Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 29 May 2025

Making an Irish Free State City – An Interview with Alfred O’Rahilly

Different voices pop up along Cork’s journey through the 1920s and the early Irish Free State. An interview with University College Cork’s Professor Alfred O’Rahilly in early 1925 reveals his thoughts on politics and the need for the city of Cork to come together for its future.

    In the late 1910s Alfred became intensely concerned with social reform and economics and with the ardent narrative of younger nationalists. His theological and philosophical training enabled him to become a spokesman for Sinn Féin when ecclesiastical censure was threatened. He was always prepared to challenge authority and military repression in Ireland when he disagreed with it. He was elected to the Cork Corporation, and as a member of it in 1920 he proposed the election of Lord Mayor MacCurtain and afterwards of Lord Mayor MacSwiney (to replace him). Alfred took charge of the public funerals for both Lord Mayors, in defiance of all forms of British intimidation.

Alfred was a supporter of the Treaty in 1921 being the constitutional adviser to the Irish Treaty Delegation. In 1922, he wrote a draft constitution with Darrell Figgis. Following on from his work as a Professor of Mathematical Physics, Alfred became Registrar of University College Cork in 1920, and much of his constructive work within the college was pursued during the ensuing 30 years under the presidency of Dr Merriman (whom he succeeded as President in 1943).

In 1924 and 1925 Alfred led Irish delegations to International Labour Organisation conferences. Alfred had taken an important part in the settlement of the labour dispute in Cork City eighteen months previous to his interview. Elected to Dáil Éireann in 1923 on the Cumann na nGaedhael ticket, he resigned a year later on 1 August 1924.

Alfred maintained his interest in trade, labour and trade unionism. He remained a strong advocate for more joined up thinking around the future trade of the city and was dismissive of any sentiments expressed by foreign press on the future of Cork City and its harbour traffic. Published in the Cork Examiner on 26 January 1925 (p.6), Alfred in a Cork Examiner interview noted improvements in the trade being pursued and the hope of further improvement; “Trade is undoubtedly slack. But there is no use in exaggerating matters. There are distinct signs of improvement. Apart from private assurances of business men, I can refer to the latest returns of the Harbour Board. Compare the import figures for basic slag, agricultural machinery, meal, maize, manures, etc., for the year 1924 and the year 1923. It is apparent that the agricultural community, the most important in this country, is solidly hopeful of improvement”.

Alfred argues that one of the most pressing problems is the modernisation of the Port of Cork, relative to the size of the city and it potentialities and position; “It must be one of the worst in the work as regards machinery and the scientific handling of goods, not to mention any effort to decasualise and regulate dock labour. I hope shortly, at the request of several representatives of merchants and workers, to convene a small committee to reconsider this urgent problem and to take it up at the point where its previous discussion was abandoned”.

Alfred asserts that the advent of political freedom has meant a “relative discrimination against Cork”, owing to the tendency to centralise development in Dublin, the seat of government. He calls for civic spirit and working together; “This must be met, not by public lamentations or pious resolutions of protest, but by the growth of civic spirit and co-operation in the people of Cork City. There has been altogether too little of this in the past. The tendency has been for each to consider his own little corner exclusively”.

Alfred calls for more political stability denoting that the sooner the past is buried, the better and that the thoughts of all parties in the country should face up to the immediate and extent work and challenges of the country. He notes that the businesses of Ireland are living under the constant threat of political upheaval and that trade can be paralysed; “Under these circumstances trade is paralysed, capital flows out of the country, credit is tightened, business enterprise is strangled. The removal of this incubus is all that our trade needs to revive”.

Alfred goes onto note that in his opinion the irony of the extent political situation benefits nobody and slows down both the national and economic progress of the country; “The minority, in pursuit of an ideal which admittedly is not immediately realisable, are merely preventing the country from developing, and are themselves committing a slow process of political suicide. They may have fine social and commercial ideals, but they make them quite futile and impractical by condemning themselves to ineffectiveness and retirement”.

Alfred calls upon Éamon de Valera and the Sinn Féin party to accept their responsibilities, review the Oath of Allegiance, enter Dáil Éireann and advance the country’s progress; “There have thousands of voters who would vote for them as soon as they become practical and face realities. If this were done, the whole country would breathe a sigh of relief, and stability and confidence would increase at once”.

Commenting on abstention in his final thoughts during the his interview, Alfred argues that the Sinn Féin policy of abstention was helping nobody or brought advocates any nearer to effective political power. He notes; “It merely gives them sufficient strength to oppose and thwart the development of the country. They would have far more influence and power, if keeping their organisation intact, they ceased to put forward candidates who intend to do nothing, and instead proclaimed their intention for the present of backing the most national of the candidates in each constituency”.

Caption:

1306a. Professor Alfred O’Rahilly, c.1944 as President of University College Cork, now on display in the Aula Maxima in University College Cork

June 2025 Historical Walking Tours with Kieran (All free, two hours, no booking required). 

Friday evening, 30 May, Cork Through the Ages, An Introduction to the Historical Development of Cork City; meet at the National Monument, Grand Parade, 6.30pm.

Monday evening, 2 June, Shandon Quarter; meet at North Main Street/ Adelaide Street Square, opp. Cork Volunteer Centre, 6.30pm.

Wednesday evening, 4 June, The Marina, meet at western end adjacent Shandon Boat Club, The Marina, 6.30pm.

Thursday evening, 5 June, Douglas and its History, meet in the carpark of Douglas Community Centre, no parking in the centre, 6.30pm. 

Saturday afternoon, 21 June, Ballinlough – Antiquities, Knights, Quarries and Suburban Growth; meet inside Ballintemple Graveyard, Temple Hill, opp O’Connor’s Funeral Home, 1pm.

Sunday afternoon, 22 June, Blackpool: Its History and Heritage; meet at the square on St Mary’s Road, opp North Cathedral, 1pm.

Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has announced his free historical walking tours for June, which will have a focus on the city’s suburban development and also on the city’s nineteenth century social history. He will conduct walks across Shandon, The Marina, Douglas, Ballinlough and Blackpool.

Cllr McCarthy noted: “The June tours are all about showcasing Cork City and its suburbs’ unique character, plan, topography, and built fabric. It is also a city that is unique among other cities, it is the only one which has experienced all phases of Irish urban development, from circa 600AD to the present day. So, there are so many histories to view in just a cross section of a section of the city suburbs.

All tours attract large groups of people and offer interesting lens to view the realities of living in a port city, beset by large scale poverty, whereby everyone did not make money and lived in a sense on the edge of making ends meet”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.

Tour Schedule:

Monday evening, 2 June, Shandon Quarter; meet at North Main Street/ Adelaide Street Square, opp. Cork Volunteer Centre, 6.30pm.

Wednesday evening, 4 June, The Marina, meet at western end adjacent Shandon Boat Club, The Marina, 6.30pm.

Thursday evening, 5 June, Douglas and its History, meet in the carpark of Douglas Community Centre, no parking in the centre, 6.30pm. 

Saturday afternoon, 21 June, Ballinlough: Antiquities, Knights, Quarries and Suburban Growth; meet inside Ballintemple Graveyard, Temple Hill, opp O’Connor’s Funeral Home, 1pm.

Sunday afternoon, 22 June, Blackpool: Its History and Heritage; meet at the square on St Mary’s Road, opp North Cathedral, 1pm.

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 22 May 2025

History Events at European Maritime Days to Play

European Maritime Days to Play is a free public event on Friday 23 May and Saturday 24 May to celebrate Cork City Council and the Government of Ireland hosting the prestigious conference, European Maritime Day (EMD) from 21-23 May.

  As part of the European Maritime Days to Play there will be an exhibition on the history of Irish Lighthouses from 1786 and a series of history talks. The Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) will host a display of their equipment and artifacts which will include static lighthouse equipment, a history of the Irish Lights from 1786, a small wreck marking buoy, static model of vessel maps and helicopter operations equipment.

            The public will also be able to board the ILV (Irish Lights Vessel) Granuaile which serves CIL “aids to navigation management and maintenance” programme.

History wise, in 1894 Westminster’s Merchant Shipping Act 1894 consolidated the statutory powers of the Commissioners of Irish Lights as one of the three general lighthouse authorities in Ireland and Great Britain.

Today the Commissioners of Irish Lights operate and preserve the majority of the aids to navigation around the Irish coastline. This comprises 64 lighthouses, 20 beacons and over 100 buoys. It also operates more than 100 automatic identification system transmitters, and 23 radar beacons.

There are two notable historical light aids connected to the Commissioners in Cork Harbour – Roches Point Lighthouse and Daunt Rock Light Ship.

In relation to Roches Point lighthouse a letter dated 28 August 1813 from Vice-Admiral Thornborough of Trent, Cork Harbour, was read to the ballast board on 2 September 1813. In this letter he pointed out the danger in which vessels were put when frequenting Cork Harbour for want of a lighthouse at the entrance. A small lighthouse was working by June 1817 but its tower was not conducive to a major harbour of refuge and port, and in 1835 it was replaced by the present larger tower.

The year 1864 coincided with further additions to the lighthouse. In September 1864 it was decided by the ballast office in Dublin that the lantern at Roche’s Point lighthouse be changed to a red revolving light, showing its ‘greatest brilliancy once in every minute’. It came into effect on 1 December 1864. On the evening of 1 October 1864, a fixed white light was exhibited from the base of the lighthouse (a second light to the red one).

On 1 September 1876 two further improvements were made. The red revolving light in the lantern of Roche’s Point lighthouse was changed to an intermittent white light, showing bright for 16 seconds, and suddenly eclipsed for 5 seconds. This gave a brighter and more easily distinguishable light. The other improvement was the substitution of a larger fog bell hung from a belfry and sounded twice in a minute, for that which had hitherto hung at the basement of the lighthouse and was sounded eight times per minute.

By the early twentieth century, Roche’s Point had a fixed light 60ft above high water with a visibility of 13 miles. It also has a recurring light, 98ft above high water, which can be seen 15 miles away in clear weather.

By July 1970, Roche’s Point lighthouse was all electric, with a mandley generator to take over in case of an electricity supply board (ESB) power failure. Formerly, the light functioned by use of vaporised oil through a special-type regenerative burner. the power of the light was also increased to being white 46,000 candelas and red 9,000 candelas.

By 30 March 1995, the presence of somebody physically watching out for mariners disappeared forever, at 11am when the three lighthouse keepers left the facility for good. The workings of the equipment became automated and were to be monitored from a lighthouse depot in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin.

Daunt’s Rock is between 4 and 5 miles from Roche’s Point and was named after a Captain daunt whose British man-of-war ship hit the rocks and sank in the earlier part of the nineteenth century. Up to 1865, it was beyond the limit assigned to the Harbour of Cork by the British navy. It was not marked on the Admiralty Chart of Cork Harbour. In April 1864, following the smashing of the ship City of Cork upon the rock, the Board of Trade strongly urged the rock be removed as soon as possible. They proposed, until its removal was implemented, to protect it by a light-ship. engineer Sir John Benson was requested to make an accurate survey of the rock.

By June 1865, a bell boat beacon was placed to mark the position of Daunt’s Rock. It was shaped like a boat and was surmounted by a triangular superstructure of angle iron and lattice work, which was coloured black, with the words ‘Daunt’s Rock’ marked in white letters on it. The ball on the top of superstructure was 24ft above the sea, and the beacon was moored within 120 fathoms SSW of the rock and in 12 fathoms at low water spring tides. In September 1874, the British Royal engineers received instructions from the war office to immediately commence experiments with a view to blowing up Daunt’s Rock, although this did not take place. In late October 1896, in a gale, the lightship foundered on jagged rocks to the east of the ship’s position. It was replaced.

Fast forward to early March 1956, the Daunt’s Rock ship Gannet replaced the ship Albatross. the Gannet was the first of a new type of all-electric lightship, which had served for about a year on the kish station, near Dublin. In June 1974, the Irish lights commissioners announced that they intended to withdraw the Daunt’s Rock light vessel outside Cork Harbour and replace it with a high focal plane flashing buoy painted black and white. when the lightvessel was taken away in August 1974, radio beacons were established on the old Head of Kinsale and at Ballycotton. The withdrawal followed the general pattern of Irish lights policy. In the 1970s, four lightships on the east coast of Ireland were replaced by flashing buoys.

Full details of all events on for ‘European Maritime Days to Play’ are on www.corkcity.ie/en/european-maritime-days-to-play/

Caption:

1305a. Roches Point Lighthouse, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy)

Next May Walking Tours with Kieran (All free, two hours, no booking required). 

Saturday afternoon, 24 May, Stories from Blackrock and Mahon, Historical walking tour of Blackrock Village, from Blackrock Castle to nineteenth century houses and fishing; meet in adjacent carpark at base of Blackrock Castle, 2pm.

Sunday evening,25 May, The Lough and its Curiosities, historical walking tour; meet at green area at northern area of The Lough, entrance of Lough Road to The Lough, Lough Church end; 6.30pm.

Friday evening, 30 May, Cork Through the Ages, An Introduction to the Historical Development of Cork City; meet at the National Monument, Grand Parade, 6.30pm.

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 15 May 2025

Making an Irish Free State City – Abolishing the Tolls

My historical walking tour of The Lough – coming up again on Sunday 25 May – is an opportunity to once again take interested people across the rich historical landscape of Cork City’s most treasured amenity.

Through ongoing research for this column, I came across an article in the Cork Examiner published on 15 January 1925. It provides insights into the toll booths of the city, of which there was one on The Lough Road on the route into the Greenmount area.

Historically, under several charters granted from the time of Henry III in the thirteenth century, the Corporation of Cork claimed the exclusive right to hold markets within the walled town of Cork funded by tolls. On 15 October 1303, the bailiffs and “men of Cork”, obtained permission to pay the expense of a conduit for supplying the town with water, out of certain tolls called murage, which they had for six years, and which were granted to the cities of Ireland, for the purpose of building or repairing their walls. The tolls imposed early in the seventeenth century by the Corporation were for the specific purpose of  “keeping the North, and South Main streets in good repair”. The tolls schedule enumerated a number of goods, all of which through time immensely varied both in absolute and comparative value.

Campaigns to remove the tolls were consistent. Circa 1710 petitions were sent to the Irish Parliament by Cork farmers, and the following year the differences that existed were, it appeared, amicably settled with some farmers, who became exempt.  On 17 July 1787, the toll areas were described; “The Gateage Tolls and other customs be set in the following lots, to wit: The Dublin road and Mallow road, together; Fair Hill, Cattle Market, and Blarney Lane, together; Youghal Road, Spring Lane, and Leitrim Street, together; the Lough and Gallows Green roads, together; the Upper and Lower Glasheen roads together; the Upper and Lower Douglas roads together”. Many of the toll sites were houses on the side of roads more so than the iconic St Luke’s Cross toll booth that has survived the test of time.

In the late nineteenth century, hides or grain, which happened to be sent by rail from Queenstown or Aghada to Cork, were subject to a heavy toll. However, if they were sent by water from the harbour towns they were not subject to toll or dues of any kind.

In 1888, the members of Cork Corporation expressed their desire to abolish the tolls. However, they considered that due to the then state of the Corporation’s finances they could not recommend the Council to sacrifice a net revenue of about £2,400 per annum, unless a plan could be devised by which they might be indemnified for at least some portion of the loss.

By the early twentieth century, there was also a rising cost to collect the tolls at the toll houses. It was admitted by the Corporation of Cork that at several stations the cost of collection was greater than the whole sum received. Cork families were employed at their properties to collect the tolls. Another anomaly was that the tolls were not payable at all by freemen of the city, and of course, all their relatives and friends could escape by sending animals or corn in their name.

The toll houses listed in the 15 January article in 1925 list 14 sites. On the north side of the city, there were nine listed toll houses located at Blarney Road, Commons Road, Dillon’s Cross, Fair Hill, Glanmire Road, Lee Road, Lower Road, Red Forge in Blackpool, and in Sunday’s Well.

The south side toll house locations were at five sites. They comprised of toll houses on Blackrock Road, Brandy Lane (off Bandon Road), Evergreen Road, Friar’s Walk and on Passage Road. The western entrance of the city was served by a toll booth on the Western Road.

The income in 1917 was £543 13s. 5d with an expenditure of £738 3s. 1d. Hence there was a loss in 1917 of £194 9s. 5d. In 1923 the income was £607 18s. 0d with an expenditure of £1,130 14s. Od. The loss was £522 15s. 6d.

As the loss was growing, investigation into the abolishment of the tolls took place with some mild restructuring resulting some mild bounce back into profit could be seen. In 1925, the income was £1,415 with an expenditure of 1,843 leaving a loss of £428. In 1926, the income was £1,871 with £1,469 in expenditure leaving a profit of £402.

On 27 April 1927, at the Cork Corporation offices, Philip Monahan, City Commissioner, argued his case for abolishing the tolls. He outlined that that for a great many years past tolls had been levied on cattle, sheep, pigs, and certain classes of goods entering the city. These tolls were collected by the different railways, as well as by the Corporation toll collectors. The latter collected tolls on goods entering the city by road. Until the advent of the motor lorry it was possible to intercept all cars/ horse and carts entering, and in previous years the bulk of goods on which tolls were levied came in by motor lorries.

However, the toll collectors deemed it difficult to deal with motor lorry transport, and hence goods entering by road were allowed in free, while goods entering by rail were subjected to the usual toll charges. However, with changing administration practices, the Great Southern Railway Company noted they were phasing out the collection of tolls.

Philip Monahan declared that as it would not now be possible to levy the tolls without greatly impeding the transport system of the city. He announced his decision to allow all goods into the city free of the usual tolls as from 4 May 1927.

The Cork Examiner noted of staffing at the toll sites; “It has been ascertained that the abolition of the tolls will involve small, if any, disemployment of officials, as in practice the collection is usually carried out by unpaid assistants, usually members of the family of the nominal collector, who in most cases derives his living from some other occupation. The decision, however, signifies the end of a system which has been employed almost exclusively in Cork for several hundred years”.

Caption:

1304a. Section of First Edition Ordnance Survey Map showing the Lough c.1840; the area is part of Kieran’s upcoming historical walking tour (source: Ordnance Survey Ireland).

Next May Walking Tours with Kieran (All free, two hours, no booking required). 

Saturday afternoon, 24 May, Stories from Blackrock and Mahon, Historical walking tour of Blackrock Village, from Blackrock Castle to nineteenth century houses and fishing; meet in adjacent carpark at base of Blackrock Castle, 2pm.

Sunday evening,25 May, The Lough and its Curiosities, historical walking tour; meet at green area at northern area of The Lough, entrance of Lough Road to The Lough, Lough Church end; 6.30pm.

Friday evening, 30 May, Cork Through the Ages, An Introduction to the Historical Development of Cork City; meet at the National Monument, Grand Parade, 6.30pm.