whom she brought together continued their efforts. They took up quarters in a poor humble house in Rue Cassette and here they studied the rules of the religious life. Josephine Potel trained them well. It was a new idea, a vocation up till then was unheard of, to take care of the sick by day and night in their own homes, and without merit of class or religious belief. They found themselves at the bedside of the sick in the poorest quarters of Paris.

The Archbishop of Paris, Monseigneur de Quélen, took a deep interest in the new religious congregation. He claimed the title of their founder, and appointed a day, 24 January 1824, for their first profession. The Archbishop gave them the appropriate name of Bons Secours or Good Help. To the Superior he gave the name of Mary Joseph – named after the Holy Family. The Monseigneur also drew up a number of foundation statutes, which were added to in time. The congregation rapidly grew in strength. In due course the Pope was approached by the Archbishop of Paris Monseigneur Darby and a ‘commendatory brief’ was founded.

The congregation established convents across France at Lille, Abbeyville, Orleans, Boulogne, Roulaix, Roxoy and Quimper. In Paris the work rapidly grew. Generous support from friends of the sisters enable them to attain a large building known as the Hotel de Pons. The work of the sisters was much needed during France’s revolutions of 1830 and 1846 and during a horrific cholera epidemic in 1832 and during the Franco-Prussian War, 1870-1871 and the Siege of Paris, 1870-1871.

In 1861 the Sisters were introduced into Dublin by Cardinal Paul Cullen and 1867 to Cork by Bishop William Delany. Dr Denis O’Connor was instrumental in getting the Sisters of Bon Secours established in Cork. It happened that his brother Fr O’Connor was stricken down by cholera. The doctor sent an urgent message to the convent in Dublin asking to have a Sister sent at once to nurse him. Sister Sainte Bertille arrived and made such an impression on Dr O’Connor that he lobbied Bishop Delany to bring a group of the Sisters to Cork.

In April 1867 Mother Bertille and four sisters arrived in Cork. Their first convent was a very uncomfortable unhealthy old house in no.7 Dyke Parade. Their first patient was Archdeacon Murphy who was involved in the creation and raising finance for SS Peter and Paul’s Church. After five years in Cork, some generous friends including the Murphy family, the Lyons and the Goulds procured for them a more suitable residence on the Mardyke (now part of the Cork Public Museum in Fitzgerald’s Park). This was their home until a new convent was opened in 1879 on College Road on lands purchased by Francis Jennings. They also opened several other convents in Ireland including those in Dublin, Belfast, Tralee and Cove.

The Bons Secours Nursing Sisters decided around 1913 to erect a novitiate house in Cork beside their convent on College Road. A suitable building was planned, but the estimated cost was so great that the Sisters could not undertake to build and furnish more than half of it. This they pursued, with the help of their friends. In 1915 it opened as a novitiate and as a nursing home with sixteen patients. In 1925, a second unit and chapel was added.

In 1927, the complex was recognised as a training school. In 1940, a 100 bed wing was added with accommodation for sisters.

On 2 June 1958, the Bons Secours Maternity Hospital opened with 59 private and semi-private beds. The Cork Examiner describes that the new unit had 59 beds in private semi-private four-bed, five-bed and one eight-bed rooms; “With a frontage of 165 feet, including the wings at either end, It has four storeys over ground and a basement, and is constructed of reconstructed stone facings on a reinforced concrete framework. The two entrance porches are of cut limestone. The entrance on the College Road side is surmounted by a Portland stone statue of the Blessed Virgin and Child Jesus, sculptured by Mr. Seamus Murphy RHA. and it is flanked by two mosaics designed by the architect for the entire unit, Mr J R Boyd-Barrett”.

The hospital incorporated three delivery rooms, an isolation unit, operating theatre, a neo-natal unit in which each separate cubicle has its own temperature and air control, an admission unit; ante-natal and postnatal departments; the finest available incubators and sterilisers and waiting rooms. The main contractors for the building were Messrs. John Sisk and Son Ltd. The hospital was renovated in the 1990s when a new labour war was included.

The Bons Secours Maternity Hospital, which had more than 100,000 deliveries since it opened in 1958, transferred its obstetrics service from early March 2007 to the new Cork University Maternity Hospital.

In 2017, a major extension project commenced. In October 2019, the opening of the new Bon Secours Cork Cancer Centre was officially opened by Minister of State Jim Daly and marked the completion of the wider €77m expansion of the hospital.

The hospital offers the most technologically advanced radiotherapy services in the south of Ireland, through a collaboration between the hospital and UPMC Hillman Cancer Centre – part of US-based academic medical centre UPMC, which is associated with the University of Pittsburgh. The centre holds medical, surgical and radiation oncology all under one roof.

Caption:

1240a. Bons Secours Complex, College Road, 1975 (picture: Bons Secours Hospital archive).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 8 February 2023

Cork History, Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Lord Mayor's Work, Uncategorized
1239a. Messrs Hill & Son's Corporation of Cork's Wycherley Housing Scheme, May 1922 (source: Cork Examiner City Hall Drawings).
1239a. Messrs Hill & Son’s Corporation of Cork’s Wycherley Housing Scheme, May 1922 (source: Cork Examiner City Hall Drawings).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 8 February 2024

Making an Irish Free State City – The Wycherley Housing Scheme

Lying just off Cork’s College Road lies Wycherley Terrace, such housing was constructed spanning from the spring of 1920 to the spring of 1924. The project completion was a slow one bound up with the War of Independence, Civil War, changeover of governments, building delays, rising costs and several debates on who the houses should be allocated to.

It was on 24 January 1924, Cork Corporation’s first of their 1920s housing projects came to fruition. The Wycherely suite of 76 houses were up for allocation of tenancies. The applications received was recorded numbering 850.

At a full Council meeting in late January 1924, Alderman Edmond Coughlan explained that the Working Class Dwellings Committee estimate contained a figure of £1,400 interest. Ground rent was due not just on the Wycherley site but on site at Fahy’s Well and the Cattle Market site as well. The Council needed to expediate the allocation of housing to bring some income so debts could be paid.

Cllr James Allen noted that the Council should give consideration to the people living in smaller Corporation dwellings who had large families and who had from £5 to £10 a week coming into them. People who could not pay the rent for the Wycherley houses could then be given the smaller Corporation houses. He suggested that a committee be formed to investigate all the claims and select the most deserving cases. Cllr Barry Egan also suggested that the whole Council should work with such a committee and a report submitted to a full meeting of Council. Cllr John Horgan wished for a committee to group and classify the applications, and also cut out the bogus ones. Then if the total number was still too high he suggested having a ballot.

However, the Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr William Ellis said he did not believe in putting the burden of going through 850 applications on five or six men. He pushed that the members from each ward should select the most deserving. Sir John Scott agreed and said that members for each ward should investigate the cases with a view towards finding the most deserving. Then he suggested that if the number was above the number of houses, the fairest way would be to put all the names into a hat and draw names out.

As the members of the full Council were split on which direction to pursue they voted on it, and the adoption of a committee to choose names came through as the way forward.

The pressure for allocations continued. A letter appearing in the Cork Examiner on 1 February 1924 was signed “A Faithful Mother”. It was penned by the wife of a British soldier who she describes “lost his senses through suffering in the Great War”. She noted she made an application three years previously but her case was not been considered and critiqued the preferential treatment some members of the public were getting; “I know everyone must live; but is that justice? I would like also to mention – there is no sanitary accommodation in the houses where I am living. I have three children, and I am very much upset owing to my situation in rooms. People might think anything is good enough for a ex-serviceman’s wife; but they are greatly mistaken. I have like very much to have my children have the best of comfort as regards a home. Hoping the Corporation will do what’s in their power for me”.

By 21 March 1924, the Council had reversed their decision due to public pressure. The houses were allocated to the different wards as follows: 10 large and 12 small houses each to the south and north west wards, 9 large and 11 small houses to the centre ward and 5 large and 7 houses to the north east ward. The matter was then referred to the meetings of ward representatives, who would allocate the houses to the approved applicants.

On the same week, a meeting of the housing committee met to mull over reports of dampness affecting the brickwork of the Wycherley housing. The architects, W H Hill & Son, reported that they had visited the site and an examination was made of the various houses affected with damp chimney breasts. They noted that only a comparative small patch of damp shows in the chimney breasts of the houses affected. They were of the opinion that all brick shafts should be coated with cement and pudlo or other suitable weather proof material.

The examination by the builders Messrs Wild and Co. and Youghal Brick Company were also heard. They detailed that the dampness was not of an aggravated kind and that of a pervading character; “A shadow of dampness shows chiefly in the chimney breasts on the upper floors of some of the houses. It is not widespread throughout each house, nor through the whole site of houses. It is confined only to one room in an odd house here and there on the site. Furthermore, it is restricted to one wall, and only to a small area of that wall. It shows itself in the chimney breasts where the outside shafts have a large surface exposed to the prevailing winds and rains”. Messrs Wild and Company suggested that the brickwork in the shafts be treated with a waterproofing material.

The question of treatment of the brick shafts were left in the hands of the City Engineer Joseph F Delaney and the architects Messrs Hill & Co. It was also agreed to, subject to the approval of the City Engineer, the immediate taking over of the Wycherley site housing.

Caption:

1239a. Messrs Hill & Son’s Corporation of Cork’s Wycherley Housing Scheme, May 1922 (source: Cork Examiner City Hall Drawings).

Kieran’s Lord Mayor Column, The Echo, 3 February 2024

Cork City Events, Cork History, Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Lord Mayor's Work, S.E. Ward Local History, Uncategorized, Ward Events

Honouring Cork People:

Not so often are the deeds of Corkonians are celebrated. Cork can be a proud but humble space. However, last week coincided with the 2023 Cork Person of the Year Award. Cork honoured some of Cork’s greatest human beings and their inspiring stories, work and caring DNA.The deeds of several Corkonians in their own way excelled in their special topic ranging from sport, to comedy, to music, to charities, community activism, to cycling, to missionary work to literature.

Cork is truly fortunate to have this year’s range of monthly award winners championing their craft for the public good. A sincere thank you for being you, enormous goodwill, for building communities of people, and your leadership over many years. Thank you for the journey you have brought us on. Long may you do what you do, enjoy it, and keep moving forward with. And that we in Cork are very proud of you.

The Cork Person of the Month and Cork Person of the Year awards scheme was established in 1993 to celebrate Cork’s greatest asset in City and County – our people. Each month a person or persons are selected and at year’s end, the Cork Person of the Year is chosen from these monthly winners. The general public is invited to nominate anyone for these awards by emailing nominations@corkpersonofthemonth.ie. Check out the website of Cork Person of the Year for more on the awards scheme, Home – Cork Person of the Year

The website outlines that the organisers of the awards do so on a voluntary basis and are proud and honoured to do so. This award scheme not only celebrates Cork people but it also helps to promote Cork as a good place to live, work and play. Over the last thirty years the organisers have honoured some 400 Persons of the Month and 33 Persons of the Year. Some years more than one person receives the monthly and yearly award.

As Ireland does not have a state-backed National Honours Scheme, like most countries do, we have added some extra national awards. The Honorary Cork person award goes to people not from Cork, but to those who may have contributed to Cork and Ireland in some positive way. It has gone to people who Corkonians admire like Broadcaster John Bowman and Rugby Coach Joe Schmidt and to those who promote Cork around the world like entertainers Jeremy Irons and Michael Flatley.

The Frank & Walters Band being crowned as the Cork Persons of the Year for 2023. This esteemed recognition acknowledges the band’s profound impact on Cork’s cultural tapestry and the arts over an illustrious 30-year plus career. The Gala Awards Lunch was held at the Metropole Hotel before an invited audience of 200 guests who represented all sectors of Cork life. 

The Frank and Walters are a renowned Cork-based band that have achieved international success with their classic Indie hits, charting both inside and outside Ireland. The Band members are lead vocal & bass Paul Linehan, drums Ashley Keating, lead guitar Rory Murphy and keyboards Cian Corbett. The group’s longevity and the enduring popularity of their music, including the Cork Anthem “After All”, which was voted Cork’s favourite song, showcase their unique position in the music world. The band, known as strong ambassadors for Cork, continue to be a major presence with a vast catalogue of albums and singles that are widely acclaimed and sold globally.

Awards Organiser Manus O’Callaghan commended The Frank & Walters Band, stating, “Their win reflects not only their musical prowess but also their unwavering dedication to Cork’s artistic scene. The Frank & Walters have played a pivotal role in making Cork the cultural hub that it is today”.

The awards ceremony also celebrated Cork’s literary luminary, Alice Taylor, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame by last year’s recipient of the Honorary Cork Person of the Year, broadcaster Mike Murphy. Alice Taylor, celebrated for her ground-breaking contribution, To School Through the Fields, acknowledged as the top-selling Irish published book, persistently captures the spirit of rural Ireland in her prolific literary works.

The Honorary Cork Person Award was presented to broadcaster Dáithí Ó Sé, who co-costs the RTÉ Today Show alongside Maura Derrane from the RTÉ Cork studio for many years. 

Honouring Stories of Douglas Community School:

One of the other ideas I keep returning to in Cork is that several of the locations around us possess a strong sense of character, place, and are a source of inspiration. Last week as well coincided with the 50th anniversary of Douglas Community School. Close to 300 people were in attendance including myself. The school’s story from 1974 was retold and its connection its sense of place and character.

As guests arrived, a photographic collage of the five decades of Douglas Community School was playing on the big screen, evoking memories of days gone by – school tour images, team photos, staff versus student soccer matches.

The official ceremony began with the audience led by a blend of speakers and video clips showcasing the development, growth and ethos of the school over the years. Keynote speakers included myself, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, Principal Pat Barry, Chairperson of the Board of Management, Ms Mary Shields, Mr Jim O’Sullivan, representative of the Cork ETB and President of ACS, Mr James Duignan.

A reading about lifelong learning from 5th Year student Michael Morley reminded all those present that “the best thing for being sad… is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails”.

The MC for the afternoon, Deputy Principal, Mr Chris Hickey, introduced a “Video of Time Capsule” which 1st Years had been working on. Several important items featured in the time capsule ranged from a mobile phone to the Douglas Community School’s 50 Year Anniversary publication.

Next up were some oral history chats with retired teachers Mr Jim Maddock, Mr Brian O’Connor and Ms Máire Thomason, past pupil James O’Connor, recipient of Gradam an Phríomhoide and finally Ms Martina Nash, proud parent of five sons who all attended Douglas Community School. James’ closing words on his time in Douglas Community School spoke about equality of opportunity; ”We won’t ever have equality of circumstance but we always have equality of opportunity”.

Check out the website of Douglas Community School for more on their fiftieth anniversary, DCS Celebrates 50 Years🎉 — DCS Cork

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 1 February 2024

Cork History, Kieran's Council Work, Lord Mayor's Work, Uncategorized
1238a. Portrait of Lord Mayor of Cork Seán French, 1924 (source: Cork City Hall).
1238a. Portrait of Lord Mayor of Cork Seán French, 1924 (source: Cork City Hall).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 1 February 2024

Making an Irish Free State City – Lord Mayor Seán French is Elected

Late January 1924 coincided with two new starts for the Corporation of Cork – firstly the final compensation was to be announced for the burning of City Hall and the Carnegie Library arising from the Black and Tan arson attack in December 1920, and secondly the election of a new Lord Mayor in the guise of Seán French.

The Cork Examiner outlines that on 24 January 1924, a meeting of Cork Corporation’s Law and Finance Committee meeting was held. There a letter was read by the City Solicitor notifying that the Compensation (Ireland) Commission had awarded the sum of £73,257 in respect of the burning of the Municipal Buildings and City Hall, of which amount the sum of £58,000 was allocated to be expended on the construction of a new premises. That overall sum was to bear interest at 5 per cent from the 1 January 1924. The letter asserted that the Corporation of Cork should have every reason to be satisfied with the award.

The Compensation (Ireland) Commission was created jointly by the Irish and British governments in 1922. It was held in Ireland under the presidency of, initially, Lord Shaw of Dunfermline, and subsequently, Sir Alexander Wood-Renton. The Commission’s terms of reference were kept to the consideration of claims in respect of damage or injury incurred between 21 January 1919 and 11 July 1921. The registers of claims and papers are now in The National Archives in Kew in London.

The Corporation’s City Treasurer explained that the initial recorder’s or assessor’s award for the municipal buildings from 1921 was £69,324 and for the Concert Hall £7,333 – giving a grand total of £106,657. Hence the overall Compensation Committee award for 1924 was a reduction of £33,390.

In the case of the burned out Carnegie Library the amount awarded by the recorder or assessor in 1921 was £40,000 and for books £9,650 giving an overall total of £49,650. The Compensation Commission’s overall package was £29,850 giving a total reduction of £19,300.

The Law and Finance Committee members asked whether the compensation packages were final. The City Solicitor noted that they were but over the ensuing two months further discussions were held at Corporation meeting level. The outcome was that the compensation figures remained the same and in time financial plans were put in train to rebuild a new City Hall and a new City library.

The context to the election of a new Lord Mayor arose from the resignation of Donal Óg O’Callaghan. He was absent for quite some time and there had been much criticism that he was missing from Cork and the fact he was drawing a salary. The legality of continuing to pay Lord Mayor O’Callaghan’s salary was raised some months previously owing to his absence from Council Meetings for twelve months. The City Solicitor was asked to report on the matter. The outcome was that indeed the Lord Mayor was disqualified and that any further payments to him in respect of his salary would be illegal. The Law and Finance Committee, therefore, struck off the item of £50, which was the Lord Mayor’s salary for a month. Donal’s resignation followed.

A day after the figures for the compensation awards were released for the Municipal Buildings and the Library – on 25 January 1924 – the  Town Clerk read a resignation letter from Donal, which was accepted by the body of the councillors;

“A Chairde – I hereby resign Lord Mayoralty of the city. I wish to thank you for the assistance you gave me to fulfil the promises we gave citizens when we were elected. My election as Lord Mayor in 1920 came after Terence MacSwiney’s sacrifice, RIP. It has been a troubled time since. All thoughts and opinions I had when I was elected are the same thoughts and opinions I have today on the question of the Irish Republic. Because of that I have been unable to be with you for more than a year. Because of that I should probably be unable to take part in municipal affairs for some times to come. Wishing prosperity to the city and those who will be working for it, Is mise Domhnaill O’Callaghan”.

On 30 January the scene was set for a Mayoralty election. The Cork Examiner records that the Corporation members met in the Council Chamber, Courthouse, to elect a Lord Mayor, fix his salary, and “select three gentlemen qualified to fill the office of High Sheriff”. A sizeable group of the general public had gathered in the vicinity of the Courthouse long before the time of meeting, but admission to the building was carefully restricted.

The public gallery of the Chamber became well filled. Many of the members took their seats at 11.45am. Amongst the earliest arrivals being Sir Edward Fitzgerald, who got a very cordial welcome from the occupants of the gallery.

The next outburst of applause was when a group of Councillors, which included Messrs. Sean French and Barry Egan, who entered the Chamber.  They were to be the two candidates to put their name forward for the office of Lord Mayor.

Barry Egan attained 22 votes and Seán French received 23 votes.  Having won the poll, the interim chairman John Horgan declared Seán as the next Lord Mayor. Having signed the role accepting office, he was invested with the chain of office.

The new Lord Mayor delivered a short acceptance speech. In returning thanks, Seán noted that he would not deal with the criticism offered against him. His first act was to try and make them recognise in the first instance that they hugely there “principally and primarily for the progress of Cork”. He had his ideals and he thought that he had been true to them and nothing would change him; “I would say to every individual of the Council that if there was anything he had to suggest that would advance Cork in me I would have a whole hearted friend who would give every assistance”. He asked his councillor colleagues to forget their differences in the interests of the city.

On the motion of Cllr Gamble, seconded by Councillor Sir John Scott, the Lord Mayor’s salary was fixed at the usual amount, £600 a year come on the same days were fixed for the quarterly meetings of the Council. Lord Mayor Seán French was to be the civic face of Cork well into the early 1930s.

Check out more on the life of Seán French through the new book First Citizen, Sean French, Cork’s Longest-Serving Lord Mayor by Dr Aodh Quinlivan and John Ger O’Riordan is available in Waterstones and Vibes and Scribes.

Caption:

1238a. Portrait of Lord Mayor of Cork Seán French, 1924 (source: Cork City Hall).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town 25 January 2024

Cork History, Kieran's Council Work, Lord Mayor's Work, Uncategorized
1237s. Cabinet of Gibson Bequest Curiosities, May 2019 (picture: Crawford Art Gallery, Cork. Photo: Jed Niezgoda).
1237s. Cabinet of Gibson Bequest Curiosities, May 2019 (picture: Crawford Art Gallery, Cork. Photo: Jed Niezgoda).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 25 January 2024

Making an Irish Free State City – The Gibson Bequest

The Crawford Art Gallery’s website leads with a focus of the gallery at present being positioned in a series of important heritage buildings, sections of which date back to the early eighteenth century right in the heart of Cork city. The gallery is in need of significant enhancement and upgrading to meet the evolving demands of a “dynamic national cultural institution”. Works are to begin this year to provide significant restoration value, new additional exhibition and public circulation areas, a new learn and explore facility, significant storage for the National Collection at Crawford, a new entrance, and a dramatically improved public realm.

There are many curios in the Crawford Art Gallery – its exquisite set of Antonio Canova sculptures and paintings within its collections make for great viewing and scholarly output. The gallery opened in 1885 and was built on the generous financial support of William Horatio Crawford.  The next generous sponsor has for the most part fallen out of Cork memory and that is the name of Joseph Stafford Gibson who provided finance through his will in creating the basis for a fund to buy paintings from 1919 onwards. The year 1924 – one hundred years ago – was a key year where the purchasing plan came into effect for the bequest.

Born near Kilmurray in 1837, Joseph inherited a small income which enabled him to devote his life to art studies. He went to Spain in 1878. and lived a lonely life in Madrid until his death in 1919. He was an artist and a collector of Works of art, and by all accounts had got together a comprehensive collection of paintings, prints, photographs, books, manuscripts, coins, antiques, and curios.

By Joseph’s will read in May 1919 he left £14,790 to the Crawford School of Art in Cork. Most of the legacy was to be spent in buying works of art for the Cork galleries, and to assist art students of special promise, who were of Munster birth, to travel and study in Europe. With this bequest, under wise direction from Irish experts, more than a hundred paintings in oils or water colour, and many drawings and sculptures have been acquired for the Cork gallery and are now on view there.

The Irish War of Independence and Civil War initially slowed down any processes of acquisition being put in place. It was to take almost five years before a strategic acquisition programmed was put in place.

One hundred years ago, on 15 January 1924 the Cork Examiner published the minutes of the Gibson Bequest sub-committee meeting of 14 January 1924. Draft regulations had been prepared by the Chairman Mr J J O’Connor setting out the procedure concerning the purchase of works of art under the terms of the bequest be approved. Enquiries had already been made regarding the acquisition of pictures by Jack Butler Yeats and Seán Keating. A painting entitled Sasha Kropotkin by Gerard Kelly of the Royal Hibernian Academy was to be purchased for £250. Gerard Kelly was an English painter in oil of portraits and landscapes. During his travels he painted some of his most characteristic figure studies. He became renowned for his portraits of elegant women, his technical genius and colourful, extensive subject matter. Sasha Kropotkin was the daughter of the anarchist, Prince Peter Kropotkin, and wife of the Russian revolutionary Boris Lebedev.

The draft Gibson Bequest regulations regarding the purchase of works of art were set out as follows: Purchases needed to be confined to the original works in the following: (a) oils, (b) water colours, (c) pastel, (d) drawings or studio» in chalk, pencil, crayon or pen and ink, (a) etchings, (f) wood cuts, (g) silver point, (n) dry point, (i) mezzotint, (j) sculpture, but that it be the rule not to purchase works in plaster, unless in exceptional circumstances, on account of intrinsic merit, and then only with the intention of having them cast in permanent material; (k) decorative art, e.g. goldsmiths and silversmith’s work, stained glass and wood-carving.

No purchase could be made by the committee which was not approved by selected advisers or a majority of such. Such advisers could be selected for the special purpose to be sent to exhibitions at the great art centres to select works for purchase under the terms of the bequest. Advisors were to submit a signed report with all recommendations for the purchase of works of art. Purchases were to be as far as possible in sequence, as portrait, subject picture, landscape, and sculpture. The recommendations of the advisors with respect to any purchase were to be subject to the approval of the Gibson Bequest sub-committee.

The Chairman J J O’Connor noted at the meeting that the intention of the committee was to make their gallery a real first-class art gallery through making purchases of first class specimens.

As the years progressed, paintings from British and French contemporary artists were bought and now form part of the core of the collections of the Crawford Art Gallery. Local artists were also enabled to travel afield to such artist hubs such London, Madrid, Paris and Rome.

Indeed, an article the Cork Examiner for 27 June 1928 notes the acquisition of many works arising from the Gibson Bequest from artists such as William G Barry, Philip Connard, Hughes de Beaumont, John Arnesby Brown, James Humbert Craig, Edward Montgomery O’Rorke Dickey, Norman Garstin,  Nathaniel Grogan, Paul Henry, Nathaniel Hone, Seán Keating, Gerald F Kelly, Frank McKelvey, Sir John Lavery, William John Leech, Daniel McDonald, David Muirhead, Diarmuid O’Brien, Walter F Osbourne, Miss Annie St J Partridge, David Richter, Algernon Talmadge, Henry Jones Thaddeus, David Albert Veresmith and Leo Whelan. Many of the artists above were household names in the early twentieth art world in Britain and Ireland.

Caption:

1237s. Cabinet of Gibson Bequest Curiosities, May 2019 (picture: Crawford Art Gallery, Cork. Photo: Jed Niezgoda).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 18 January 2024

Cork City Events, Cork History, Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Landscapes, Lord Mayor's Work
1236a. Daly's Bridge aka Shaky Bridge, present day, which is one of the featured bridges in Kieran's audio heritage trail of the Bridges of Cork (picture: Kieran McCarthy).
1236a. Daly’s Bridge aka Shaky Bridge, present day, which is one of the featured bridges in Kieran’s audio heritage trail of the Bridges of Cork (picture: Kieran McCarthy).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 18 January 2024

Kieran’s Audio Heritage Trails

January generally coincides with some fine and cold cold days where walking the city is lit up by wintry Atlantic light. As someone who enjoys photographing the city, it is a good time of year to capture some of the city’s nuanced layers of its past. I hope to launch my physical walking tours again in April but in the meantime, check out my audio heritage trails, which have been developed with Meitheal Mara – on the Bridges of Cork and The Marina respectively.

Both audio trails are hosted on my website www.corkheritage.ie under the history trails section. All you need is your smartphone and some headphones. The first audio trail provides insights into the histories of the Cork city centre’s bridges, their place in Cork and some of their surrounding histories. The walk around the bridges is just over two hours in duration. The trail is clockwise from South Gate Bridge up the south channel and down the north channel to cross back to the south channel. It ends at Nano Nagle Bridge.

They say the best way to get to know a place is to walk it. Through many centuries Cork has experienced every phase of Irish urban development. It is a city you can get lost in narrow streets, marvel at old cobbled lane ways, photograph old street corners, gaze at clues from the past, engage in the forgotten and the remembered, search and connect for something of oneself, and thirst in the sense of story-telling – in essence feel the DNA of the place. With so many layers of history in Cork, there is much to see on any walk around Cork City and its respective neighbourhoods. The River Lee has had and continues to have a key role in the city’s evolution.  Many Corkonians and visitors have crossed over the River Lee’s bridges and have appreciated the river’s tranquil and hypnotic flow.

The audio trail begins at the oldest of the city’s bridges – that of South Gate Bridge. In the time of the Anglo Normans establishing a fortified walled settlement and a trading centre in Cork around 1200 AD, South Gate Drawbridge formed one of the three entrances – North Gate Bridge and Watergate being the others. A document for the year 1620 stated that the mayor, Sheriff and commonality of Cork, commissioned Alderman Dominic Roche to erect two new drawbridges in the city over the river where timber bridges existed at the South Gate Bridge and the other at North Gate.

In May 1711, agreement was reached by the Council of Cork Corporation that North Gate Bridge would be rebuilt in stone in 1712 while in 1713, South Gate Bridge would be replaced with a stone arched structure. South Gate Bridge still stands today in its past form as it did over 300 years ago apart from a small bit of restructuring and strengthening in early 1994.

The second of the new audio trails is on The Marina. A stroll down The Marina is popular by many people. The area is particularly characterized by its location on the River Lee and the start of Cork Harbour. Here scenery, historical monuments and living heritage merge to create a historical tapestry of questions of who developed such a place of ideas. Where not all the answers have survived, The Marina is lucky, that archives, newspaper accounts, census records and old maps and other insights have survived to showcase how the area and the wider area has developed. These give an insight into ways of life and ambitions in the past, some of which can help the researcher in the present day in understanding The Marina’s evolution and sense of place going forward.

Cork’s Marina was originally called the Navigation Wall or in essence it was a guidance or tracking wall to bring ships into Cork City’s South Docks area. It was completed in 1761.

Following the constitution of the Cork Harbour Commissioners in 1814 and their introduction of steam dredging, a vigorous programme of river and berth deepening, quay and wharf building commenced. The dredger of the Cork Harbour Commissioners deposited the silt from the river into wooden barges, which were then towed ashore. The silt was re-deposited behind the Navigation Wall.

During the Great Famine, the deepening of the river created jobs for 1,000 men who worked on widening the physical dock of the Navigation Wall. In essence a fine road was constructed, which linked into Cork’s South Docks. To give an aesthetic to the new road, a fine row of elm trees was planted c.1856 by Prof. Edmund Murphy of Queen’s College Cork (now UCC). The elm trees were part of a crop and tree growing experiment.

In 1870, the Gaelic poet and scholar Donncha Ó Floinn put forward to the Improvements Committee of Cork Corporation that the new road of the Navigation wall be named Slí na hAbhann, which means the ‘pathway by the river’. Ó Floinn’s proposal was not accepted. The matter came before the Improvements Committee again in 1872. This time Ó Floinn suggested that the promenade be named ‘The Marina’. He outlined that ‘The Marina’ was the name allocated to a recently reclaimed piece of land near Palermo in Sicily. In July 1872, Cork Corporation formally adopted ‘The Marina’ as the name of the new road or promenade.

Listen to Kieran’s audio heritage trails under history trails at www.corkheritage.ie

Captions:

1236a. Daly’s Bridge aka Shaky Bridge, present day, which is one of the featured bridges in Kieran’s audio heritage trail of the Bridges of Cork (picture: Kieran McCarthy).