Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 13 July 2017

July Historical Walking Tours

Wednesday 19 July, Shandon historical walking tour with Kieran; discover the history of one of Cork’s oldest streets woven with tales of castles, butter and historical churches; meet at North Gate Bridge at end of Shandon Street, 6.45pm (free, duration: two hours)

  There are multiple layers of history around the Shandon quarter. Amongst them is the story of the great butter market. By the mid eighteenth century, the native butter industry in Cork had grown to such an extent due to British empire expansion that it was decided among the main city and county butter merchants that an institution be established in the city that would control and develop its potential. These ‘Committee of Butter Merchants’ located themselves in a simple commissioned building adjacent to Shandon. The committee comprised 21 members who were chosen by the merchants in the city. In May 1770, it was decided by the Cork Committee that all butter to be exported from Cork was to be examined by appointed inspectors – the quality and weight of the butter and the manner of packing.

Thursday 20 July, Sunday’s Well historical walking tour with Kieran; discover the original well and the eighteenth-century origins of the suburb, meet at St Vincent’s Bridge, North Mall end, 6.45pm (free, duration: two hours)

   Sunday’s Well was a famous landmark through the ages and the adjoining district took its name from the well. In 1644, the French traveller M de La Boullaye Le Gouz, visited Ireland. In the account of his journey he writes: “A mile from Korq [Cork] is a well called by the English, Sunday Spring, or the fountain of Sunday, which the Irish believe is blessed and cures many ills. I found the water of it extremely cold”. Charles Smith in his second volume of his History of Cork, mentions “a pretty hamlet called Sunday’s Well, lying on a rising ground…here is a cool refreshing water, which gives name to the place, but it is hard, and does not lather with soap”. Antiquarian Thomas Crofton Croker described the well as well; “Sunday’s Well is at the side of the high road, and is surrounded by a rude, stone building, on the wall of which the letters HIS mark its ancient reputation for sanctity. It is shadowed over by some fine own ash trees, which render it as a picturesque object”. Writing later still John Windele says of the well; “Early in the mornings of the summer Sundays may be seen the hooded devotees with beads in hand, performing their turrish or penance, besides this little temple”.

  The historic landmark is no longer visible. At the beginning of 1946, the adjoining roadway was widened and improved, it was necessary to remove the stone building covering the well, and to run the road over the well. However, to mark the site, the stone tablet bearing the inscription, “HIS, Sunday’s Well, 1644”, which had been on the building, was placed on the wall adjoining the road. Rounds are no longer paid there.

Thursday 27 July 2017, The Friar’s Walk, with Kieran; discover Red Abbey, Elizabeth Fort, Callanan’s Tower and Greenmount area; meet at Red Abbey tower, 6.45pm (free, duration: two hours)

   This historical walking tour begins on Red Abbey square and explores the area’s medieval origins and the impact on the area. In such a small corner of the city, post medieval Cork and the story of industrial housing can be told, as well as stories of St Stephen’s School, Callanan’s Tower, Elizabeth Fort and the Gallows at Greenmount.

   The central bell tower of the church of Red Abbey is a relic of the Anglo-Norman colonisation and is one of the last remaining visible structures, which dates to the era of the walled town of Cork. Invited to Cork by the Anglo-Normans, the Augustinians established an abbey in Cork, sometime between 1270 AD and 1288 AD. It is known that in the early years of its establishment, the Augustinian friary became known as Red Abbey due to the material, sandstone, which was used in the building of the friary. It was dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity but had several names, which appear on several maps and depictions of the walled town of Cork and its environs. For example, in a map of Cork in 1545, it was known as St Austins while in 1610, Red abbey was marked as St. Augustine’s. The adjacent street names of Red Abbey Street, Friar’s Street and Friar’s Walk also echoes the days of a large medieval abbey in the area.

Friday 28 July 2017, The Lough and its history, historical walking tour with Kieran (new tour); discover the legends and stories of the Cork Lough, meet at the green on northern end of the Lough, Lough Church end, 6.45pm (free, duration: two hours)

   This is a new walking tour, which explores the Lough, its heritage and the rich surrounding history of this quarter of the city. This amenity has witnessed eighteenth century market fairs as well as ice skating to nineteenth century writers and nursery gardens to twentieth century cycling tournaments and the rich and historic market garden culture.

Kieran’s National Heritage Week historical walking tours for August are also now posted at www.kieranmccarthy.ie under the walking tours section.

Captions:

903a. View of Shandon Street Festival, June 2017 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)

903b. Depiction of Skating on the Lough by artist Daniel Maclise, c.1830 (source: Cork City Library)

Losing the Past, Losing Ourselves
Published in Irish Examiner, 6 July 2017

   Like everyone else on Cork’s Lee Fields, I watched with great sadness the burning of the old St Kevin’s Asylum (built c.1895-1899) and had that deep sense of shock and loss – not just at one level but across a number of levels – Yes – St Kevin’s Asylum had a harrowing past but it’s future should not have played out this way.

   Chatting to Corkonians they expressed their sadness and frustration that a part of Cork’s social history was burning and being destroyed; they were sad to see a burnt scar of a landmark emerging on the cityscape in one of the city’s scenic spots – dismayed that it was a potential arson attack out resulting out of someone’s boredom, frustrated that campaigns over the years by resident community groups and public representatives did not gauge muster with the owners of the site, sad that the owners of the site, the HSE, did not get to pursuing a plan for the site (despite having completed some really tasteful renewal works in the old Cork workhouse at St Finbarr’s Hospital), upset for the memory and almost forgotten memory of former patients and former staff members, frustrated that in the national context, there are many other old asylum buildings that are decaying and not being utilised for a myriad of potential uses.

   Huge depths of multiple feelings unveiled themselves along the banks of the Lee last evening – feelings that were all about responsibility around harnessing and how to capture for the present and future a city’s (and a nation’s) history and heritage.

  The fishermen, who called in the fire sat on the river railing, lamented to the press on the emerging scarred landscape. The River Lee at this point is bound up with a necklace of beautiful nineteenth century buildings across it northern ridges– some with harrowing histories like Our Lady’s Hospital and the Good Shepherd Convent with its Magdalene Asylum – some with stories of innovative local government like the Old Waterworks, some with gorgeous artwork like the stained-glass windows in St Vincent’s Church. The former Our Lady’s Hospital is now in the last phase of redevelopment by a private developer as tastefully done apartment blocks – the old Waterworks is now a notable tourism attraction run by Cork City Council on Ireland’s Ancient East with themes around renewable energy, waste, education and science. Investment into these sites have worked and a return for the investment is being reaped as well as emanating sustainable best practice in what to do with old building stock. These are best practice examples.

   The now burnt out old St Kevin’s Asylum and the ruined and formerly burnt out Good Shepherd Convent remain ‘worst case’ examples of what happens if one does not invest. The hands of local government councils need to be strengthened – that finance and staff are made available to compulsorily purchase property, which is not being developed. Cities, town and regions should not have to endure sadness, loss, frustration and dereliction. It is not positive to have buildings, small to large, boarded up for years, to leave them decay, and to not have a plan. Going forward we need to reverse our approaches to dereliction – ideas, future planning and investment are needed to breathe life into our historic cities like Cork – in fact anytime we have, the ideas of the past have worked and have always helped frame the visions of the future.

Dr Kieran McCarthy, Independent Councillor, Cork City Council, www.corkheritage.ie