“Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed the beginning of the phase 1 of the Passage Railway Greenway Improvement Scheme on next Monday 22 February. Great credit is due to officials in City Hall of the Infrastructure section; there is great momentum at the moment between drafting plans, gaining the input of the public, amending plans where needs be, and presenting them to the National Transport Authority for funding. There is a deep affection for the old railway line walk and in these COVID times is used regularly by locals”.
“The widening of the footpath is to be welcomed and one which locals have called for. I am personally excited that the old Blackrock Station platform is to get conservation works. It is in a poor state and it would be a shame to lose the platform completely due to neglect. I am also excited by the planting of 60 semi mature trees and over 2,000 saplings along the phase 1 from the Mahon Point to The Marina. It is also welcome that the greenway will be kept open to the greatest possible extent throughout the works”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.
This presentation outlines the history and recent refurbishment of the iconic ‘Shakey’ Bridge which was originally built under the stewardship of the City Engineer, SW Farrington, who was also the first Chair of the Cork Region of Engineers Ireland. Kieran McCarthy, an Independent Councillor in Cork City and a noted local historian with an avid interest in the architectural and industrial heritage of his native city outlines social and economic context of the original construction which opened in 1927 to replace an earlier ferry crossing at the same location. The bridge remains the only suspension bridge in Cork City and is the only surviving bridge of its type in Ireland.
Michael Minehane, Chartered Engineer and Principal Engineer at RPS details the recent rehabilitation of the bridge which re-opened in December 2020, including the special inspection and structural assessment, site investigations and material testing, rehabilitation works, the approach to conservation, structural dynamics and aspects of design and construction.
8 January 2021, “Independent Cork city councillor Kieran McCarthy also welcomed the plans. ‘There is so much empty property within the city centre especially over the shops that would make great accommodation space plus also offer great prospects of urban renewal’, Cork City Council gives green light to apartment plans for Patrick Street, Cork City Council gives green light to apartment plans for Patrick Street (echolive.ie)
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy continues
his commissions of street art on Douglas Road. In recent weeks, two new pieces
have emerged on traffic switch boxes. The first mural, which is located at
Cross Douglas Road, is that of Terence and Muriel MacSwiney who lived at 5
Eldred Terrace in 1917.
Cllr McCarthy highlighted: “There was a commemorative plaque erected on the wall of their former house in June 1980 but unfortunately the plaque was taken down a few months later. There have been calls within the Ballinlough area and Douglas Road by locals to once again mark the story from over hundred years ago of the MacSwineys living within the local community. This mural’s central image is from an old photograph of the couple whist the rose motif is a nod to the always beautiful adjacent flower shop.
Terence and Muriel MacSwiney by Kevin O’Brien, Commissioned by Cllr Kieran McCarthy
The second mural is opposite the entrance
to St Finbarr’s Hospital. Cllr McCarthy noted: “The mural has the theme of
“hold firm” and is dedicated to healthcare staff within the hospital who have
held firm against COVID-19. The mural adds to the existing street art mural,
which was painted Kevin O’Brien outside CUH last year”.
“It has been great to commission artist
Kevin O’Brien again. This is my sixth commission with him. He really brings
ordinary municipal utility boxes to life with his creativity, imparting
uplifting and positives messages. Roads such as Douglas Road are well walked everyday,
so it is great to bring his work into heart of suburban communities, concluded
Cllr McCarthy.
Artist Kevin O’Brien noted: “Street art is
a fantastic way to improve the aesthetic of urban areas and build a sense of
character in communities, but beyond that, with cultural
spaces currently closed, the availability of street art in public
spaces takes on an even greater importance”.
Hold Firm by Kevin O’Brien, Commissioned by Cllr Kieran McCarthy
Sturdy on a table top and lit by youngest fair, a candle is blessed with hope and love, and much festive cheer, Set in a wooden centre piece galore, it speaks in Christian mercy and a distant past of emotional lore, With each commencing second, memories come and go, like flickering lights on the nearest Christmas tree all lit in traditional glow, With each passing minute, the flame bounces side to side in drafty household breeze, its light conjuring feelings of peace and warmth amidst familiar blissful degrees, With each lapsing hour, the residue of wax visibly melts away, whilst the light blue centered heart is laced with a spiritual healing at play, With each ending day, how lucky are those who love and laugh around its glow-filledness, whilst outside, the cold beats against the nearest window in the bleak winter barreness, Fear and nightmare drift away in the emulating light, both threaten this season in almighty wintry flight, Sturdy on a table top and lit by youngest fair, a candle is blessed with hope and love, and much festive cheer.
1080a. Daly’s Bridge AKA Shakey Bridge, post refurbishment, December 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy).
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 24 December 2020
Celebrating the History of Daly’s Bridge
Over
the past two to three years, three bridges in Cork have received much media
focus – St Patrick’s Bridge and its cleaning and restructuring, the new Mary
Elmes Bridge and its modern design, and thirdly Daly’s Bridge, AKA the Shaky
Bridge and its mass cleaning and re-strengthening programme. Such work was spearheaded by Cork
City Council.
Perhaps
of the three bridges that I have listed the last one, Daly’s Bridge or the
Shakey Bridge, opened in 1927, is one which holds the fascination of the public
the most. The recent removal of the main body of the bridge to de-clean it off
site caused a large tinge of public sadness. Its re-opening this week heralded
hope and almost the sense of a valued family member having returned. The
bridge’s essence has transcended time from a physical bridging point to one of
playfulness, one of fun and one whose shakiness is a key part of Cork’s
cultural heritage.
The story of Daly’s Bridge is rich. With the development
of Fitzgerald’s Park and the adjacent Rugby Grounds circa 1905, the
ferry crossing that had formed a route from Sunday’s Well to Shanakiel came
under increasing pressure.
On
28 August 1908 a deputation of residents of Sunday’s Well appeared before the
members of Cork Corporation in the then City Hall. Coroner Blake acted as
spokesman and noted that he had got a recent letter during that week from Mr
Thomas Dooley, proprietor of the ferry at Ferry Walk, stating that he was
willing to sell his interest in it (due to his impending retirement) to the
Corporation of Cork for £100, if they sought to purchase it.
Coroner
Blake outlined that the Corporation had been, as far he knew, owners and
proprietors of most of the ferries in the city of Cork, and if they attained
Dooley’s ferry rights in question it would be, he believed, “an advantage
to the citizens at large”. If the Council thought the proposal a good idea, he
suggested that instead of a ferry, a suspension bridge could be erected.
Sir
Edward Fitzgerald, councillor, said he believed that the bridge proposal was a
necessity and asked that the matter be referred to the Corporation’s Public
Works Committee.
On 1 September 1908,
the proposed Ferry Walk Bridge was discussed at the Public Works Committee.Sir Edward Fitzgerald said the first thing to be
done was to instruct the City Engineer to supply the Committee, at his earliest
convenience with the cost of a suspension bridge.
In April 1910, the City
Engineer gave particulars regards the site and the approaches to the bridge and
a general discussion took place on the question of the situation and character
of the new bridge. Shortly afterwards, the proposed cost of a new bridge became
a stumbling block for the Corporation to be able to move forward developing the
project.
Sixteen years later, the substantial
financial contribution by local man James Daly eventually broke the deadlock on
funding the suspension bridge project. Born at Moycollop, County Waterford in
1856, James Daly (1856-1942)began his busines life in his native
district as a butter and egg merchant. His business acumen was not long in
making itself felt, and at an early age he was able to open up as a butter
merchant being founder and managing director, of the firm of James Daly
and Sons, Ltd., Shandon Street, Dominick Street, and Mulgrave Road. His
association with the butter industry extended over 50 years from the 1880s to
the early 1930s – over half a century.
Under his own
personal supervision James merited for his firm a world-wide reputation and
employed many people. In addition to the butter industry, the firm were
also proprietors of the Shandon Castle Margarine Factory, which was established
until 1905, and erected on the site of the ancient Shandon Castle.
James
was one of the trustees of the Cork Butter Exchange. As an agriculturalist, James was
well known throughout Cork and Waterford, being the owner of large farms in
each of these counties, while he also possessed extensive
fishing preserves on the River Blackwater, and game preserves in the same
vicinity. James was also a Justice of the Peace, a member of the Cork Chamber
of Commerce, and a member of the National Liberal Club of London.
The
decision was made by City Engineer, Stephen Farrington that the new bridge
should be a steel suspension bridge, a type popular in the early decades of the
twentieth century, though few were built in Ireland. The decision was made to
purchase a bridge from the English bridge manufacturers David Rowell &
Company.
In his 3 February 1927 report, Stephen Farrington
said he was notified by Messrs Rowell & Co that the steel erectors were
coming over that week to start work on the suspension bridge at Ferry Walk. In late
February 1927,the new suspension footbridge was rapidly nearing
completion.
The formal opening of Daly’s Bridge took place on
Saturday 9 May 1927. Very Rev Canon O’Sullivan presided at the function. Mr M
O’Driscoll, PC on behalf of Mr James Daly opened the bridge.
Mr O’Driscoll said that he felt that a very great
honour had been conferred on him in asking him to formally open the bridge,
which “would do so much to enhance the attractions of the district, and at the
same time confer such as substantial benefit on the citizens in general, and on
the residents of Sunday’s Well in particular”.
For more information on the story of Daly’s Bridge
aka The Shakey Bridge, check out Kieran’s History Trails on www.corkheritage.ie
Happy Christmas to everyone.
Caption:
1080a. Daly’s Bridge AKA Shakey Bridge, post
refurbishment, December 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy).
Evening Echo is a public artwork by New Zealand artist Maddie Leach. It is sited on old gasometer land gifted by Bord Gáis to Cork City Council in the late 1980s. This site was subsequently re-dedicated as Shalom Park in 1989. The park sits in the centre of the old Cork neighbourhood known locally as ‘Jewtown’. This neighbourhood is also home to the National Sculpture Factory.
This year the last night of Hanukkah is Thursday 17 December and offers the only opportunity to see the tall ‘ninth lamp’ alight until next year. The cycle begins 10 minutes before sunset, which occured this year at 4.13pm, and continued for 30 minutes after sunset when the ninth lamp was extinguished.
Evening Echo, Shalom Park, 17 December 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)Evening Echo, Shalom Park, 17 December 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)Evening Echo, Shalom Park, 17 December 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy
has welcomed the reopening of Douglas Library in Douglas Village Shopping
Centre. The library will be a transformed space both in design and enhanced
services. The refurbished library includes a complete transformation of the
children’s space, including a new children’s fiction area, a larger children’s
story time area and a new personalised kiosk for the children and families to
use.
The Listening Lounge is new to the
adult area and will be a space for the public to listen to audio books and
music on cd and vinyl. It will be a relaxing and calm space. My Open Library
will be part of Douglas Library early in the new year and will significantly
increase the opening hours for the public.
Plans are also being finalised to
support those with dementia in the community, including a new Tovertafel magic
table and memory café which will be a great addition to our Age Friendly
Libraries initiatives.
A Per Cent for Art Commission has
been awarded to two Cork based textile artists as part of the reopening of the
refurbished Library. Taking its inspiration from the historic textile industry
of the Douglas area the proposal includes a strong community engagement element
with nursing homes and local schools. The end piece will be a textile wall
hanging, a focus for discussion of the local history of the area for many years
to come.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The staff of Cork
City Libraries put in extra hours adding new items to ensure the stock of
Douglas Library will be second to none, providing the most up to date titles
available to the people of Douglas and the surrounding areas. The library will
continue to host many activities, book clubs, writing groups and craft
activities for all ages within the community. The City Council’s intention is
that the library will continue to proactively support learning, diversity and
social and cultural inclusion”.
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy
has welcomed the reopening of Douglas Library in Douglas Village Shopping
Centre. The library will be a transformed space both in design and enhanced
services. The refurbished library includes a complete transformation of the
children’s space, including a new children’s fiction area, a larger children’s
story time area and a new personalised kiosk for the children and families to
use.
The Listening Lounge is new to the
adult area and will be a space for the public to listen to audio books and
music on cd and vinyl. It will be a relaxing and calm space. My Open Library
will be part of Douglas Library early in the new year and will significantly
increase the opening hours for the public.
Plans are also being finalised to
support those with dementia in the community, including a new Tovertafel magic
table and memory café which will be a great addition to our Age Friendly
Libraries initiatives.
A Per Cent for Art Commission has
been awarded to two Cork based textile artists as part of the reopening of the
refurbished Library. Taking its inspiration from the historic textile industry
of the Douglas area the proposal includes a strong community engagement element
with nursing homes and local schools. The end piece will be a textile wall
hanging, a focus for discussion of the local history of the area for many years
to come.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The staff of Cork
City Libraries put in extra hours adding new items to ensure the stock of
Douglas Library will be second to none, providing the most up to date titles
available to the people of Douglas and the surrounding areas. The library will
continue to host many activities, book clubs, writing groups and craft
activities for all ages within the community. The City Council’s intention is
that the library will continue to proactively support learning, diversity and
social and cultural inclusion”.
14 December 2020, “Following a question posed by Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy, who requested an update on the progress of the reopening of the library”, Reopening date of Douglas Library revealed; refurbished library to offer new services, https://www.echolive.ie/corknews/arid-40190784.html