Category Archives: Cork City Events
Happy Christmas
Happy Christmas, time to slow down and enjoy!
Blackrock Historical Walking Tour, Sunday 27 November 2016
As a contribution to marking the restoration of the tram lines as a heritage feature in Blackrock Cllr Kieran McCarthy will conduct a historical walking tour of Blackrock Village on Sunday 27 November, 2.30pm (starts at Blackrock Castle, two hours, free). Cllr McCarthy notes: “A stroll in Blackrock is popular by many people, local and Cork people. The area is particularly characterised by beautiful architecture, historic landscapes and imposing late Georgian and early twentieth century country cottages to the impressive St Michael’s Church; every structure points to a key era in Cork’s development. Blackrock is also lucky that many of its former residents have left archives, census records, diaries, old maps and insights into how the area developed, giving an insight into ways of life, ideas and ambitions in the past, some of which can help us in the present day in understanding Blackrock’s identity going forward”.
One hundred years ago, the Corporation of Cork had to foresight to connect the city’s suburbs with the city centre through a tram network. The story of how the trams connected the old fishing village of Blackrock with the city is a worthy one to tell- connected in terms of the wealth of history in this corner of the city and connected in terms of experimenting with the provision of new transport networks. The trams were developed in connection with the Corporation’s roll-out of electricity in the city in 1898. The tram lines themselves were electricity cables. The Corporation of Cork established a large electricity generating plant on Albert Road (now the site of the National Sculpture Factory). The Electric Tramways and Lighting Company Ltd was registered in London and had a close working relationship with eminent electrical contractors, the British Thomson-Houston Company. Cllr McCarthy highlights: “By 1900, 35 electric tram cars operated throughout the city and suburbs. They were manufactured in Loughborough, UK and all were double deck in nature, open upstairs with a single-truck design”. Cllr McCarthy’s walk will finish at Natural Foods Bakery at 4.30pm in time for tea, coffee and poetry to mark the restoration of the old tram lines with Douglas Writers club.
President of EU Committee of the Regions Comes to Cork, EU Citizen’s Debate
Independent Cork City Councillor Kieran McCarthy welcomes the President of the EU Committee of the Regions, Mr Markku Markula, to Cork this Saturday 19 November to showcase the innovation hubs of Cork city and region and to host him at a Cork City debate on the role of small cities and towns within the EU. Mr Markula also accepted the invite of Cllr McCarthy and Cork Innovates to speak at the Global Start Up Nations event taking place at Cork County Hall this weekend.
In a recent debate on the future of the EU in the EU Committee of the Regions Mr Markula’s noted of the importance of listening to EU citizens: “citizens should have an inclusive, smarter, and safer Europe. We should channel politically our citizens’ critical assessment on the EU and its added value on the ground, but also their ideas for its better functioning and delivering. One way we could listen more to our communities’ concerns about Europe, for instance is through citizens’ dialogues or town hall debates”. Cllr McCarthy on hearing his call for action has invited Mr Markula and his team to Cork to such a city debate to listen to the concerns of a small EU city and region. Cllr McCarthy, a member of the EU Committee of the Regions, noted: “Cork is pursuing much work in the realms of start-ups and innovation and wishes to scale up within the EU. I have concerns that small cities such as Cork – small cities are plentiful within the EU – could be forgotten about in future cohesion policy debates. Cities and regions such as Cork have huge heart, passion, and energy to contribute positively to the bigger EU tapestry of policy making especially in evolving business, enterprise, employment and social policy models. Mr Markula will debate with Mr Dara Murphy TD, Minister for European Affairs at 2pm (duration: 1 hour), Saturday 19 November at the Gateway Building, UCC. The event is free but for registration, please email sarah.holden@iro.ie.
Cllr McCarthy: Cologne Sister City Partnership Going from Strength to Strength
This week, a delegation from the Cologne-Cork Sister City committee visited Cork and were guided around the city with Cllr Kieran McCarthy as part of twinning activities with Cork. The 45 strong delegation arrived here on the Roald Amundsen tall ship from Cherbourg. It docked on the city’s quays for a number of days with support from the Port of Cork and Cork City Council. The tall ship is no stranger to Cork and is a training ship for those who wish to train in aspects of sailing. The tall ship, originally, named Vilm, is a German steel-ship built at the Elbe River in 1952. Having worked in different area, she was refitted in 1992 to 1993 as a brig – two masted square-rigged sailing ship, and now serves as sail training ship. During summer she usually operates in the Baltic Sea, and usually embarks for journeys to farther destinations for winter, including several-Atlantic crossings.
Cllr McCarthy on his walking tour outlined the history of the port, the harbour and the development of the city upon a set of estuarine marshes. He highlighted the history of Cork City Hall, streets such as the South Mall and St Patrick’s Street, and bringing them on top of the ramparts of Elizabeth Fort. During the tour, member of Cologne City Council discussed their interest in developing a twinning project for the upcoming 30th anniversary of the twinning. In previous years, Cork and Cologne have has success in school exchange programmes, council swop officer schemes and environment, artist and enterprise programmes.
Cllr McCarthy noted; “the twinning with Cologne has brought not just the title of twinning but connected Cork into the EU Continent. I am very impressed by the energy put into the twinning arrangement on the Cologne side. Interestingly both cities have aspects in common – for example the colours of Cork and Cologne are red and white; St Finbarre’s Cathedral was inspired by the beautiful Cologne Cathedral. As we approach the 30th anniversary in two years time, I think there is really great scope to secure more opportunities between the two cities. Every year, Cork City Council has a twinning grant schemes and there is scope within these schemes and outside these schemes for entrepreneurs, cultural creatives and sporting groups to explore possibilities and connections with North West Germany. Any ideas can be emailed to myself or written to the chair of the International Relations Committee.
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 3 November 2016
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 3 November 2016
Remembering 1916: Honan Chapel Celebrates its Centenary
One hundred years ago this week on 5 November 1916, the amazing architectural structure of St Finbarr’s Chapel at UCC or the Honan Chapel had its official opening. The Cork Examiner noted in its editorial the day after the opening the thought and work that went into planning its construction; “the provision of a chapel out of the Miss Isabella Honan Trust Fund was a happy thought on the part of Sir John O’Connell, her executor [of her will], who is himself a lover of Celtic art…it is only right to say that Sir John O’Connell took the utmost pains that everything in connection with the building of the chapel, materials, equipment, as well the carving and stained glass, should be the work of Irish artists”.
Isabella Honan of 26, Sidney Place, had died on 8 August 1913. Her obituary in the local newspapers recorded that she had belonged to an old Cork family, which had long been associated with charitable organisations in the city. The Honan Home (founded as a charitable trust in 1896 to host 12 aged and impoverished men) and the extension of St Patrick’s Church, were well known monuments of the religious and charitable zeal of her brother, Matthew Honan. Isabella herself had given £10,000 for scholarships to University College Cork. On her death, Isabella left a personal estate valued at £153,331 8s 5 ½ d. The distribution of her will was granted to John Robert O’Connell, of 24, Kildare Street, Dublin. Over 22 charitable organisations in Cork were allocated monies in her will ranging from £500 to £1,500. All were delighted with their funding and they sent several letters to editors of newspapers giving further insight into their work but also respect for the Honan Family. Trust funds representing the residue of her other brother’s Robert estate, totalling £40,000, were also granted to John O’Connell to distribute at his discretion to charitable purposes.
In an open public later to President Bertram Windle, UCC on the Cork Examiner on 6 April 1914, John O’Connell expressed concern that the Honan Hostel called St Anthony’s Hall, under the General Order of Friars Minor would sever their connection. The hostel was the house of residence for students at University College, Cork. It has been initially established in 1884 for Protestant students attending the college but began to house Catholics from 1909 onwards. John O’Connell in 1914 wrote about reconstituting it under new management; “it occurred to me that the reconstitution of this hostel, under a permanent Catholic Governing Body, would be of an immense benefit to the Church, and to the entire Catholic population of Munster, and one which would have been peculiarly pleasing to Miss Honan herself”. His idea was that the business side of the institution and the discipline of the students should be looked after by a warden, who for obvious reasons, should be a married man. He also noted that part of his scheme should be a proper chapel “suitable to the dignity of a university, with a chaplain resident in the Hostel, responsible for the spiritual welfare of its inmates, and provided for by endowment”. Bishop of Cork O’Callaghan agreed to John O’Connell’s requests for a governing body and a chapel.
As a further contribution, John O’Connell arranged to allocate to University College, Cork, a sum of £3,000 for the completion of a Biological Institute, dealing with the subjects of botany, agriculture, zoology, and geology. He was convinced that the training in agriculture afforded by UCC to the students of Munster would be rendered “more efficient and successful”. He also asked that St Anthony’s Hall should be called the Honan Hostel and that the Biological Institute in future should be known as “The Honan Biological Institute”.
John O’Connell was the driver of the Honan Bequests. In his obituary in the Cork Examiner on 29 December 1943, it was noted that he was born in Dublin on 12 February 1868, and was educated at Belvedere College and Trinity College, Dublin. He was admitted a solicitor (Ireland) in 1889 and was head of the firm of Thomas F O’Connell and son solicitors, Dublin. He was knighted in 1914 and in 1924 was made Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great by Pope Pius XI. During his lifetime he was a member of the Senate of the University of Dublin, member of the Governing Body of UCC, a fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquities of Ireland and Vice President of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland. In 1901 he married Miss Mary Scally of Dublin and following her death he sold his house at Killiney, Co Dublin, and spent some time with the Benedictine Monks. He decided to become a secular priest and was ordained for the Diocese of Westminster.
John O’Connell was a great expert on ecclesiastical archaeology. The Honan Chapel is unique of its kind and John lavished much care as well as imagination on its erection and fitting out. He wrote many books and papers including “The Honan Hostel Chapel”, which can be read in local studies in Cork City Library.
Honan Chapel Symposium, Saturday 19 November, Aula Maxima, UCC, 9.15am-6pm, programme and registration at niamh.mundow@ucc.ie
Cork 1916, A Year Examined by Kieran McCarthy & Suzanne Kirwan is now available in Cork bookshops.
Captions:
868a. Honan memorial, St. Finbarre’s Cemetery; the back stained glass window of the memorial needs to be urgently fixed (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
868b. Honan Chapel, 1916 (source: J O’Connell, The Honan Hostel Chapel, 1916)
Historical Walking Tour, The Victorian Quarter, Sunday, 16 October, 2pm
Sunday 16 October, The Victorian Quarter, 2pm, free, leaving from Audley Place, the top of St Patrick’s Hill, duration: two hours; ends at St Patrick’s Church, Lower Road.
Kieran Mc
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 22 September 2016
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 22 September 2016
Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project 2016-17
This year coincides with the fourteenth year of the Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project. Again launched for the new school term, the Project is open to schools in Cork; at primary level to the pupils of fourth, fifth and sixth class and at post-primary from first to sixth years. There are two sub categories within the post primary section, Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate. A student may enter as an individual or as part of a group or a part of a class entry.
Co-ordinated by myself, one of the key aims of the project is to encourage students to explore, investigate and debate their local heritage (built, archaeological, cultural and natural) in a constructive, active and fun way. Projects on any aspect of Cork’s rich heritage can be submitted to an adjudication panel. Prizes are awarded for best projects and certificates are given to each participant. A cross-section of projects submitted from the last school season can be gleamed from this link on my website, www.corkheritage.ie where there are other resources, former titles and winners and entry information as well.
Students produce a project on their local area using primary and secondary sources. Projects must also meet five elements. Projects must be colourful, creative, have personal opinion, imagination and gain publicity before submission. These elements form the basis of a student friendly narrative analysis approach where the student explores their project topic in an interactive and task oriented way. In particular students are encouraged to attain material through visiting local libraries, engaging with fieldwork, interviews with local people, making models, photographing, cartoon creating, making DVDs of their area. Re-enacting can also be a feature of several projects. For over thirteen years, the project has evolved in how students actually pursue local history. The project attempts to provide the student with a hands-on and interactive activity that is all about learning not only about heritage in your local area (in all its forms) but also about the process of learning by participating students.
This school term there is a focus on the Ford Motor Company with projects on the old factory being encouraged. One hundred years ago, engineering was important in Cork Harbour quay wall works, Cork’s electric lighting and power supply, and Railway facilities. There was a considerable amount of citizens who worked in foundries, mill-wrighting, jobbing and in general repair work. The possibilities for engineering on a scale appropriate to the extensive waterfront and river transport were to be increased by the arrival to Cork in 1917 of the firm, Messrs. Henry Ford & Son, Inc. of Dearborn, Michigan.
Henry Ford’s grandfather John in his early years was a native of Wolfe Tone Street in Cork City. In later life, he moved with his family to become tenants on an estate at Ballinascarty, near Bandon. John had three brothers, Samuel, Henry and George who emigrated to America in search of fortune in the 1830s. The Ford Motor Company was incorporated in June 1903 with Henry Ford (III) as vice-president and chief engineer. Henry realized his dream of producing an automobile that was reasonably priced, reliable, and efficient with the introduction of the Model T in 1908. From 1908 until 1927, the company would sell more than 15 million Model T cars and trucks in the US and Europe. The company began construction of the world’s largest industrial complex along the banks of the Rouge River in Dearborn, Michigan, during the late 1910s and early 1920s.
In November 1916, Fords made an offer to purchase the freehold of the Cork Park race grounds and considerable land adjoining the river near the Marina. Fords, Cork Corporation and the Harbour Commissioners entered into formal negotiations. The Ford Company acquired approximately 130 acres of land, having a river frontage of approximately 1,700 feet, the company agreeing to erect the buildings to cost at least £200,000 to give employment to at least 2,000 adult males, and to pay a minimum wage of one shilling per hour to them when employed in the factory after completion. The plant being laid down by the company was specially designed for the manufacture of an Agricultural Motor Tractor, well known as the “fordson”, a 22 horse power, four cylinder tractor, working with kerosene or paraffin, adaptable either for ploughing or as a portable engine arranged for driving machinery by belt drive. There is a great project for a student to pursue on some of the stories of Fords.
The Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project is about thinking about, understanding, appreciating and making relevant in today’s society the role of our heritage such as Fords. The project is open to many directions of delivery. Students are encouraged to engage with their topic -in order to make sense of it, understand and work with it. Students continue to experiment with the overall design and plan of their work. This project in the City is kindly funded by Cork City Council (viz the help of Niamh Twomey), the Heritage Council and Cork Civic Trust (viz the help of John X. Miller). Prizes are also provided by the Lifetime Lab, Lee Road and Sean Kelly of Lucky Meadows Equestrian Centre, Watergrasshill (www.seankellyhorse.com). There is also a County Cork edition.
Captions:
862a. Advertisement for Fordson, 1919 (source: Cork City Library).
862b. Ford Works, c.1930 (source: Cork City Museum)
Kieran’s Historical Walking Tours, National Heritage Week, 2016
Many thanks to the 500 participants (and several repeat participants) who came out for my 7 historical walks for National Heritage Week 2016
Cork City Hall Tour
Eighteeenth Century Cork:
St Patrick’s Hill – McCurtain Street, The Victorian Quarter
Docklands:
Workhouse at old Cork Union Workhouse at St Finbarr’s Hospital:
Friar’s Walk Quarter:
Fitzgerald’s Park:
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article, 25 August 2016
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 25 August 2016
Walks Through History
National Heritage Week is nearing its end (20th – 28th August). I have two more tours to finish out the week. The first on the Friar’s Walk area is on this Friday 26 August 2016 – meet at Red Abbey tower, Mary Street, 7pm (free, duration: two hours). The second is on this Saturday 27 August and explores the local history of The Mardyke, Fitzgerald’s Park & the Cork International Exhibition – meet at band stand, 2pm (free, duration: two hours)
The first of the walks is a new walking tour for me which begins on Red Abbey square to explore the area’s medieval origins. This small corner of the city alone can boast a medieval friary tower, the eighteenth century South Chapel, Nano Nagle’s burial ground, St Nicolas Church and all that in a 50 metre radius. Climbing up to Barrack Street, to the seventeenth century Elizabeth Fort and its adjacent barracks Cat Barracks brings the real story of the importance of protecting the old walled town and harbour of Cork. However there are many interesting sites in this area, which should really make the list of the must see historic monuments in Cork. Tracking through the adjacent Evergreen Buildings and Industry Place to St Stephen’s Place brings the walker to the former site of St Stephen’s Church, a leper colony established on the southside in medieval times, mirroring a similar colony in what is now the Mayfield area. By the early eighteenth century the old church had been replaced by a hospital and Blue Coat School for the Protestant merchant classes. The arched entrance is now bricked up, beyond which are the contemporary back gardens of housing. Nearby an old eighteenth century Anabaptist graveyard lurks under a locked and overgrown basketball court.
The legacy of the Cork Improved Dwellings Company is ever present. Established in 1860 through a shareholding idiom, one could speculate and invest, and get a return whilst at the same time providing an escape for many impoverished families from slum ridden areas of the city. The company eventually built almost 420 houses – Prosperity Square & surrounds, Rathmore Terrace on St Patrick’s Hill and Hibernian Buildings on Albert Road became their flagship projects. This company managed its housing stock till 1961, when the company was liquidated when it sold off its shares to a local investor – through Mr Swanton, a solicitor in town. If anyone has more detail on this I would to hear it.
Another and a very interesting particular venture was opened in 1863, that of a large tower and formal gardens owned by Michael Callanan, a city merchant. The idea for such a project grew out of Callanan inspiration by the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, which he visited in 1851. A high limestone tower would be the central point of Callanan’s proposal. The estimated cost of the scheme was £50,000. Ornamental gardens were designed and the tall tower was constructed approximately, 25 to 30 metres in height, which assumed the shape of a medieval tall castle. With over one hundred steps to the top and crennellated at the top, the tower provided panoramic views of the city.
Once the initial gardens and tower were in place, Callanan attempted to attract the finances of others by glorifying his project by placing large advertisements in local street directories and newspapers. In 1871, an account in a city of Cork directory outlined Callanan’s several attractions around the tower – seven acres of “pleasure grounds”, a new and spacious concert hall in construction, space for athletic sports, gymnastics, and olympic games, archery and cricket, a racket court and ball alley. An extensive racecourse was proposed to be laid down in lawn grass and to be afforded a level run of nearly half-a-mile.
Callanan stated that it was his attention to occasionally produce pyrotechnic displays and to devise entertainments, which would introduce as he noted “some of the choicest resources of the Polytechnic Art”. Regarding refreshments, the leading feature in this department consisted of ‘XX’ and ‘XXX’ porter from the old and celebrated firm of Beamish and Crawford. Wines, ales, and spirits were deemed of the best quality. Tea and coffee, fruits were supplied during the season.
In the 1871 advertisement, Callanan, sought to remind citizens that the tower was erected by him for the sole benefit of the sick poor of the city. Entrance prices to the Tower Gardens are unknown and all classes of people were welcomed. For the satisfaction of all parties, an arrangement was made by placing a Protestant and a Roman Catholic relief box at the entrance of the tower, accessible only to the officers of the respective communities.
However, by Guy’s street directory of Cork in 1875-6, the tower gardens were vacant and closed. Numerous references to it during court cases listed in the Cork Examiner detail it as a place, which attracted too much undesirable drinking sessions and sexual behaviour. As a result, much of the facilities and buildings were taken down apart from the viewing tower. Today, the tower is still a prominent landmark on the south side of the city and forms a backdrop to the gardens behind Tower Street. The formal gardens are long gone and what remains is the external shell of the tower with over a dozen windows to be seen.
Come on the tours!
Captions:
858a. Callanan’s Tower as presented in Fulton’s Cork Street Directory 1871 (source: Cork City Library)
858b. Callanan’s Tower, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
