Pictures I took from the viewing stand this year; thanks to Cork City Council for organising and to all the community groups for their great colour and pageantry. More pictures are on my heritage facebook page, Cork Our City, Our Town.
Category Archives: Cork City Events
Finishing of Works Ceremony on St Patrick’s Bridge, Cork, 16 March 2019
This week marks another chapter in the history of the illustrious St Patrick’s bridge as it re-opens after re-furbishment. It has had a rocky history. The thread below shares some of the interesting.
Demand: By the middle of the 18th Century demand for bridge access to the developing St Patrick’s Hill area was strongly called for. When first proposed opposition reigned in the city, especially the businessmen near the proposed site and the ferry boats that operated the River Lee. Their petition to the council was turned down and in 1786, the go-ahead for the raising of money for the project was given.
Tolls: Funding a new bridge was difficult so the Corporation of the city that loans would have to be taken out and would have to be paid back with interest. However the loan or the £1000 contribution from the council was not enough to pay back the financial institution plus interest that loaned the money. So it was decided to place tolls on the proposed bridge and to abolish them 21 years later.
New Bridge: Mr. Michael Shanahan was chosen to be the architect and chief contractor of the operation. From 1788, he set about planning the project and on 25 July of that year, the foundation stone was laid. It took a half a year to nearly complete the whole job. The people of the city were astounded at the progress of the new bridge.
Unfortunately on 17 January 1789, disaster occurred as a flood swept through the Lee Valley. A boat tied up at Carroll’s Quay (then Sands Quay) broke lose and crashed against the uncompleted centre arch i.e. the keystone and destroyed it. Devastated Michael Shanahan set off to London to find new prospects. He was encouraged to come back and the bridge was rebuilt & christened on 29 September 1789.
Depiction: For over two centuries, Cork’s Crawford Art Gallery has also minded & displayed landscape views of the city-the 2nd painting is by Mr T S Roberts who also shows how important the bridge’s location was & in the background the Navigation Wall now part of Cork’s Marina Walk.
Documentation: There are several old City maps, historical articles on the bridge’s history and two books on the bridges of Cork by local historian Antoin O’Callaghan – all available to consult in local studies in Cork City Library.
Flood of 1853: In November 1853, disaster happened again when St. Patrick’s Bridge was swept away by flood. This was due to a build up of pressure at North Gate Bridge which was the only structure to remain standing whilst the flood swept over the city centre claiming several lives and destroying everything in its path.
Benson’s Design: There was much controversary over the proposed new & ultimately present day bridge, mainly because of the type of bridge to be built i.e. either stone, iron and even timber. Architect John Benson was to be the architect and he chose Joshua Hargrave, the grandson of the Hargrave that worked on the first bridge and other contractors to build the structure. In November 1859, the new St Patrick’s Bridge its foundation stone ceremony.
Disaster struck again when the bridge had to be reconstructed due to a ship which struck it. It was reconstructed again and was opened on 12 December 1861 for public traffic. From here on the Bridge remained the same and it still spans over the rushing waters of the River Lee.
Award Ceremony, Discover Cork Schools’ Heritage Project 2019
Local historian Cllr Kieran McCarthy has announced that the date for the Cork City schools’ award ceremony of the Discover Cork Schools’ Heritage Project is Wednesday 13 March (6.45pm, Concert Hall, City Hall). A total of 18 schools in Cork City took part in the 2019 Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project, which included Schools in Ballinlough, Ballintemple, Beaumont and Douglas. Circa 750 students participated in the process with approx 170 projects books submitted on all aspects of Cork’s local history & heritage.
The Discover Cork Schools’ Heritage Project is in its sixteenth year and is a youth platform for students to do research and offer their opinions on important decisions being made on their heritage in their locality and how they affect the lives of people locally. The aim of the project is to allow students to explore, investigate and debate their local heritage in a constructive, active and fun way.
Co-ordinator and founder of the project, Cllr Kieran McCarthy noted that: “The project is about developing new skill sets within young people in thinking about, understanding, appreciating and making relevant in today’s society the role of our heritage – our landmarks, our stories, our landscapes in our modern world. The project also focuses on motivating and inspiring young people, giving them an opportunity to develop leadership and self development skills, which are very important in the world we live in today”.
The City Edition of the Project is funded by Cork City Council with further sponsorship offered by Learnit Lego Education, Cllr Kieran McCarthy, Lifetime Lab and Sean Kelly of Lucky Meadows Equestrian Centre. Full results for the City edition are online on Cllr McCarthy’s heritage website, Cork Heritage
Cllr McCarthy: Calls for Public to Check New City Electoral Registers
Press Release:
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has praised the work of the franchise teams at both Cork City Council and Cork County Council and their respective Director of Services for their trojan work in identifying electors to be transferred into the new city. A total of 62,567 voters will see their vote transfer from Cork County Council to Cork City Council in this May’s local elections.
The Final Register of Electors 2019/2020 has been published for the extended city of Cork. The total number of electors on the Register for the extended city is now 148,780 due to the city’s boundary extension which is due to come into force the month after the local and European elections. Over 15,000 people in the Douglas, Donnybrook Hill, Maryborough Hill, Mount Oval and Rochestown areas have been transferred.
Cllr McCarthy has noted that there may yet be people who are not correctly identified on the register. “I am encouraging all voters to please check their details online at checktheregister.ie or by contacting City Hall”. Members of the public can check their details online by using checktheregister.ie website. They can also contact the Register of Electors office, Cork City Council, City Hall, Cork at 4924107 or e-mail franchise@corkcity.ie”
“If they are not on the current register or have changed an address you can apply to be included in the Supplement by completing RFA2/RFA3 application forms which are available on the website – checktheregister.ie –application forms”.
“The councils’ franchise teams, which oversee voting protocol, not only had to identify the electors in the newly extended areas but they also had to re-configure the local electoral areas as the city is moving from six electoral areas to five local electoral areas. This is a very complex body of work,” Cllr McCarthy noted.
Cllr McCarthy Launches his Local Election Campaign
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has confirmed his attention to run in the forthcoming local elections in May. He has once again chosen to run in the south east local electoral area of Cork City which includes the Douglas area. Theough the City boundary expansion, the south east area will extend from Albert Road through Ballinlough, Ballintemple, Blackrock, Mahon and will now take in Douglas Village, Donnybrook, Rochestown and Mount Oval districts.
First elected in 2009 Cllr McCarthy has won two terms of office in Cork City Hall on an Independent platform. He has a broad range of interests from culture and history to community development, city planning, village renewal environmental issues and regional development.
In launching his manifesto this week he outlined his vision across five policy areas- developing more recreational and amenity sites with specific interests in opening Tramore Valley Park and Marina Park in the short term, moving Cork to run again to attain the EU Green Capital award, marketing the City Centre and village renewal, local government reform and financial accountability, and continuing his suite of community projects.
Over the past ten years Cllr McCarthy has created and curated several community projects including local history programmes in local schools, a youth community talent competition, a youth Make a Model Boat project. He also founded Cork City Musical Society for adults. He also runs historical walking tours regularly across over 20 Cork City suburban sites and is the author of over 20 books on Cork’s history.
At the launch of his campaign Cllr McCarthy noted: “Over the past ten years I have gained much experience in local government. I continue to fight my corner for an effective City Hall which can answer the needs of my constituents. The boundary extension offers an exciting but challenging time for Cork. My website and social media sites showcase my work pursued and achieved over the past decade. It also sets out my stall of interests and what an Independent strong voice can offer local government plus a vision for Cork City’s future in working with local communities. Collaboration with local people is very important to me. I look to meeting people again at the doors over the next few weeks”.
McCarthy: Mardyke 300 to put Spotlight on Heritage, Community and Amenity Value
Press Release
A series of events are currently being planned for this summer to mark the 300th anniversary of the construction of Cork’s Mardyke Walk. They will be hosted by the arts, environment and parks section of Cork City Council. Local historian and Cllr Kieran McCarthy who lobbied for tricentenary events praised the initiative of the Council; “the construction of the Mardyke took place in 1719 to provide a promenade for the City residents, to offer pleasant recreation walks and thereby improve the health and well being of city dwellers. The celebration will consist of cultural, artistic, heritage, science and sporting events to acknowledge the contribution that the Mardyke has given to the general public”.
A City wide survey including the expanded area of public art and sculptures is also being pursued. Cllr Kieran McCarthy has noted that a new survey has been long overdue. “Some of the city’s sculptures need a conservation plan as well. For example some of Seamus Murphy’s works through weathering in Fitzgerald’s Park need a plan going forward”.
Cllr McCarthy continued: “Circa the mid-1960s, a Cork Sculpture Park Committee was established to create one in Fitzgerald’s Park. Professor Aloys Fleischman was the Committee’s Chairman. Seamus Murphy’s bronze bust of Michael Collins was one of the first of series of sculptures by the artist to be unveiled in the park’s landscape on 15 June 1966. In November 1977, Seamus Murphy’s Dreamline was an over life-size study of the head of the Madonna, carved in Portland stone, was completed by Seamus Murphy, in 1932, when he was 25 years of age. It was first exhibited in 1934 in Cork. Later it was shown, among other places at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin”.
“The work of work such as Marshall C Hutson and Joseph Higgins can also be viewed in the park. In 2016 a Seamus Murphy bronze cast of Eamonn DeValera was donated to Cork City Council and erected on a pedestal in the park. The installation of the sculptures in the park through time also inspired the situating of sculptures in other parts of the city”.
Mardyke 300 is one 15 projects to be funded by the Creative Ireland Programme. Funding has been confirmed as £34,000 from the Department of Housing and Local Government, e15,000 for Cruinniú na nÓg and further e62,000 from the Department of Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht. This funding is to be provided to projects such as literary ones, Cork’s musical heritage, a Medieval day at Elizabeth Fort, history and archives workshops plus information leaflets on St Finbarr’s and St Joseph’s Cemetery.
Interactive Map, Cork City Council Boundary Extension 2019
On June 1, Cork City will grow to nearly five times its current size taking in areas including Douglas, Rochestown, Ballincollig, Blarney and Glanmire. As part of this planned expansion, the population of the city will grow by 85,000 to 210,000.
The increase in size of the City will allow Cork City Council to take a take a lead role in driving the growth of the city and metropolitan region – driving improvements in investment, public transport, infrastructure and housing.
Staff at Cork City Council are working with Cork County Council to ensure that the transition of public services is as efficient and as seamless as possible. With time, a bigger Cork City will also provide us with scope to further improve and expand our services to the public.
For queries in relation to the Cork City Boundary Extension, please email transition@corkcity.ie
In addition Cork City Council is making available an interactive online map which allows residents, businesses and communities to confirm whether you will be living and/or working in the soon-to be expanded Cork City.
Users can insert their Eircode (please ensure you use the correct Eircode format including a space between the first three and last four characters) or postal address to search for their property (use the down arrow to the left hand side of the search box to select Eircode or address search).
The interactive map also shows you which ward or local electoral area (LEA) you will be voting in, in the upcoming local elections, the number of councillors to be elected in each LEA, and the population of each LEA.
http://corkcity.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=570fc5da59ca4b60b6e8fede282881bf
A Year in Review: Heritage, Memory & Culture in Cork, 2018
January 2018, A Light in the Winter: Lord Mayor’s Tea Dance at Cork City Hall, with the Cork Pops Orchestra under the baton of Evelyn Grant, with Gerry Kelly, and singer Keth Hanley; next tea dance on 27 January 2019.
February 2018, What Lies Beneath: Archaeological discoveries on the proposed Event Centre site by Dr Maurice Hurley and his team are revealed at packed out public lectures; they unearth objects and housing dating to the 11th and 12th Century AD; there is an ongoing exhibition in Cork Public Museum in Fitzgerald’s Park.
March 2018, Upon the Slopes of a City: Storm Emma creates a winter wonderland.
April 2018, A Safe Harbour: Cork Community Art Link do another fab display of the Cork Coat of Arms on the Grand Parade providing a brill entrance to Cork World Book Fest 2018.
May 2018, The Truth of History: A reconstruction at UCC of a fourth class cottage from the times of Ireland’s Great Famine laids bare the realities of everyday life for many people. It was built to coincide with Cork hosting the National Famine Commemoration at UCC.
June 2018, The Challenges of the Past: Charles, Prince of Wales, visits Cork. https://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/speech/speech-hrh-prince-wales-civic-reception-cork-ireland
July 2018, Shaping a Region: US artist Tamsie Ringler begins pouring the molten ore for her River Lee iron casting sculpture at the National Sculpture Factory, Cork.
August 2018, The Beat of Community Life: Ballinlough Summer Festival organised by Ballinlough Youth Clubs at Ballinlough Community Centre reaches its tenth year; its Faery Park and Trail also grows in visitor numbers.
September 2018, On The Street Where You Live: Douglas Street AutumnFest brings businesses and residents together once again for a super afternoon of entertainment, laughter and chat. The ongoing project wins a 2018 national Pride of Place award later in December 2018; & a new mural by Kevin O’Brien and Alan Hurley of first City Librarian, James Wilkinson, who rebuilt the city’s library collections after the Burning of Cork, 1920.
October 2018, The Playful City: Cork’s Dragon of Shandon is led by a host of playful characters and the citizens of the city.
November 2018, Lest We Forget: Marking the centenary of Armistice day at the Fallen Soldier Memorial on the South Mall for the over 4,000 Corkmen killed in World War 1, led by Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Mick Finn.
December 2018, A City Rising: the Glow Festival on the Grand Parade & in Bishop Lucey Park attracts large numbers of citizens and visitors to Ireland’s southern capital.
