22 February 2022, “Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy said the decision was like “losing a friend” and he called on An Post to extend the closing time and engage with the local community”, Like losing a friend: Calls for An Post to delay closure of city post office, ‘Like losing a friend’: Calls for An Post to delay closure of city post office (echolive.ie)
Category Archives: Improve Your Life
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 17 February 2022
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.
Cllr McCarthy Welcomes Funding for Junction at Our Lady of Lourdes School, Ballinlough, 16 February 2022
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed the allocation by government of e.161,000 for a safety revamp of the junction Bellair Estate and Ballinlough Road, adjacent to Our Lady of Lourdes School. The sum came as part of a central government package of funding to Cork City Council as part of a Low Cost Safety Scheme for local road networks.
Cllr McCarthy highlights: “The corner of Old Lady of Lourdes National School is a blind corner and has many people crossing this dangerous stretch of road every day. Public safety has been a regular issue that local people have raised with me. With colleagues, it’s been a very long battle through many Council motions and debates at Council level to get funding in place for the revamp of the junction. I do think though that when the campaign to seek funding was ramped up last year by the local school community and residents in the local area, that it pushed the narrative strongly to central government to intercede, and finally deal with the large scale funding needed to meet the junction’s problems”.
“Over many years, I have received much correspondence and phone calls from people highlighting stories of near misses and outlining fears for themselves and in many cases, children living in the local area. It was people power, which drove the funding to be put in place. It is envisaged that the junction will be raised with pedestrian crossings. Ward Councillors do not have a design to show yet or a timeline for public consultation and construction, but we can now work on those aspects and through those aspects”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.
Cllr McCarthy: Grange Bridge construction is another game changer
Press Release:
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.
Press, Cllr McCarthy: Half Moon Lane access to Tramore Valley Park of huge value, 10 January 2022
10 January 2022, “It is important to acknowledge how far the site has come – from the the old landfill site to what is now Tramore Valley Park and ultimately an investment by Cork City Council with financial partners of over e.40m at this stage. Phase two such as a pedestrian bridge crossing from Grange, is another important addition that is scheduled to come to fruition this year, and this will connect to communities in the heart of Grange and all the way back into Donnybrook”, Cllr McCarthy: Half Moon Lane access to Tramore Valley Park of huge value, Cllr McCarthy: Half Moon Lane access to Tramore Valley Park of huge value (echolive.ie)
Happy New Year, 2022
Happy New Year to everyone, very best wishes for 2022!
Kieran’s Question to CE and Motions, Cork City Council Meeting, 13 December 2021
Question to the CE:
To ask the CE for an update on the opening of Marina Park and the final cost of its completion and the sources of funding? (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
Motion:
That City Library’s Cork Past and Present website be put back together online as soon as possible. It plays a very supportive role in the study of local history and genealogy in the city and region (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
McCarthy: Marina Park set to open, 13 December 2021
Kieran’s Comments:
“The park looks great and will add immensely to The Marina district. It’s been a long two years with construction work stopping and starting due to Covid 19. Phase one works has also comprised the construction of a new public car park at the Shandon Boat Club end of the Marina, as well as a new cycle lane and pedestrian walkway – these are all now completed and are very well used”.
“One can also see that the installation of perhaps the most eye-catching part of the project – a noticeable red steel pavilion on the site of, and replicating, the central hall of the former Munster Agricultural Showgrounds. The showgrounds at its cultural height in the twentieth century attracted tens of thousands of people, who enjoyed what the Spring and Summer shows had to offer.
The new park is a modern offering on the site, which will attract citizens from across the city and region. The sides of the pavilion reflecting the society’s former buildings will not be enclosed, and there will be possibilities for coffee pods and outdoor seating and arts and crafts. The project is a e.10m investment into the area, of which nearly e.5m came from EU Urban Sustainable Funds, which are part of the EU’s structural funds and are a crucial source of funding for cities”. The EU source of income will need to be chased once again so that phase 2 of Marina Park can be delivered”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.
11 December 2021, ” “The new park is a modern offering on the site, which will attract citizens from across the city and region. The park or project represents an estimated €10m investment into the area, of which around €5m came from EU Urban Sustainable Funds — part of the EU’s structural funds and “a crucial source of funding for cities”, Cllr McCarthy said, New park in Cork city to open to the public from Monday, New park in Cork city to open to the public from Monday (echolive.ie)
McCarthy: Cork City Arts Strategy Open for Public Consultation, 4 December 2021
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy is calling upon the community and artistic sector across the city and especially in the south east to engage with the public consultation on the new Cork City Arts Strategy. The Arts Office of Cork City Council are now developing a new strategy to guide their work over the next five years. They want to ensure that arts and culture in Cork City is the very best it can be. To help them with thinking and planning, they would like to understand more about what people think and feel about arts and culture in Cork City now and to gather their hopes and ideas for the future.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “Cork City Council has consistently invested in and supported the arts. There are many different tools at their disposal for the development of the arts. These include ideas generation, funding support, infrastructural support, resource and staffing support. Planning for the future, assessing the impact of our work to date and consolidating cultural infrastructure are all crucial elements to plan for going forward”.
“On Cork City’s public consultation portal under the survey section (www. consult.corkcity.ie/en/surveys) is a short survey and gives you the opportunity to share your views and inform what we do in the years ahead. The survey is confidential and contains short questions looking for public input. The survey will remain open until 6 December at 5pm”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.
Kieran’s Statement & Press, Odlum’s Building, South Docks, Cork, 27 November 2021
“The proposal is to be warmly welcomed. This area of South Docks has been derelict for many years and crying out for a new use. O’Callaghan Properties have proven they can deliver what they say in a timely manner and have been great to draw in large companies into Cork. And to be fair to them, they also take feedback on board. From my perspective I am appreciative so far of their notes in their press releases on their focus on blending in the old Odlum’s Building and finding a cultural use for it. I think such a building will be a very special part of this corner of South Docks – it can be the space to retain the historical memory of the docks, whilst also showcasing modern cultural life in Cork.
I am disappointed though for the grain silos – I think part of them should be retained to add character to the development. I know in my own submission I will be making, I will be focusing in on that and making general comments on the need for place-making. In the past I have been critical of the creation of non-descript glass boxes, which don’t add to any sense of place. But I am grateful that the developers in North and South Docks have done some great restoration work. There is certainly a better balance being struck in retaining the sense of place compared to previous decades. I will be reading carefully the O’Callaghan property proposal carefully once it becomes available to the general public”.
Press:
27 November 2021, “In his website about Cork city entitled Cork Heritage, Independent cork city councillor and historian Kieran McCarthy states that Odlums operated their flour mills venture at the docklands from 1965. It followed a long history of milling in Cork, Looking back at the historic Odlums Mills in Cork, Looking back at the historic Odlums Mills in Cork (echolive.ie)
25 November 2021, “The proposal is to be generally welcomed. This area of South Docks has been derelict for many years and crying out for a new use”, said Cllr McCarthy, No glass box on our docks!, No glass box on our docks! | Cork Independent
24 November 2021, Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy said the area proposed for development had been derelict for some time and that the proposals are to be warmly welcomed. He said he believed the redevelopment of the Odlum’s Building could be “a very special part of this corner of South Docks”. South Docks development a ‘further exciting phase’ in Cork’s development, South Docks development a ‘further exciting phase’ in Cork’s development (echolive.ie)