Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article, Cork Independent

Discover your Area

Another year and another great set of projects by Cork students. This year marks the eighth year of the Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project co-ordinated by myself. 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.

One of the key aims of the project is to allow students to explore, investigate and debate their local heritage in a constructive, active and fun way. Projects on any aspect of Cork’s rich heritage (built, natural and cultural) can be submitted to an adjudication panel. Prizes are awarded for best projects and certificates are given to each participant. A total of 28 schools in Cork City took part in the 2010 Project. Circa 900 students participated in the process. Approx 180 projects were submitted on all aspects of Cork’s heritage.

The standard was very high this year. The top prizes, 60 in all, were given to students’ projects, which took a clever approach to the topic. Much of the work could be published as local heritage / history guides. The methodologies that the students provide interesting ways to approach the study of local heritage.

Submitted 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 students explore 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.

Students are to experiment with the overall design and plan of their projects. This year thirty per cent of the marks went towards making a short film on projects. This brought the overall project towards ideas of phenomenology and looking at topics as phenomenons within the student’s world. It brought the student to become more personal and creative in their approaches.

The 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. In general this DVD brought up the standard of the personal response by students and also engaged other family members and friends to help out, whether that be sourcing a camera or helping with scripts and ideas or helping with editing of films on computers.

The creativity section also encourages model making. All models are referred to in the project book. The student must describe why and how they put the model together. The best model trophy in general goes to the creative and realistic model.

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 and to try to link the present to 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.

Students’ opinions are very important to the overall aims of the project. The inclusion of opinion is about personalising your project. Any text taken from books and the internet needs to be the students’ own words (as far as possible).Personal commentary is to appear throughout the project.

Every year, the students involved in the project produce lots of project books and do enormous work getting the information from the local community. This section is about showing the student’s work to the wider community. It is about reaching out and gaining public praise for the student but also appraisal and further ideas. This year the most prominent source of gaining publicity was having parents into the classroom for an open day for viewing projects. Students were also successful in putting work on local parish newsletters, newspapers and local radio stations and also presenting work in local 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 Schools’ Heritage Project also focuses on motivating and inspiring young people. The Project attempts to build a new concerned generation of Cork people, pushing them forward, growing their self-development empowering them to connect to their world.

The project in the city is kindly funded by Cork Civic Trust (viz the help of Mr. John X. Miller), Cork City Council (viz the help of Ms. Niamh Twomey), the Heritage Council and the Evening Echo. Prizes were also provided in the 2010 season by Sean Kelly of Lucky Meadows Equestrian Centre Watergrasshill, the Lifetime Lab, Lee Road (thanks to Meryvn Horgan) and Cork City Gaol Heritage Centre. A full list of winners, topics and pictures of some of the project pages can be viewed at www.corkheritage.ie

Captions:

539a. View of creative quilt depicting the streets of Cork by students of Scoil Bernadette (pictures: Kieran McCarthy)

539b. View of winning model by Julianne McGowan, Our Lady of Lourdes National School, Ballinlough with Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Dara Murphy, John X. Miller of Cork Civic Trust, Niamh Twomey, Heritage Officer, Cork City Council and Cllr Kieran McCarthy, co-ordinator.

 Kieran’s Our City, Our Town article, Cork Independent

In the Footsteps of St. Finbarre (Part 211)

Carrigrohane – A Geography Inspired

From Ballincollig, the Lee meanders towards the tidal water. Its journey is nearly over. On one side of the valley is Curraghkippane and on the other, soaring above the scene just before one encounters the Carrigrohane Straight Road, is Carrigrohane castle. Carrigrohane translated means Carraig Raitheach or ‘the rock of the ferns’. The second translation is Carraig Rothain or ‘the rock of the (hangman’s) noose’.

Here, the geography of a place is, again, as important as its history. The development of Carrigrohane castle from its origins to the present day was inspired by its geographic location, so close to a cliff face and overlooking the Lee and one of the principal approach roads leading into Cork. In fact, its walls overlook Hell Hole — a favourite swimming and fishing haunt for many centuries that is near the present-day Angler’s Rest Pub.

The development of the site began around the year 1180 when King Henry II granted Milo De Cogan, an Anglo-Norman lord, several hundred acres of land south and west of the walled town of Cork. In 1207 Richard DeCogan, a relative, was given the manor of Carrigrohane and his successors built a castle. In 1464, on the occasion of a new charter granted to the city of Cork, the western limits of the liberties of the city were extended to Carrigrohane castle. In 1317 William Barrett, in consequence of his father Robert working with the king’s armies against ‘the King’s enemies’, was granted two parts of the local land of ‘Gronagh’ and the castle on that land.  By the 1400s, the DeCogans of Carrigaline returned as overlords of the Barrett property. In the 1500s, the castle supported the Irish Earl of Desmond in his revolt against the English crown. When the Earl of Desmond’s uprising failed, the Queen’s Lord Deputy (in around 1600) gave the lease of Carrigrohane to Sir Richard Grenville, on the condition that he would repair the ruined walls of the castle and build a new house. Subsequently, the lands were given to Sir William St Leger. The new house could be described as a Tudor castle – a type of semi-fortified mansion with three storeys lit by four windows on each storey. The medieval castle has partly survived next to the present-day dwelling.

The builders of fortified houses were concerned with creating a formal plan based on renaissance lines in order to accommodate more luxurious living standards. Fortified houses were symmetrical and had a central doorway. The structures resembled semi-defended country houses, with many of the features found in earlier castle conceptions, such as crennelations, mural stairs and bawn walls, all being abandoned.

Circa 1601 the Carrigrohane house and lands, through Warham, were granted to Abraham Baker and Barrachias Baker. In the 1640s, during the confederate war, Lord Inchiquin occupied the dwelling and large portions of the interior were dismantled. The site became the haunt of a man called Cope, who terrorised and robbed the countryside with his gang.

In the ensuing years, the Baker family returned and the house was rebuilt. One of the sons, John, had a niece who married Peter Wallis. Their son John died in 1731 and the property passed to his brother, Barrachias of Ballycrenane in Cloyne. His daughter Clotilda married Sir Edward Hoare in 1771. The Hoares were a Cromwellian family. The house was reduced to a ruin again as the family squandered their fortune and were forced to abandon the structure.

Around the year 1790 Nathaniel Grogan, a Cork painter, depicted the house gloomily with all its contours, located on its cliffside overlooking what look like flour mills in the foreground and two gentlemen fishing in the Lee. In 1837 Samuel Lewis referred to those mills and others in the vicinity when he noted that they were capable of manufacturing between 350 and 400 sacks of flour weekly. Around the year 1830 Carrigrohane castle passed to Augustus Robert McSwiney, a corn merchant in the city (at 18 Dunbar Street) who also owned Carrigrohane Flour Mills, mills, which are illustrated in Grogan’s painting (buildings were later demolished). McSwiney is reputed to have worked with Cork architects Deane and Woodward to carry out extensive reconstructions. One of the key features especially commissioned of the occasion was a chimney mantle piece emblazoned with the shields of the McSwiney family. During this time the Carrigrohane Straight Road, a two-and-a-half mile stretch of a new line of road from Cork, was constructed to replace the old road.

Soon the McSwiney family ran out of money for refurbishment and in 1846 the Hoares bought the property back and lived there until the 1940s. In 1946 the house was bought by Mr Burnett and in 1976 it was purchased by Leo and Mary O’Brien. Today, the house is a splendid building retaining all of its charm and identity. Its owners, the O’Brien family, have ensured that the legacy of this historic building can be used in the modern world. As well as that, its long history has been remembered and commemorated in a wealth of papers and books by scholars like James N. Healy and painters like Nathaniel Grogan.

To be continued…

Sincere thanks to the O’Brien family of Carrigrohane Castle for their courtesy and insights.

Captions:

538a. Nathaniel’s Grogan’s sketch of Carrigrohane Castle c.1800 (courtesy: Crawford Municipal Art Gallery)

538b. View of River Lee from atop of Carrigrohane Castle (picture: Kieran McCarthy)

 Kieran’s Our City, Our Town,

Cork Independent, 29 April 2010

In the Footsteps of St. Finbarre (Part 210)

A Village Transforms

The year 1945 coincided with a general depression over the Irish economy. Times were harsh and jobs were few. It was only in 1959 when Eamonn de Valera became President and the new Taoiseach was Sean Lemass when a series of plans to rebuild the Irish economy really began. The memories of the bloody struggle for independence, the partition of the country were also still fresh for the Irish public. Sean T.O’Kelly became the second President of Ireland in 1945 (till 1959). He had been involved in the 1916 rising and was a member of Dáil Éireann from 1918 until his election as President. Due to a loss of support by a majority of TDs, he also had to dissolve the Dáil on four occasions (in 1948, 1951, 1954 and 1957).

Guy’s Directory of Cork in 1945 (available in Cork City Library) for the Ballincollig region details a large farming base with approximately 55 farmers listed. Like most towns, it provided a number of services. Ballincollig’s post mistress was M. Duggan; the shopkeepers were J.  Boyde, P. O’Connell, T. Coakley;  Sergeant P. White was in charge of the ‘Civic Guard’s Station’;  Mrs. H Beechinor was one of the local victuallers,  P.J. Lynch, a vintner,  J. Crowley, a local doctor, J. Flynn, a horse dealer,  F. O’Sullivan and D.O’Sullivan, local harness makers and Ford and Sons, local builders.

The national school teachers were Miss A. Horgan, J. Coughlan, J. Long, Miss M.O’Neill, Mrs E. O’Neill, Mrs Clancy and Miss O’Riordan.  Rev. J. Sexton (1930 to 1953) and Rev. P. Sheehan, were the parish priests. Mr. T.H.G. Wallis, was a local solicitor who lived in Parknamore.  J. Mahony was a motor agent.  William Murphy was the caretaker of Powder Mills whilst  W. Egar was manager of the local creamery. Mrs. Riordan headed up the dispensary whilst T. Riordan was the local blacksmith. In 1945 D.O’Keeffe is recorded as the station master whilst J.O’Neill was the signal man  Ten years previously Ballincollig railway station closed to passenger traffic on 1 July 1935, closed to goods traffic on 10 March 1947 and finally closed altogether on 1 December 1953.

There was also a movement into urban centres from rural areas. The Journals of Ballincollig Community School, Local History Society reveal that between 1948 and 1955, Cork County Council purchased land and developed four local authority-housing schemes at Ballincollig and Carrigrohane – three housing schemes were completed in the vicinity of the East Gate viz. Leo Murphy Terrace, Fr. Sexton Park and Peter O’Donovan Crescent (early 1960s development). Village life was enlivened by the playing of the village children, fancy dress parades and by the Aonach festival, organised in 1948 to raise money for the building of Scoil Eoin and the Repair of the church. Almost £15,000 was raised. Teachers, Gardaí and priests form the backbone of every local community. Mr. Eugene O’Callaghan taught in the boy’s school between 1922 and 1964. In his last 25 years he was principal in Scoil Eoin.

The Rainbow Ballroom on the Carrigrohane Straight was a centre of attraction from 1949 to 1967. Dances, plays, concerts formed the entertainment and provided the memories – For example McNamara’s Band. In 1955, James Dillon, Minister of Agriculture, opened the Cork Farmers’ Union Factory in Ballincollig. It later became Byrne’s meats before it closed in the mid 1980s. From the early 1950s and the early 1960s, Hennessy’s of Cork assembled cars, bikes and lorries in Ballincollig. Their name is mainly associated with DW cars. Both John A Wood’s and O’Regans have been working in the Ovens-Ballincollig area since the early part of the century.

In the 1970s, Ballincollig developed as much more of a satellite town, with many housing developments constructed around the old village and housing people who worked in Cork City or its suburbs. This expansion continued through the late 80s and 90s. Consequently the town’s population has risen dramatically, particularly with the westward expansion of the town. A total of 10,000 people are recorded for 1982.

The most recent change came with the Government decision in July 1998 that Murphy Barracks, along with five others, would be closed and disposed of, thus facilitating and supporting a much needed reinvestment programme to meet the on–going equipment and infrastructure needs of the Defence Forces. With the purchase of the property from the Department of Defence in O’Flynn Construction took the opportunity to construct a new town centre for Ballincollig comprising residential, commercial and retail elements. Today the population of the town and environs stands at 20,000 people.

Ballincollig has played a large role in Irish history climbing from the role of a key gunpowder mill in the British empire of the nineteenth century to the current presence of multi-nationals and their role in the present globalised world. With such changes, Ballincollig’s identity as a place has fluctuated as each generation and different town functions brought new people to the town. A great narrative exists through the lens of Ballincollig’s heritage on telling the story of how Ireland’s identity changed and continues to evolve by different interest groups. A wonderful opportunity also now exists to integrate the historic sites into the fabric of the town of Ballincollig.

To be continued…

Captions:

537a. Present day Ballincollig Town Centre (pictures: Kieran McCarthy)

537b. Contrasts, modern housing and the Lee Valley, Ballincollig Old Quarter, June 2006

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town article, Cork Independent, 22 April 2010

In the Footsteps of St. Finbarre (Part 209)

The Quiet Revolution

In the Ireland of the 1940s and 1950s, Irish people saw widespread electrification and mechanisation of their way of life. The physical and cultural fabric of Ballincollig also experienced vast change. In particular, on Tuesday 20^th and Wednesday 21^st January 1948, the Hurler’s Hall in Ballincollig became the ESB’s base for demonstrating the benefits of electricity to the general public in rural areas not yet possessing the technology.

Approximately 300 people turned up to the Wednesday evening as revealed through archived field notes by P.J. Ennis of the Development Division. His notes can now be read in the ESB Archive in Dublin. P.J. Ennis talks of Ballincollig as close to Cork City and having electricity for quite a while and hence was a central hub for attracting people from the surrounding region to hear the ESB’s sales pitch. He noted that a Mr Lyons made a thorough sales canvass immediately after the display and harnessed the ‘new’ hire purchase agreements as a means of inducing very small famers to buy into the kettle and iron sales.

Between 1923 and 1929 an Electricity Supply Bill was proposed in order to establish Ireland’s Electricity Supply Board. The state board was founded on 11 August 1927, focusing on the countrywide distribution of electricity and the promotion of its use. The marketing for the electricity campaign proved successful and in the ten years from 1932 to 1942 the number of the Board’s customers jumped from 77,134 to 200,000. The initial stages of electrification were confined to large towns and large villages. In 1932 the demand for electricity was approaching capacity and the Board had to look again at the River Liffey hydro electric scheme project. The war years was a tough period in the history of the ESB as the Board struggled to provide supplies for its customers.

Developments were not confined to increasing generation capacity and a major step was taken on the distribution side of the business when in August 1943, the then Irish government announced its approval of the ESB scheme for rural electrification. In Michael J. Shiel’s book (2003) The Quiet Revolution: The Electrification of Rural Ireland, 1946-1976, he outlines the ESB’s strategies for a successful rollout.

William F. Roe (1904-1982) was the electrical engineer who led the rural electrification scheme in Ireland. A Kilkenny man William Roe’s early career in the ESB saw him as District Engineer in Portlaoise, Waterford and Cork City. When the Rural Electrification Scheme was initiated in 1945, William Roe was based at the ESB station on Albert Road in Cork. In 1950, he was appointed Assistant Chief Engineer of the ESB and in 1965 Deputy Chief Engineer, all the time keeping his finger on the pulse of the Rural Scheme.

Despite many post-war difficulties, the scheme got under way in 1946 and the first pole was erected at Kilsallaghan, County Dublin on 5 November 1946. By the following year an area for development had been established in twenty-three of the twenty-six counties. In 1948, seven of the areas had been completed. Area officers of the Board were urged to have a word with the parish priest or work through such organiza­tions as Muintir na Tíre, Young Farmers’ Clubs or the ICA. There were always some people in every parish who were anxious to procure electrici­ty for their area. Inniscarra was the first rural electrification scheme to be put in operation in County Cork. The Cork Examiner on 23 December 1947 reported:

“By throwing a switch at Curaheen a few miles from Ballincollig yester­day afternoon, Mr Henry Golden, Cork, ESB, brought light to 100 houses in the Inniscarra area. When Mr Golden operated the switch, which was on a pole, a lamp on the pole was lighted and bulbs in nearby houses glowed in the gathering darkness. Thirty-two more houses will receive their electric current supply soon after Christmas, and by March 750 houses which have contracted to take supply in this area will have the benefits of electricity”.

An account is given by two ESB officials in Aghabullogue, Con O’Shea and his assistant Jerry Linehan. The two of them, working together and marketing electricity visited every house. They answered any questions asked by the local community. Prior to doing the survey they were advised never to visit too early in the morning and never to refuse a cup of tea. They cycled all over the parish and completed the survey in three months. The organizing committee was overjoyed when it was announced that their application was suc­cessful and eventually the power was switched on in September 1949.

Even though electricity was now available, people were still very slow in making full use of the facility. The rural electrification scheme made steady progress and by 1959 75 per cent of the country was completed. However, it was not until 1975 that the last area, the Black valley in County Kerry, was electrified. By that time, more than 370,000 rural dwellers had been supplied. The benefits to people of rural Ireland were widespread and revolutionary. Indeed, the programme has been called The Quiet Revolution.

To be continued…

Captions:

536a. Switch on at Inniscarra, 22 December 1947 (pictures: ESB Archives)

536b. picture of ‘gang’ of rollout of rural electrification scheme