Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed the positive news that
Douglas Village is to receive its first parklet. The National Transport
Authority (NTA) provided Cork City Council stimulus funding to implement a
suite of initiatives to support mobility across the city. This included
the provision of 10 parklets to enhance greening of the city and to
improve the attractiveness of the city to pedestrians. Partners in
businesses and communities were sought to maintain and manage the
parklets.
Cllr McCarthy
noted: “A public call was issued to communities and businesses and as a
result the parklet initiative was significantly oversubscribed, which
highlights the enthusiasm of residents, businesses and communities to see
greening projects of this nature in the city. In line with the objectives
of the stimulus, prioritised areas in the city centre and villages / towns
throughout the Council’s administrative area were chosen.
“An assessment
of the suitability of areas was conducted to accommodate parklets, in
terms of health and safety and access to essential services. Ten parklet sites
with partners were chosen. All parklets must encourage a pollinator friendly
approach. The Douglas Village Parklet will be managed by Douglas Tidy Towns who
have an excellent track record in the roll out of community biodiversity
programmes”.
“Cork City
Council also engaged with Benchspace, a social enterprise, to deliver the
timber-clad parklets. The parklets, which occupy a traditional car space,
will be installed over the next number of weeks/months as they are available
from Benchspace”.
“The parklets are
installations in the midst of busy streets with the focus on important
issues such as the environment and biodiversity. They also offer people
an alternative place to sit down for a few minutes and to reflect on their day or
to meet friends”, concluded Cllr Kieran McCarthy.
In late November 1920, the fallout of events
such as Bloody Sunday and the Kilmichael Ambush led to the further use of arson
by Crown Forces as a common retaliation tool. Newspapers such as the Cork
Examiner are full of accounts of arson against Sinn Féin clubs, Sinn Féin connected
shops and random premises.
About 2am on 23 November 1920 the first of
the Sinn Féin clubs were targeted. The fire brigade under Captain Hutson,
Superintendent, was called to an outbreak at Watercourse Road. Proceeding there
with firemen from Sullivan’s Quay, Grattan Street and Shandon Street Stations.
They brigade found that the upper of 35 and 36 Watercourse Road was well
alight. Much damage was done to the club premises, but the fire was got under
control within half an hour. As the days progressed, Sinn Fein Clubs on
Hardwick Street (24 November), Grand Parade (25 November), North Main Street
(27 November) and were also targeted. In Dublin acting President of Sinn Féin
was arrested by members of the auxiliary police force.
Michael Murphy was a Commandant of the 2nd
Battalion of Cork IRA Brigade No.1. In his witness statement (WS1547) within
the Bureau of Military History he recalls that on 25 November 1920, following a
Volunteer meeting in the Sinn Féin Club within Thomas Ashe Hall on Fr Mathew
Quay, five men of the 2nd Battalion were standing at the corner of Princes Street
and St Patrick’s Street having a chat, when a Black and Tan in civilian dress
came along and threw a grenade into the group. As a result, three lads were
killed outright – Paddy Trahey, Vice-Commandant of the 2nd Battalion; N.
Donohue, 2nd Battalion, and Volunteer Mehigan. Of the two others, Volunteer
Sean Bawn Murphy had his arm shattered and Volunteer Reynolds had his thigh
fractured.
In anticipation of an attempt being made by
the enemy to burn the Thomas Ashe Hall, Michael and his company decided to
prepare a surprise for the Black and Tans in the shape of a ‘trap’ mine inside
the door of the Hall. The trap mine was laid for three days and nights before
the Tans arrived and blew themselves up. It was necessary, therefore, to put a
Volunteer guard on duty near the Hall. During the day to warn those of our men
who might go into the Hall.
Michael obtained about three cwt. of gelignite and placed
it immediately inside the Hall and against the outer wall. The gelignite was
then well tamped with clay. Six electric detonators were fixed to the charge of
gelignite and connected with electric wires attached to a switch at the inside
of the front door; the switch was so arranged that it came into operation and
fired the charge of gelignite when the front door was opened. They also
loosened the ‘keeper’ of the lock on the front door, so as to make it easy to
be broken, which, they anticipated, the Tans would do.
Shortly after midnight, on 30 November 1920, about twenty
Black and Tans came to the Tomas Ashe Hall. Two of them hammered on the front
door with the butts of their rifles while the remainder lined the wall just
outside where the trap mine was laid. Eventually, the Tans burst in the door
and a large explosion took place.
On 29 November 1920 the Transport Worker’s Union hall on
Camden Quay was fire bombed. Cork City Hall was bombed and fired again on 30
November with much damage inflicted. Across the city centre, large shops became
targets by Crown Forces. Messrs Dwyers on Washington Street (21 November),
Forrest’s on St Patrick’s Street (27 November), Cahill and Co., American Shoe
Co. and Blackthorn House on St Patrick’s Street (27 November) Egan’s St
Patrick’s Street (30 November), O’Gorman’s and Dalton’s on MacCurtain Street (1
December), Confectionary Shop and Irish National Assurance Company on Marlboro
Street (2 December).
Early in the month of December 1920, Michael Murphy was
instructed by the Brigade Officer-in-Command to go to London to purchase arms.
In London, the contact man was Mick O’Brien, a Cork Volunteer who was then
representing his firm, Messrs. Dowdall O’Mahony & Co. in London. Mick had
written to Seán Hegarty, the Brigade Officer in Command telling him that guns
could be bought in London, and Hegarty sent Mick O’Brien a sum of money to
purchase the guns. Mick O’Brien, however, would not do any buying requesting
Hegarty go over to him. Hegarty sent Michael Murphy to London with £150 or so
to meet Mick.
At this particular period, in order to build up a strong
arms fund, the brigade ‘levied’ each company in the battalion to the extent of
£150. This money was to be collected in each company area. When Michael arrived
in London, he met Mick O’Brien by arrangement, and he brought him around to
second hand gun shops where he inspected and bought a quantity of revolvers and
ammunition. Michael purchased two Lewis guns and a good supply of ammunition.
In all, when packed there were two filled barrels.
Before leaving Cork, Michael had got an touch with Sean Óg
Murphy who was a clerk at the Cork Steampacket Company, and told him to expect
a consignment addressed to Messrs. Swanton & Co., North Main St. Cork. This
was a fictitious name; there was no such firm in Cork. On the arrival of the
goods by boat in Cork, Sean Óg was to notify Michael and he would arrange to
collect them.
When the two barrels of ammo came to Cork (Michael had
returned to Cork by this time), they were taken out of the Cork Steampacket
Company’s store for delivery to Swanton’s unknown to Sean Óg. When they were returned
to the store, undelivered, somebody there opened the barrels, discovered their contents,
and notified the police at Union Quay Barracks.
Somehow or other, Sean Óg got news of what was happening and
immediately sent word to Michael. He went in haste to a haulage contractor who
gave him a horse and car, and armed with a revolver, he proceeded to the
Steampacket Company’s store. Producing the revolver, he ordered the barrel to
be loaded on to the cart and made a hurried departure with my precious cargo.
On his way back, he passed a party of detectives from Union Quay Barracks who
were en route to Penrose Quay.
Kieran’s latest book Witness to Murder, The Inquest of
Tomás MacCurtain is now available to purchase online (co-authored with John
O’Mahony 2020, Irish Examiner/www.examiner.ie).
Captions:
1077a. Steamships at Penrose Quay, c.1910 (source:
Cork City Through Time by Kieran McCarthy and Dan Breen).
1 December 2020, “Cllr McCarthy said that at present, this is a part time post where the officer is in charge of cycling along with a number of other responsibilities. I do think we need someone to encourage education and awareness if we do want that cultural change to get people on their bicycles,” he said. Councillor calls for a dedicated, full-time cycling officer within Cork City Council, Councillor calls for a dedicated, full-time cycling officer within Cork City Council (echolive.ie)
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has noted that the proposal for a Strategic Housing Development of 179 units in Bessborough and the proposal for 67 units as a general application to Cork City Council are a further “dagger into the hearts of the Cork Survivors and Supporters Alliance (representing 56+ families)”.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes has just submitted its final report to the Minister for Children. The document, which runs to more than 4,000 pages, will be published after it has been reviewed by the Attorney General. It will include the testimonies of people who lived and worked in 14 mother-and-baby homes and four county homes between the 1920s and the 1990s.
But here we have an SHD proposal and a proposal to Cork City Council, which really should wait and see what the findings are first and to review what the recommendations are for each one of the Mother and Baby Home sites. By not waiting just drives another dagger into the hearts of the Survivor’s Alliance, who are just looking for recognition, knowledge of what happened, and a chance to memorialise their babies.
The Survivor’s Alliance deserve
way better than an SHD proposal and a proposal to Cork City Council on a fence
outside the premises. There has been no consultation with them. The Alliance
have put forward, in my opinion, very straightforward proposals.
They
want to ensure that the Childrens’ Burial Ground, the nuns’ marked graveyard
and the castle folly are brought under City Council jurisdiction, and that the
City Council could facilitate grounds maintenance, visitor access and
preservation of these connected sites. We should wait and see what the
recommendations of the Mother and Baby Home Commission are – there could be
provision within that for funding for local government to maintain Mother and
Baby Homes graveyards in the public interest.
A
City Council managed site at Bessborough’s burial grounds could honour the
human rights obligations of the state to the family members of the deceased
children. Currently access to the area (Childrens’ Burial Ground, castle folly
and adjoining nuns graveyards) is limited to pre-arranged access or trespass.
The
Bessborough Commemoration Group have been obliged to negotiate access, on a
year by-year basis, and pay public liability insurance for the annual
Bessborough Babies Commemoration event.
Many
survivors and family members living abroad return to Ireland for this event and
others return to Cork from other Irish counties. Indeed the diaspora of
survivors includes others who have never returned but may do so if they have
somewhere to visit and honour – i.e. memorials and burial grounds. Surely in
this day and age the installation of headstones can be done.
The
creation of a survivors’ memorial park on the ‘waste ground’ to the east and south
of the Bessborough buildings should be pursues. It is important that this park
be created in consultation with the wider community of Bessborough survivors
and family members.
The establishment of an onsite interpretive centre and archive in collaboration with the survivors and family members of Bessboro inmates should also be looked at – not just a SHD proposal on a fence with no proper and real public consultation”, concluded Cllr Kieran McCarthy.
Bessboro Strategic Housing Development, Application to An Bord Plenanala Site Note, 28 November 2020
25 November 2020, “Permanently pedestrianising one of Cork’s best-loved amenities has been cemented by “overwhelming public support” and signals a sea change in the urge people have for increased green and liveable city areas. That is according to independent Cork city councillor, Kieran McCarthy”. ‘Overwhelming’ support for permanent car ban at Cork’s Marina, ‘Overwhelming’ support for permanent car ban at Cork’s Marina (irishexaminer.com)
1076a. Photograph of Tom Barry, c.1920 (source: Cork City Library).
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 26 November 2020
Remembering 1920: The Kilmichael
Ambush
The Kilmichael ambush site was one of
several staging points of attack on British forces during the Irish War of
Independence. On 28 November 1920, the Black and Tans
left the town of Macroom, to be unexpectedly greeted by the Flying Column led by West Cork
man and republican Tom Barry at Kilmichael. Tom had enlisted in the British
Army during the First World War and served in Mesopotamia. He returned to
Ireland in 1919 and became a prominent member of the Irish Republican Army
during the War of Independence. The ambush area he chose was and still is in the centre of a rocky and
barren landscape. A week before the ambush, men came together at nearby Clogher to be trained in guerrilla
warfare tactics by General Barry.
In all seventy-five men were involved in the Kilmichael Ambush and they
were from all parts of West Cork, including Dunmanway, Clonakilty, Bantry, Bandon,
Ballineen, Newcestown and Coppeen. Tom Barry later penned Guerilla Days in
Ireland (1949) and The Reality of the Anglo-Irish War 1919-21 (1974),
which detail his own memories and perspectives on and personal role in the
Irish War of Independence. In Guerilla Days in Ireland, he noted of his tactics at Kilmichael:
The
point of this road chosen for the attack was one and half miles south of
Kilmichael. Here the north-south road surprisingly turns west-east for one
hundred and fifty yards and then resumes its north-south direction. There were
no ditches on either side of the road but a number of scattered rocky eminences
of varying sizes. No house was visible except one, one hundred and fifty yards
south of the road at the western entrance to the position. It was on this
stretch of road it was hoped to attack the auxiliaries.
As the first lorry of Black and Tans came around the turn of the road, Tom
Barry, dressed in a volunteer tunic, stood facing it on the road. Because of
the fading light, the British thought him to be a British Officer and slowed
down. As they did, Barry blew on his whistle and tossed the mill bomb, which
landed in the lorry killing the driver. The No. 1 Section dealt with those
remaining in the lorry, the Auxiliaries firing shots and the Flying Column
pouring lead into them. Soon, some of the Auxiliaries were on the road, the
fight becoming a hand-to-hand one. The Auxiliaries in the second lorry were
taken on by the No. 2 Section and soon, those in the first lorry had been defeated.
Seeing this, Barry and his three companions moved along the grass verge from
their post to ambush the second lorry from behind unknown to the Black and
Tans.
The
Kilmichael Ambush delivered a ‘profound shock’ to the British system, happening
only a week after the ‘Bloody Sunday’ assassination of a dozen army officers in
Dublin and days after a large section of the Liverpool docklands was burned
down. Dublin and Liverpool showed British weaknesses, but Kilmichael revealed
that the IRA could combat and win against British soldiers in the field.
Shortly afterwards a small memorial cross was erected at the Kilmichael Ambush
site.
Fast
forwards to 1966, and across the country, various groups chose to celebrate the
fiftieth anniversary of the 1916 Rising through various means such as parades
and unveiling new memorials. Cork had the highest number of events with
thirty-four recorded events.
Cork’s Southern Star newspaper (on 5 February
1966) noted that to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Easter Rising in the
Kilmichael area, in January 1965 a committee had begun working a year earlier
on a new monument for the ambush site. The committee was headed up by its
president, Commandant General Tom Barry (veteran leader of the ambush).
Assembling
figures such as Tom Barry, in addition to well-known veterans of the West Cork
Brigade of the War of Independence and others such as the local parish priest,
and the local national teacher, gave weight to the representational structure
of the committee. It also gave significance to the importance of the memorial
and the narratives that they were involved in constructing. They included Canon
Cornelius O’Brien, the local parish priest of Kilmichael and local historian,
Commandant Pat O’Brien (Vice President of committee and veteran of West Cork
Brigade), Tom Hales (Vice Chairman of committee and veteran of West Cork
Brigade), Major Maurice Donegan (Vice President of committee and veteran of
West Cork Brigade), Daniel O’Leary (treasurer), Jim Barry (representative on the
Cork sub-committee), William Hales (veteran of West Cork Brigade) and Flor
Crowley, local national teacher (secretary). The honorary secretary of the
Kilmichael and Crossbarry memorials committee, Mr Flor Crowley, said at that
unveiling that the monument was regarded as a tribute by the whole people of
Ireland to the soldiers who had fought at Kilmichael and to the three men who
died there and not as the tribute by any individual section of the people.
Local man Dennis Dineen took several
pictures of the Kilmichael Ambush Memorial being erected in 1966. An
avid photographer and entrepreneur from the nearby town of Macroom, he was also
a vintner and a taxi driver. Dennis, who died in 1985, not only supplied
pictures to newspapers but also photographed weddings, families, class groups, teams,
and streetscapes in the region. During his career he captured many historic and
iconic moments in the history of mid Cork in an effort to build up a portfolio
of memories for future reflection and use.
On 10 July 1966 Canon Cornelius O’Brien, Parish Priest of Kilmichael,
unveiled the elaborate monument, dedicated to the memory of the Kilmichael
Ambush in 1920. It was completed by Terry McCarthy, of McCarthy and Sons
Sculptors, Cork City.
Kieran’s latest book Witness to Murder, The Inquest of
Tomás MacCurtain is now available to purchase online (co-authored with John
O’Mahony 2020, Irish Examiner/www.examiner.ie).
Captions:
1076a. Photograph of Tom Barry, c.1920 (source: Cork City
Library).
1076b. Assembling the Kilmichael Ambush memorial by McCarthy and Sons Sculptors, 1966 (picture: Dennis Dineen Collection).
1076c. Kilmichael Ambush Memorial, County Cork, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy).
1076b. Assembling the Kilmichael Ambush memorial by McCarthy and Sons Sculptors, 1966 (picture: Dennis Dineen Collection). 1076c. Kilmichael Ambush Memorial, County Cork, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy).
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed the
conclusion of the public consultation process on the permanent closure of the Marina
from its junction with the northern entrance of Páirc Uí Chaoimh to its
junction with Church Avenue, to vehicular traffic 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The report arising from the consultation
was discussed by local councillors at their local area committee meeting this
week. Two hundred and fifty (250) submissions were received in relation to the
proposed scheme. A total of 224 of the submissions expressed support for the
proposal and in some cases suggested additional work or amendments to the
proposal. A total of 21 of the submissions objected to the proposal. Overall,
there was strong support for the proposal presented for the pedestrianisation
of The Marina”.
The City Council propose to respond to a number of recurring items
that were raised by the general public. The current proposed pedestrianisation
on The Marina will be given effect initially by installing removable bollards
on The Marina at its junction with the northern Páirc Uí Chaoimh entrance and
with its junction with Church Avenue. A consultant has been appointed to look
at the feasibility of providing fixtures of a more permanent nature such as
automatic rising bollards at this location.
The current proposed pedestrianisation on The Marina will only
provide access to the area for emergency vehicles and vehicles used for the
purposes of the operation, maintenance, repair and improvement of services
& infrastructure. A car park accommodating approximately 200 vehicles and
disabled bays has been provided as part of the Marina Park development and is
located at Centre Park Rd/ Marina junction running west towards Shandon Rowing
Club
Requests to extend the scheme to the City Centre is outside the
scope of this proposal, however, this may be considered as part of the
development of the South Docklands area.
Public realm improvements such as the resurfacing, shared space, public lighting, seating, etc. are outside of the scope of this proposal, however funding is being sought to upgrade The Marina. Subject to the allocation of funding, a scheme will be designed and be brought forward for consideration to the public and local councillors.
The Marina, Cork, November 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
Following assessment of the submissions received and the issues
raised at the local area committee meeting, the report has now been referred
for voting upon at the mid-December Council meeting of Cork City Council.
Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed that Garryduff Woods is fully open to the public again. This followed a series of works by the wood’s manager, An Coillte. It was agreed earlier this year with the local community that the next step was to replant the area with broadleafs. The programme of works already completed included hedge cutting, tree surgery and road maintenance prior to the felling, the felling itself, ground cultivation and timber haulage. The site is now prepared for planting which is planned to take place in quarter one of 2021 when plants are available.
The site does not need to be closed for this operation as it is manual work only and no heavy machinery will be required. The replanting will consist of the following species – Oak (2 hectares), Birch (2 hectares), Scots Pine (1.4 hectare), Norway Spruce (1 hectare). The Oak, Birch and Scots Pine will be planted, mixed at a ‘stocking rate’ of 3,300 stems per hectare for the oak and birch and 2,500 stems per hectare for the Scots Pine. Norway Spruce to be planted in small groups throughout the site at 2,500 stems per hectare.
This site will be managed primarily for biodiversity values and a critical element of this is will be future interventions that will form part of the overall biodiversity management plan. Such interventions are necessary for the maintenance and enhancement of the biodiversity values for e.g. light thinnings to favour Oak, which will be done manually.
The Norway Spruce cones are favoured by red squirrels due to the soft cones that it produces. The cones produced by the Scots Pine will also add to the diversity of food source for red squirrels on site. This new replanting will also allow for the staggering of age-classes should help the red squirrel and the biodiversity value of the site.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “Since the boundary extension last year, Cork City has inherited this very beautiful 26-hectare forest amenity managed by An Coillte. It is a site I am rediscovering over the past year especially from a historical perspective of the Old Court estate and the Civil War Battle of Douglas in 1922, which was held across the woods. Plus I have been vocal many times in the Council Chamber that the City Council needs an effective urban forestry management strategy within the city area. Such a strategy should also connect to other entities such as An Coillte for cross collaborative work”.
Cllr Kieran McCarthy has asked the Operation Directorate of
Cork City Council to re-examine the road safety measures at the junction of
Ballinlough Road and Bellair Estate. Cllr McCarthy highlights: “It’s a regular
issue local people have raised with me. 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”.
In response to Cllr McCarthy’s motion, the Operations Directorate of Cork City Council noted that “earlier this year improved signage and line markings have been installed on the western arm of the junction on the one-way portion of the Ballinlough Road to increase visibility and awareness that this section is a one-way road”. Notwithstanding this, the Council have said the road junction will remain on the list of areas for assessment for a traffic management project or road safety improvement scheme. The assessment will also consider which additional measures may be appropriate and feasible to improve road safety in the vicinity of the area. Concluding the operations directorate have noted to Cllr McCarthy’s motion; “Currently there is no funding available for traffic management projects. Any works deemed appropriate can be added for consideration in the future roads programme and undertaken subject to selection by the Members and available resources”.
Our Lady of Lourdes road junction, Ballinlough, Cork from Google Maps
The Marina, Cork, November 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, November 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, November 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, November 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, November 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, November 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy)
