Category Archives: Improve Your Life

Kieran’s National Heritage Week Tours 2015

Cork City Events, Cork History, Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Landscapes, S.E. Ward Local History, Uncategorized, Ward Events

Monday 24 August 2015 – Tales of the City’s Workhouse, historical walking tour with Cllr Kieran McCarthy, meet at entrance to St Finbarr’s Hospital, Douglas Road, 7pm (free, duration: two hours).

 

Wednesday 26 August 2015 – From Market Gardens to Architectural Eminence, historical walking tour of Turners Cross and Ballyphehane with Cllr Kieran McCarthy, meet at entrance to Christ the King Church, Turners Cross, 7pm (free, duration: two hours).

 

Friday 28 August 2015 – Cork’s Elegant Suburb, Historical walking tour of Sunday’s Well with Cllr Kieran McCarthy, meet at St Vincent’s Bridge on the North Mall side, 7pm (free, duration: two hours).

 

Saturday 29 August – Park Stories, Historical walking tour of Fitzgerald’s Park with Cllr Kieran McCarthy, meet at band stand in park, 2pm (free, duration: two hours)

Kieran McCarthy, PhD in Geography

Arts, Cork History, Improve Your Life, International, Landscapes, Uncategorized

 

Cllr Kieran McCarthy receiving his PhD in arts and geography, National University of Ireland, Cork, June 2015

A River of Memory:

Landscape, Narrative, and Identity in the Lee Valley,

Co. Cork, Ireland

 

Kieran McCarthy, B.A., M.Phil.

Department of Geography, National University of Ireland, Cork

Thesis submitted to the National University of Ireland for the degree of PhD.

 

Abstract:

   In moments of rapid social changes, as has been witnessed in Ireland in the last decade, the conditions through which people engage with their localities though memory, individually and collectively, remains an important cultural issue with key implications for questions of heritage, preservation and civic identity. In recent decades, cultural geographers have argued that landscape is more than just a view or a static text of something symbolic. The emphasis seems to be on landscape as a dynamic cultural process – an ever-evolving process being constructed and re-constructed. Hence, landscape seems to be a highly complex term that carries many different meanings. Material, form, relationships or actions have different meanings in different settings.

   Drawing upon recent and continuing scholarly debates in cultural landscapes and collective memory, this thesis sets out to examine the generation of collective memory and how it is employed as a cultural tool in the production of memory in the landscape. More specifically, the research considers the relationships between landscape and memory, investigating the ways in which places are produced, appropriated, experienced, sensed, acknowledged, imagined, yearned for, appropriated, re-appropriated, contested and identified with. A polyvocal-bricoleur approach aims to get below the surface of a cultural landscape, inject historical research and temporal depth into cultural landscape studies and instil a genuine sense of inclusivity of a wide variety of voices (role of monuments and rituals and voices of people) from the past and present.

    The polyvocal-bricoleur approach inspires a mixed method methodology approach to fieldsites through archival research, fieldwork and filmed interviews. Using a mixture of mini-vignettes of place narratives in the River Lee valley in the south of Ireland, the thesis explores a number of questions on the fluid nature of narrative in representing the story and role of the landscape in memory-making. The case studies in the Lee Valley are harnessed to investigate the role of the above questions/ themes/ debates in the act of memory making at sites ranging from an Irish War of Independence memorial to the River Lee’s hydroelectric scheme to the valley’s key religious pilgrimage site.

    The thesis investigates the idea that that the process of landscape extends not only across space but also across time – that the concept of historical continuity and the individual and collective human engagement and experience of this continuity are central to the processes of remembering on the landscape. In addition the thesis debates the idea that the production of landscape is conditioned by several social frames of memory – that individuals remember according to several social frames that give emphasis to different aspects of the reality of human experience. The thesis also reflects on how the process of landscape is represented by those who re-produce its narratives in various media.

Cllr McCarthy’s Community Talent Competition 2015

Arts, Cork City Events, Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized, Ward Events

  Cork’s young people are invited to participate in the seventh year of Cllr Kieran’s McCarthy’s ‘Community Talent Competition’. The auditions will take place on Sunday 10 May 2015 between 10am-5pm in the Lifetime Lab, Lee Road. There are no entry fees and all talents are valid for consideration. The final will be held two weeks later on Saturday 23 May. There are two categories, one for primary school children and one for secondary school students. Winners will be awarded a perpetual trophy and prize money of €150 (two by €150). The project is being organised and funded by Cllr Kieran McCarthy in association with Red Sandstone Varied Productions (RSVP). 

   Cllr McCarthy noted: “The talent competition is a community initiative. It encourages all young people to develop their talents and creative skills, to push forward with their lives and to embrace their community positively”. Further details can be got from the talent show producer (RSVP), Yvonne Coughlan, 086 8764685 or email rsvpireland@gmail.com.

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 19 March 2015

Arts, Cork City Events, Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Landscapes, S.E. Ward Local History, Uncategorized, Ward Events

784a. Page from a project on Innishannon National School history from students of fourth class, Innishannon NS

Kieran’s Our City, Our County Article, 

Cork Independent, 19 March 2015

Heritage Awards for Cork Schools 2015

     This year marks the twelfth year of the Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project, which is co-ordinated by myself. This year’s Project culminates with an award ceremony on Friday 20 March for best projects for city-based schools. The Project is open to schools in Cork City and County – at primary level to the pupils of fourth, fifth and sixth class and at post-primary from first to sixth years. A total of 48 schools in Cork (city and county) took part this year. Circa 1550 students participated in the process and approx 220 projects were submitted on all aspects of Cork’s history.

     The subject of local history for many is spoken about at the dinner table in a sense every day as the lives of past family relatives are recounted. Hence the emphasis in the schools is on the personal engagement with the project, what can the student bring to the interpretation of a topic and vice versa, what’s within the topic that can inspire the student to think about it in a different way? Students are challenged to devise methodologies that provide interesting ways to approach the study of their local history. Submitted projects must be colourful, creative, have personal opinion, imagination and gain publicity. In particular students are encouraged to attain primary material through engaging with a number of methods such as fieldwork, interviews with local people, making models, photographing, cartoon creating, making DVDs of their area.

    Students are to experiment with the overall design and plan of their projects. Much of the work could be published as local heritage / history guides to people and places in the region. For example a winning class project this year focussed on the aspect of Cork, now and then. They mapped out several changes to Cork’s built heritage using old postcards and interviewing older people. Students are encouraged to compare and connect the past to their present and their immediate future. Work needs to involve re-imagining what life may have been like. One of the key foundations in the Project is about developing empathy for the past– to think about attitudes and experience in the past. Interpretation is also empowering for the student- all the time developing a better sense of the different ways in which people engage with and express a sense of place and time.

    Every year marks go towards making a short film or a model on projects to accompany history booklets. Submitted DVDs this year had interviews of family members 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. Another group created a short film on University College Cork and Fota House.

    The creativity section also encourages model making. The best model trophy in general goes to the creative and realistic model. This year the best model in the city went to a model of St Anne’s Church, Shandon, complimented by Westminster. The project told the story of the rise of the career of eminent painter Daniel Maclise. In the county, the top model prize went to students from St Columba’s Girls National School who re-created different monuments in their area such as the beautiful 200-year old St Columba’s Church and the fingerpost complete with paper mache flowers.

    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. Some class projects were presented in nursing homes to engage the older generation and to attain further memories from participants. Students were also successful in putting work on local parish newsletters, newspapers and local radio stations and also presenting work in local libraries. This year the most prominent source of gaining publicity was inviting parents and grandparents into the classroom for an open day for viewing projects or putting displays on in local 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. The project in the city is kindly funded by Cork Civic Trust (viz the help of John X Miller), Cork City Council (viz the help of Heritage Officer Niamh Twomey), the Heritage Council. Prizes are also provided in the 2015 season by Lifetime Lab, Lee Road (thanks to Meryvn Horgan), Seán Kelly of Lucky Meadows Equestrian Centre Watergrasshill and Cork City Gaol Heritage Centre. The county section is funded by myself and students. A full list of winners, topics and pictures of some of the project pages for 2015 can be viewed at www.corkheritage.ie and on facebook on Cork: Our City, Our Town. For those doing research, www.corkheritage.ie has also a number of resources listed to help with source work.

    For the Lifelong Learning Festival Week, I will give a talk on Cork Harbour through old postcards at the meeting room of Church the Real Presence, on Wednesday 25 March, 2.30pm. I will also give a talk on Cork in the 1920s and 1930s in the Cork City and County Archives in Blackpool at 2.30pm on Friday 27 March (all free, all welcome).

 

Caption:

784a. Page from a project on Innishannon National School history from students of fourth class, Innishannon NS (picture: Kieran McCarthy)

784b. Creative project book holder in the shape of the old Farnashesheree Grain Mill, Bandon from students of Ahiohill NS, Bandon (picture: Kieran McCarthy)

784b. Creative project book holder in the shape of the old Farnashesheree Grain Mill, Bandon from students of Ahiohill NS, Bandon

 

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 25 September 2014

Cork City Events, Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Landscapes, S.E. Ward Local History, Uncategorized, Ward Events

761a. Recent sunny days in Fitzgerald's Park

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent

Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project 2014-15

25 September 2014

 

Founded in the school year 2002/ 2003, the year 2014-15 coincides with the 12th year of the Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project. Now 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.

 

One of the key aims of the project is to allow 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 www.corkheritage.ie plus there are other resources and entry information as well on this website.

 

 Students produce a project on their local area using primary and secondary sources. Each participating student within their class receives a visit and workshop from myself, the co-ordinator in October 2014. The workshop comprises a guide to how to put a project together. Project material must be gathered in an A4/ A3 size project book. The project may be as large as the student wishes but minimum 20 pages (text + pictures + sketches).  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 primary material generating primary material through engaging with fieldwork, interviews with local people, making models, photographing, cartoon creating, making DVDs of their area. Re-enacting is also a feature of several projects.

 

 Since 2003, 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. The project is about thinking about, understanding, appreciating and making relevant in today’s society the role of our heritage- our landmarks, our oral histories, our scenery in our modern world for upcoming citizens. So the project is about splicing together activity on issues of local history and heritage such as thinking, exploring, observing, discovering, researching, uncovering, revealing, interpreting and resolving.

 

The importance of doing a project in local history is also reflected in the educational aims of the history curricula of primary and post-primary schools. Local heritage is a mould, which helps the student to become familiar with their local environment and to learn the value of it in their lives. Learning to appreciate the elements of a locality, can also give students a sense of place in their locality or a sense of identity. Hence the Project can also become a youth forum 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. Over the years, I know a number of students that have been involved in the project in schools over the years who have took their interest further and have gone on to become professional tour guides, and into other related college work.

 

The project is open to many directions of delivery. Students are pressed 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. For example in general, students who have entered before might engage with the attaining of primary information through oral histories. The methodologies that the students create provide interesting ways to approach the study of local heritage. Students are asked to choose one of two extra methods (apart from a booklet) to represent their work. The first option is making a model whilst the second option is making a DVD. It is great to see students using modern up todate technology to present their findings. This works in broadening their view of approaching their project.

 

This project is kindly funded by Cork Civic Trust (viz the help of John X. Miller), Cork City Council (viz the help of Niamh Twomey), and the Heritage Council. Prizes are also provided by the Lifetime Lab, Lee Road and Sean Kelly of Lucky Meadows Equestrian Centre, Watergrasshill (www.seankellyhorse.com). Overall, the Schools’ Heritage Project for the last twelve years has attempted to build a new concerned generation of Cork people, pushing them forward, growing their self-development empowering them to connect to their world and their local heritage. Spread the word please. See my website, www.corkheritage.ie for more details and application forms.

 

 

Caption:

761a. Recent sunny days in Fitzgerald’s Park (picture: Kieran McCarthy)

Kieran’s Comments, Colliers City Report, Cork City Council Meeting, 23 June 2014

Improve Your Life, Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized

The Colliers Report is a great plan with some great imagination in it. I think the sense of brain storming in it is something this city needs. Our city is the southern capital and we should accentuate this concept more.

 

A City of Welcomes:

As someone who has been giving walking tours around town for 21 years this summer, we need to develop the city as an experience – it is a city with great charm, pride and heart – one of the aspects that tourists always chat to me about is the charm, heart, feeling welcome and a friendly place, a place you find hard to forget – it’s size means we all have a somewhat good quality of life; in general average commute times are 20 minutes to and from the suburbs – there are traffic hot spots that need to be resolved but not to the extent of other European cities

 

Rebrand as a City of Festivals:

The City centre is significantly losing out to suburban shopping centres; we need to stop this leakage – the city needs to aggressively market itself much more – parking is an issue, upwards rent reviews, rates, dereliction are all problems but so are a wide range of other factors. I always think, we’re not really pulling the marketing of the city across the line –there is need to develop a package/ scheme where citizens want to and need to support the city centre. Even with the city’s 24 festivals – 100 days of festivals per year – some work well and bring masses of people in and others we need to work on and grow. The city needs to rebrand itself as a city of festivals – there is no reason why places like Galway and Dublin are taking much of that kudos as Irish festival capitals if we do as much work and even more in Cork.

2005- ten years on

The city consistently oversees a great quantity and high quality of cultural work – Next year marks ten years on since the European Capital of Culture years. The City needs use this point in time to see how we can market Cork’s culture more on a national and European level.

 

On the Waterfront:

Our waterfront only really becomes animated for four festivals a year – we need more waterfront activities – just compare ourselves to places like Dublin or further afield in Boston, Bristol and Liverpool. I’m not saying to become those places but they’re are ideas out there elsewhere that we can draw on to accentuate on what is already going on and  to showcase perhaps what should be going on in our river and waterfront area

 

We need the National Diaspora Centre:

City does need an international visitor site – this city needs to have the National Diaspora Centre – the city was a major player as a North Atlantic Port City – which we don’t tell the story of enough – the export of goods plus emigration stories are not explored and told enough to the citizen and visitor.

 

On Historic Quarters

We don’t harness our historic quarters enough – Shandon Craft Centre needs to be moved on – my preference is for the Council to work in tandem with the Shandon Area Renewal Association and the local festivals, to turn it into a community building.  In my own ward, Docklands, a quarter of enormous historical wealth, is not mined for its uniquenesses and how it could be used to rebrand the city’s link to the harbour and further afield. The city needs to create more Cork Community Art Links to work within the city and suburbs exploring the senses of places in different area bringing forth the sense of history and culture of what makes Cork different to other cities and why people should live shop and do business here.

 

A Student City:

I think as a city we don’t make enough of the 35,000 students we have here; The city has rightly berated some for their anti-social behaviour but we don’t accentuate enough the positives of how much of a student city we are and how much they contribute to our economy – from accommodation to food to night life. A city that looks after its young, its families and senior citizens are very attractive qualities.