Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has announced his historical walking tours for May, which have a focus on the hills and views of Cork. He will conduct walks across the area of Tramore Valley Park, St Patrick’s Hill area, and also around the Barrack Street area. The Tramore Valley Park tour will explore the development of the area from being a swamp through to being a landfill and then onto being an artificial mound to enable the development of a park. All of Kieran’s tours are free and no booking is required.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “Cork’s Tramore Valley Park is an exciting addition and recent initiative of Cork City Council. It is great to be able to revisit the cultural heritage of the park and its surrounds with the Kinship arts project this month. Historically William Petty’s 1655 map of the city and its environs marks the site of Tramore Valley Park as Spittal Lands, a reference to the original local environment and the backing up of the Trabeg and Tramore tributary rivers as they enter the Douglas River channel. We are lucky that there is also really interesting perspectives on the area recorded through the ages, which have been great to research”.
“Walking across the park, one can feel the tension in its sense of place, a place haunted and engineered by its past and teeming with ideas about its future. Of course, there are green spaces scattered across the city but none with the same scale of development and story as the 160 acre site off Kinsale Road. This is a site where the city’s environment has also been a regular topic of debate across local newspapers and in the city’s council political chamber”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.
Kieran’s May Tours:
Saturday 14 May 2022, The Northern Ridge – St Patrick’s Hill to MacCurtain Street; Tour around St Patrick’s Hill – Old Youghal Road to McCurtain Street; meet on the Green at Audley Place, top of St Patrick’s Hill, 2pm (free, duration: two hours, no booking required).
Sunday 22 May 2022, Views from a Park – Tramore Valley Park, historical walking tour in association with the KinShip Project; meet at Halfmoon Lane gate, 2pm (free, duration: 90 minutes no booking required).
Saturday 28 May 2022, The Friar’s Walk; Discover Red Abbey, Elizabeth Fort, Barrack Street, Callanan’s Tower & Greenmount area; Meet at Red Abbey tower, off Douglas Street, 2pm (free, duration: two hours, no booking required).
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed “Our City, Our Future”, third draft of Cork City Development Plan, which has gone out to public consultation It which provides an overarching framework to help shape the transformation of the City over the next six years by supporting the creation of 20,000 homes and 33,000 jobs.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “It provides an exciting and opportunities driven transformative blueprint for Cork as the city sets out upon an exciting phase of growth and change – with sustainability, quality of life, social inclusion, and climate resilience at the plan’s core. This is the first City Development Plan to include the new city areas such as Douglas, Donnybrook and Rochestown taken in under the 2019 city boundary extension. So there has been a chance to consolidate thinking on improving the quality of life not just in those areas but also in the inner suburbs of Ballinlough, Ballintemple, Blackrock, Mahon and South Docklands”.
At a meeting of Cork City Council on 15 March 2022, the Elected Members considered the Draft City Development Plan and the Chief Executive’s Report on submissions received. It was resolved at that meeting by the Elected Members of Cork City Council to amend the Draft Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028.
Cork City Council Chief Executive, Ann Doherty said: “This next phase of public consultation follows widespread listening and engagement with stakeholders in the first and second rounds of public consultation. I’d like to thank everyone who made a submission to date. We have engaged with a broad church of stakeholders reflecting the diversity of Cork City and the work of the Elected Members on the ground in our city’s communities and this engagement has been integral to the whole process.”
Cork City Council invites submissions on the Proposed Alterations to the Draft Development Plan. This is the third stage of formal public consultations. Submissions can be made online at https://consult.corkcity.ie/
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy is to restart his free historical walking tours during the month of April. This month’s tours will be of South Docklands, Fitzgerald’s Park, and The Marina. Cllr McCarthy noted; “It’s been a long wait since the last walking tours I conducted for the general public. It’s been a long two and a half years. In the meantime, I have pursued more research of some of my area tours and have posted them up under my revised history trails section on my Corkheritage. ie website”.
“My Marina tour is one I have tried to sharpen and get more information on and reflect more on its development. The three areas I am re-starting with are all relatively close to each other, but do have their own unique sense of place, their own cultural and built heritage, their own historic angles, and add their own stories to how the city as a whole came into being”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.
Full details of Kieran’s April tours are below,
▪ Saturday 9 April 2022, Cork South Docklands; Discover the history of the city’s docks, from quayside stories to the City Park Race Course and Albert Road; meet at Kennedy Park, Victoria Road, 2pm, as part of the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival (free, duration: two hours, no booking required).
Sunday 10 April 2022, Fitzgerald’s Park: The People’s Park, meet at band stand, 2pm, in association with Rebound Arts Festival and as part of the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival (free, duration: 90 minutes, no booking required).
Saturday 16 April 2022, The Marina; Discover the history of the city’s promenade, from forgotten artefacts to ruinous follies; meet at western end adjacent Shandon Boat Club, The Marina, 2pm (free, duration: two hours, no booking required).
An Post Press Office has sent the official press statement below today denoting they have had trouble finding a new postmaster for High Street. I didn’t see the call and I don’t believe at all it was widely advertised. Whether or which, there is a job going for someone.
In otherwords, the only way to save the post office is to find someone interested in taking it over. Full details of jobs spec from High Street Post Office, and it would be an immediate start from early March.
An Post: “Our Postmaster in High Street, Cork City tendered his resignation at the start of January.We advertised the contract on two occasions but we have received no applications and no interest in the vacant contract. Our PM wishes to exit the High Street contract on Saturday 5th March.We have no alternative but to close the High office on that date and transfer customers in receipt of payments from the Department of Social Protections SP to South Douglas Road PO.
Customer notices to that effect will go on display this week.Customers will move initially to South Douglas road, less than 1k away, and will then have the option of transferring to other offices in the area including Albert Road, Friars Road, Ballinlough PO or our Cork city office”.
1138a. Portrait of Nano Nagle by fourth class in Scoil Naomh Caitriona in Bishopstown
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 17 February 2022
Season 20 for Discover Cork Schools’ Heritage Project
This month marks the conclusion of the 20th school season of the Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project. Over the past twenty years the school wing of my local history work aims to engage younger generation to take up an interest in the history, heritage, and geography of the city.
This city-based project is kindly funded by Cork City Council (thanks to Niamh Twomey, Heritage Office), and supported by Old Cork Waterworks Experience Lee Road (thanks to Meryvn Horgan), It is open to schools in Cork City – at primary level to the pupils of fourth, fifth and sixth class and at post-primary from first to sixth years. A total of 25 schools in Cork City took part in this school season. Circa 800 students participated in the process and approx 200 projects were submitted on all aspects of Cork’s history.
A full list of winners, topics and pictures of some of the project pages for 2022 can be viewed on my YouTube film at my website www.corkheritage.ie. A virtual presentation of the projects and students’ work was given to Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Colm Kelleher. For those doing research, www.corkheritage.ie has also a number of resources listed to help with source work and loads of Cork City History virtual trails to discover..
One of the key aims of the project is to allow students to explore, investigate and comment on their local history in a constructive, active and fun way. The emphasis is on the process of doing a project and learning not only about your area but also developing new personal skills. Many of the topics in the city such as general histories of how Cork developed have myriads of history books written on them. However, the challenge in this project is to get students to devise methodologies that provide interesting and personal ways to approach the study of local history for up-and-coming generations.
Submitted projects this year and in previous years have been colourful, creative, contain personal opinions, imagination, and gain publicity. These elements form the basis of a student friendly narrative analysis approach where the students explore their project topic in an interactive way. In particular students are encouraged to attain primary material through engaging with several methods such as fieldwork, interviews with local people, making models, photographing, cartoon creating, and making short films of their study topic.
For example, a winning class project this school season from fourth class in Scoil Naomh Caitriona in Bishopstown focussed on the story of Nano Nagle and her legacy. They visited Nano Nagle Place, took the great educational tour, and returned to their classroom to create a project book thinking about how Nano’s story could be presented to a younger generation. The project book is full of historical snippets but also impressive art and craft work, making their project one that a reader wants to turn the page on. Another impressive and winning project on the life and times of Nano Nagle was delivered by fifth class in St Patrick’s Boys National School, Gardiner’s Hill
Light was also shone on the story of Henry Ford and his legacy in Cork, when an overall winning student, Cuan O’Neill from Beaumont Boys National School wrote about the history of the tractor and car factory on the Marina. He wrote to experts in the field of Ford history engaging their views, and really created a project book, where one could hear the voices of why the Ford legacy should be championed in the present day, but also perhaps how to look at how Corkonians remember such a legacy.
This year marks went towards making a short film or a model on projects to accompany history booklets. Submitted short films this year had interviews of family members, neighbours to local historians to the student taking a reporter type stance on their work. Some students also chose to act out scenes from the past. One winning student, Oscar Ó Loinsigh, from Beaumont Boys National School did a short film tour of the Queenstown Story in Cobh.
The creativity section also encourages model making. The best model trophy in general goes to the creative and realistic model. Models of GAA pitches, Cork City Gaol and the Crawford Art Gallery, and even board games of Elizabeth Fort and Spike Island featured this year in several projects – not only physical models but Minecraft digital models as well.
Every year, the students involved produce a section in their project books showing how they communicated their work to the wider community. It is about reaching out and gaining public praise for the student but also appraisal and further ideas. Covid scuppered a fuller publicity element, but projects were presented to other classes in schools. Over the years students have been putting work on local parish newsletters, newspapers and local radio stations and also presenting work in local libraries. Open days for parents in schools to view projects have been successful as well as putting displays on in local GAA halls, credit unions, community centres and libraries.
Overall, the Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project attempts to provide the student with a hands-on and interactive activity that is all about learning not only about your local area but also about the process of learning by participating students.
Check out the YouTube awards ceremony under the Schools’ Heritage Project at www.corkheritage.ie. Here’s to school season 21 coming this September 2022!
Captions:
1138a. Portrait of Nano Nagle by fourth class in St Catherine’s National School in Bishopstown.
1138b. Minecraft model of old Ford Factory, The Marina by Cuan O’Neill, Beaumont Boys National School.
1138b. Minecraft model of old Ford Factory, The Marina by Cuan O’Neill, Beaumont Boys National School.
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed the start of the work on the pedestrian and cycle path and new bridge which will provide a safe, sustainable and alternative travel route between Grange and Tramore Valley Park and onwards to Douglas and the city centre.
Funded by the National Transport Authority (NTA), the kilometre-long pathway, which includes the construction of a new bridge over the N40 South Ring Road, will provide connectivity between Grange/Frankfield and the southern suburbs and will support residents, students and commuters to opt for active travel and thereby reduce traffic congestion.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The path comes in from the Grange Road through what is known locally as the donkey field. The scheme will have a series of steps and ramps along the steeper section down through the valley until it reaches the bridge over the N40. On the other side of the bridge, there will be once again steps and a ramp into the Tramore Valley Park. The four metre wide pathway will also support people with mobility needs and will include environmentally sensitive public lighting”.
“The bridge is another game-changer, which will nicely open up Tramore Valley Park to the city’s southern ridges joining up the dots with amenities such as the Mangala walk and its future extensions upstream”, asserted Cllr McCarthy.
Site clearance works have already begun. To facilitate construction, it will be necessary to remove some trees and greenery on the site. Care has been taken during project design to minimise the impact on biodiversity. A native tree planting programme will also be undertaken at the site as part of the project and trees will also be offered to local community groups.
Infrastructure Development Director of Services with Cork City Council, Gerry O’Beirne said: “ In line with the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy, this project will support residents, commuters and students to make more sustainable transport choices which will help reduce car dependency and therefore traffic congestion in the city. The Grange – Tramore Valley Park path will also make walking or cycling more attractive and support people to easily and safely enjoy a more active lifestyle in their own community”. It is expected that works will be completed in early 2023.
I write to comment on the proposed development project at Odlums and at R & H Hall. In general, I welcome the strong financial investment into South Docks. For me, Odlums and R & H Hall are core structures, which anchor the docks area in a strong sense of place. Much of the area has seen demolition over the years leaving the latter two structures and the historic Ford compound being left as core historic structures on South Docks.
I wish to thank the developers of the proposed Odlums and R & H Hall site for their extensive history and environmental studies, that have been submitted with their proposal. I note that the Odlums buildings is to be restored and utilised, and that is to be encouraged and welcomed.
Looking through the engineering study on the grain silos, I note and respect how the silos were constructed and acknowledge the weakness of the concrete and their many limitations for re-use. However, such is the striking nature of the silos on South Docks, I am still very disappointed that they, if planning is sanctioned, will be taken down, which ultimately will change the sense of place not just in that locale but across South Docks. And it is the change in the sense of place that is irking me.
In that light I would ask that if any part of these industrial ruins of the silos can be utilised or recycled or if any old industrial equipment is salvageable that it be used within any new building and as some kind of sculptural/infrastructure installation/s on the quayside. I would love if the design of the proposed “Silo” buildings – would reflect as much of the R & H Hall buildings as possible. I would like to advocate that the City Council’s Archaeologist and Heritage Officer, respectively, would work with the developer on keeping as much of the historic sense of place as possible.
Sincerely,
_________________
Cllr Kieran McCarthy
R & H Hall Grain Silos, Cork South Docks, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
