Cork’s iconic Shakey Bridge may be one ‘shake’ from collapse
Written by Eoin English, Published in the Irish Examiner, Wednesday, October 11, 2017
There have been calls for an urgent health-and-safety audit of Cork’s iconic Shakey Bridge amid fears it could be one shake from collapse, writes Eoin English.
Historian and city councillor Kieran McCarthy said it was shocking to see one of the city’s best-known landmarks and tourist attractions — the city’s only suspension bridge, famous for its wobble — decay to such a dangerous state“.
Urgent action is required before we have to make the sad call to close it off to the public completely,” he said. “That would be a shame.”
As talks continue over the city’s 2019 budget, he plans to ask the city council’s chief executive, Ann Doherty, to urgently identify and set aside funding to repair the bridge which was officially opened 90 years ago.
Daly’s Bridge is a 48m-span wrought-iron suspension pedestrian bridge which was built by a London-based company over the northern channel of the River Lee in 1927 to a design by former Cork City architect Stephen Farrington.
Its construction at the site of an ancient ferry crossing was funded by butter merchant John Daly, who was asked to provide money to help build a bridge to facilitate increased pedestrian traffic coming from the Sunday’s Well area of the city to cross the river to the Mardyke.
It was officially opened in April 1927 and quickly became known locally as the Shakey Bridge, because of the movement or wobble in its wooden slat platform caused as pedestrians cross.
This quirky feature made it one of the city’s must-see tourist attractions.
It is in constant use by people visiting Fitzgerald’s Park and by students crossing from the northside of the city to the Mardyke to access UCC’s sports facilities, its Western Gateway building, and its main campus.
Rust on Daly’s Bridge means the ironwork at key joints crumbles at a touch.
An inspection report over five years ago highlighted corrosion to its iron latticework, prompting calls for repairs. Those calls have been repeated over the years, but funding was never secured.
The corrosion has steadily worsened and the rust has eaten through several bars on the bridge’s railings, exposing dangerous gaps. The ironwork at key joints crumbles to the touch.
Mr McCarthy said it has now become a serious health-and-safety issue.
“Cork has many bridges, but Daly’s Bridge is celebrated in the city’s historical life. People have a strong affection for it,” said the Independent councillor.
“It’s very disappointing to see how it’s been left to decay like this. I wouldn’t like to see the bridge closed, but from a safety perspective, we may have no option.”
He said UCC has invested millions in developing its Mardyke sports campus, and that the city council has invested millions in revamping nearby Fitzgerald’s Park and revitalising the Mardyke area.
“As the economy picks up, and as funding becomes available, we must prioritise investment in Daly’s Bridge,” said Mr McCarthy. “It would be a terrible shame if the bridge was closed off for lack of investment.”
Last week, city officials unveiled major restoration and repair plans for St Patrick’s Bridge, which will be funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, and they said they are trying to identify funding streams to carry out the necessary repairs to Daly’s Bridge.
There have been tentative discussions with Failte Ireland to develop a heritage unit at the old Butter Exchange site. But nothing has been discussed in a concrete way. The building needs serious investment to re-roof it (e2-3m). It has been a very frustrating slow process in putting a plan to raise the money and move forward with the site. From walking tours in the area of Shandon, disappointment is consistently expressed by groups such as the Shandon Area Renewal Association, Tidy Towns, Shandon Street Festival and managers of the Firkin Crane, Butter Market Museum and St Anne’s Church, Shandon. The building is so iconic in its nature that is a lynchpin in opening up and telling the story of this corner of the city. But the building is also an iconic piece of Irish architecture, which is also overlooked. The building’s story connected, through butter, to the four corners of the known world in its day.
The city tour bus stops outside the Firkin Crane. Those who embark only find the imposing Exchange building closed.
I feel very angry especially when you meet the members of local groups who have enormous ideas for the site and the area. The array of ideas by local community activists in Shandon is striking. They always renew my continued interest in the quarter and I would strongly argue that City Hall needs to listen more to their ideas. The Council’s ideas on developing a Diaspora Centre or a technology hub have fallen through in recent years.
Such has been the growth of the festival activity in Shandon, the area also perhaps needs a summer co-ordinator to bring together the publicity of the festivals, showcase summer events and meet and greet large tour buses in the area. In fact, more and more I am being pulled to the idea that perhaps the best function for the old Exchange building is to develop community facilities in there; At least that would bring locals into the area and serve as a platform for tourists to learn about community activities and the strong sense of place, which exists in the area. The more the building remains undeveloped, the more structural problems the site will develop. The clock is ticking on the old Butter Exchange Building.
Developing new ways to increase footfall to the Cork Public museum is essential. There is no doubt in my mind that the museum is a professionally run operation within the City Council remit. The museum over several years now has been developing and hosting great exhibitions, has pursued best practice, made connections with the archaeology department of UCC, and has attempted to engage the public.
But like all things heritage in the city, more money needs to be invested in publicising the various exhibitions and the public relations surrounding such exhibitions.
I don’t think we have maximised what the Museum can do to promote heritage in our city. We haven’t maximised its potential to work with City Schools and heritage organisations. The museum really needs an educational officer. It needs a digital development officer; some of its objects needs to be photographed and collections need to be digitised and all placed online. I would love to see an online catalogue of key objects and documents. It’s seems to me the museum is understaffed. There is essentially one very enthusiastic staff officer doing everything from admin to exhibition preparation. This has had a huge effect on limiting the potential of the site.
I don’t subscribe moving the museum to the city centre I think the museum is in a great location in Fitzgerald’s Park and the Mardyke nearby is also UCC, Banks of the Lee walkway, Sunday’s Well Boating and Tennis Club, Cork Cricket Club, the Shaky Bridge, Cork City Gaol Heritage Centre, Lifetime Lab and the Lee Fields. This is a really beautiful quarter of the city, which the City Council and other agencies needs to promote more. In 2019, the Mardyke Walk will be 300 years old and if are unable to promote the stories of three centuries in this quarter of town, then there is a major problem in how we approach our heritage.
The revamp of Fitzgerald’s Park has brought new audiences to use the park but many of these uses (music concerts, showing films) should connect more with the museum as well. Recent walking tours I have had of Fitzgerald’s Park show that the public have a huge interest in the story of the Cork International Exhibition. Plus also way back in the 1960s the park was chosen as the unofficial sculpture park of the city being fed by donations by such sculptures such as Seamus Murphy. The park is also an open air art museum, which also has a great indoor museum.
I await with interest the response by the Council executive to developing new innovative ways of increasing footfall developing educational programmes and showcasing the heritage of this corner of the city are crucial to the debate.
To ask the CE for an update on last year’s proposal by TEAM to erect new signage for tourist sites in the city – the legible city plan? (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)
Motions:
That the Council create a Coal Quay Stakeholders forum bringing together the various traders and residents on this historic street. It is clear that some plans by different stakeholders are similar but others are not aligned (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)
Is there any possibility of improvements to the footpath and a safe crossing to the Mahon greenway from St Luke’s Nursing Home? St Luke’s Nursing Home in Blackrock has been fortunate to acquire a trishaw thanks to the huge generosity of PFH. This trishaw, which will be piloted by volunteers, will allow senior members of the community the opportunity to enjoy the Mahon greenway. At present there are four trishaws in Ireland with eight pending. Wheelchair access to the greenway from St Luke’s requires crossing the road four times, whereas one crossing would be possible – this would also be of benefit to nearby sports clubs (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
The Wheels of 1917:Checking the Public Health of a City
One hundred years ago, issues of housing, homelessness, public health and fair wages for women prevailed in media debates just like today. The Cork Examiner for early October 1917 describes the response by Cork Corporation to the Sanitary Officer’s report concerning the poor condition of houses in the West Ward and the need to rehouse people. The Chairman noted that it was impossible for many citizens to rent good housing, and asked that the Corporation could not throw people out on the side of the road. The only thing he believed they could do was to leave the people in their ‘insanitary condition’. Commenting the chairman noted; “they in Cork should do something to house the people”.
The City Law Agent, present at the meeting, highlighted that there were too many generalities spoken about the housing question. He suggested that the Housing Committee should formulate a scheme and then approach the Local Government Board and show how they had done their part; “We should present a watertight scheme and ask the Local Government Board to give us a loan, or if they would not do that, to pitch Cork on the top of the list for a grant in aid after the war is over”. The Committee requested the Medical Officer of Health and the Executive Sanitary Officer report on the issues for next meeting. The Committee decided to ask the Lord Mayor to call a meeting of the Housing Committee.
At the Public Health Committee meeting, the Vice-Chairman, Mr J Horgan, presided. A letter was received from the Commissioners of National Education, Ireland stating representations had been made to them as to the desirability of school children in Cork being afforded opportunities of learning to swim. The letter inquired whether the Corporation of Cork would be prepared to grant similar privileges to children attending the primary schools in the city as those granted by the Belfast Corporation. The Chairman asked as to the feasibility of putting the matter into operation, and whether it involved the Corporation in any cost. Mr Goggin said the only expense was the price of bathing costumes. In London, he observed it was compulsory to teach boys and girls attending the County Council schools to swim. It was regrettable so many lives were lost owing to not being able to swim. They had a fine-equipped baths in the form of the Eglantine Baths in Cork; he commented: “the expense would be very little, and the advantages would be very great”.
Coroner McCabe wrote to the Public Health Committee regarding a financial settlement with the owners of the horses who were contracted to engage in the scavenging system of collecting rubbish and depositing it in suburban sites. The owners decided to accept the sum of 13s a day for the horses, which had been offered at the last meeting of the Public Health Committee. They desired that the Corporation holidays, save bank holidays, should be abolished, as it was a loss to them. As to the men who led the horses, they were also contractors. The Corporation had been prepared to pay the men 28s a week, which Mr Houston, the representative of the men, had declined to accept. The employees wished to get 31s per week, the same as Corporation men. Corporation Solicitor Mr Galvin said the Corporation were obliged to pay the standard rate of wages, but in the making of the last contract the contractors refused to sign any form, so they had no written contract with them on improving employment matters.
A special meeting was also held at the Carnegie Library Committee at the Library on Anglesea Street. Its purpose was to appoint a juvenile female assistant to children using the library. Cork City pioneered children’s library services in Ireland. It was the first public library in Ireland to introduce a collection specifically for children, in 1893, at the premises which were then located at Nelson Place now Emmet Place. The foundation stone of the Cork Carnegie Library was laid by Andrew Carnegie in 1903 with the building opening in 1905. The new library included a dedicated children’s department and reading room.
Miss Hosford, of 2 Cotter Street, having secured a clear majority over the other candidates, was declared elected to the assistant post at 7s a week. Over the ensuing few weeks, the four female members of the library initiated a request for wages similar to men. It was not granted in the immediate term.
The report of the Cork Carnegie Library for 1917 reported that the collective issue of the books in the library increased by over ten thousand over the figures for the previous year, and stood 334 higher than the issues for the year before the war. The number of borrowings from the lending library was up by 9,873 whilst the consultations of volumes in the reference library increased by 320. Fiction and juvenile literature accounted for about eight-ninths of the increased issues. There was a slight decrease as regards works on sociology, which was a very popular branch the previous year. The attendance at the newsrooms showed further slight falling off, and it was expected that this would not return to the pre-war number until sometime after the close of the war.
Next historical walking tour with Kieran: From Our Lady’s Hospital to Atkin’s Hall, the story of the Cork Lunatic Asylum (new tour), Saturday 21 October, meet at gates of former Our Lady’s Hospital, Lee Road, 12noon, free.
Kieran’s new book, Secret Cork (2017), is now in Cork bookshops.
Captions:
915a. Postcard of Cork Carnegie Library adjacent Cork City Hall, c.1900 (source: Cork City Through Time by Kieran McCarthy & Dan Breen)
915b. Cork Carnegie Library in Ruins 1920 (source: Cork City Library)
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed the beginning of the upgrade works at Douglas Pool car park; “this has been a very difficult project to secure funding for and there has been much frustration by local residents, pool users and I in trying to get the project in place. E300,000 is now in place by Cork City Council; the works have started and are due to be completed in December”.
The works consist of the following: provide and place new kerbing and a footpath from Nursery Drive along the access road and on the swimming pool, kerbing in the car park area along with cutting the trees back from the existing street lighting to provide more light, new gullies and drainage works along access road and car park including a soakaway in the sports ground field, new macadam surface in car park and access road including road marking for cars/buses in car park.
Cllr McCarthy continued; “Contractors began their work on site starting 11 September. The phasing of the works will be in four different stages. Stage 1 involves cordoning off the green area along the access road and the section of sports ground and half of the car park to enable soak away and drainage works to be completed and place the first layer layer of macadam in the car park. All the works will be contained within the site. This will take approx. 4-5 weeks to complete”.
The other half of the car park will remain open and access will be maintained to the swimming pool at all times. Complete access will also be maintained to all properties around the site. Emergency access will always be maintained throughout the project. Contractor contact a are the ground to answer questions from the public.
In the wake of the Easter Rising, British Prime Minister Lloyd George summoned a convention of representative Irishmen to try to solve the ‘Irish question’. The Convention was first suggested by Lloyd George in May 1917 as a way to break the deadlock around the issue of Home Rule for Ireland. Its membership comprised of the following categories; Government nominees (15 members), Irish episcopate (7), Irish Party (5), Ulster Party (5), Irish peers (2), Southern Unionists (5), Lord Mayors and Mayors (6), County Council delegates (32), Urban district councils (8), Chambers of Commerce (3) and Labour delegates (7) Sinn Fein (members did not attend). From the outset, intentions, reservations and expectations differed considerably. The Nationalist MPs T P O’Connor and Stephen Gwynn came to the conclusion that a Conference might be the Irish Party’s only hope of salvation.
The Irish Convention was invited to Cork by the Lord Mayor, Thomas C Butterfield. The Cork meeting, the first to be held outside Dublin, was held on Tuesday 24, Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 September 1917. The debate was held at the Crawford Technical Institute at Sharman Crawford Street. The majority of the delegates reached the city on the evening of 24 September by a special train which left Kingsbridge, Dublin at 2 o’clock, and completed the journey in three hours. Between Dublin and Cork one stop was made – it was at Thurles, where Bishop Harty, Archbishop of Cashel, joined the train. At the Glanmire terminus in Cork the delegates were received by the Lord Mayor and members of the Cork Reception Committee, and escorted to motor cars in waiting outside the main building of the railway station. The delegates were motored to their lodgings during their stay in Cork.
MPs John Redmond and J Devlin did not travel by the special train but reached Cork by motor car shortly after six o’clock. Though no public announcement had been made regarding the delegates’ arrival in the city, a large crowd assembled inside and outside of the station, and extended to the distinguished visitors a very cordial welcome. Three days were allotted to the Cork Convention, and hopes ran high that the visit would help delegates acquire a grasp of political leanings and its challenges in the south of Ireland.
Every effort was made by the public boards of the city to impress the visitors. Indeed, one of the recreational activities was heading down the harbour and viewing the Lord Mayor engage in the Throwing of the Dart ceremony. One hundred years ago, the ceremony was performed every three years, and was always regarded with interest by Corkonians. A distinguished company always joined the Lord Mayor in asserting the ancient rights of the Mayor as admiral over the port.
The City of Cork Steam Packet Company’s fine steamer, SS Inniscarra left the Custom House quay about l pm. The Inniscarra, which had a gross tonnage of 1,412, was built at Newcastle by Wigham Richardson, and Co. in 1903. In making the journey down the river the visitors admired the scenery of the river and the buildings and histories on each river bank each with their own narrative of the ancient past, change, struggle and opportunity within the Cork region.
Spectators noted with interest the preparation work ongoing for the Ford Factory, passed through the sweeping spaciousness of Lough Mahon, admired the big houses and woodlands at Glanmire on the one side and Rochestown on the other. They were inspired by the dockyards at Passage, Rushbrook, and Haulbowline. It was 2pm when the steamer, decked with flags, passed by Queenstown, and the visitor enjoyed the beautiful peal of bells in St Colman’s Cathedral. American and English destroyers, and various other craft moored in the harbour, were also objects of discussion.
As the ship journeyed out past Roche’s Point, the civic procession made its way to the bow of the ship. There the Lord Mayor, in his robes of office, and wearing the Mayoral Chain, took the Dart in his hand, and saying: “In assertion of the ancient rights of the Lord Mayor and citizens of Cork over all places in and to which the sea ebbs and flows between Cork Head and the Western part of the Port of Cork, and Poer Head on the Eastern part of the, same port, and as far as the Castle of Carrigrohane on the western side of the City of Cork. I now cast this Dart,” he threw the javelin into the sea.
Ironically eight months later, on 28 May 1918, news broke that the SS Inniscarra bound from Fishguard to Cork had been sunk by a German submarine. All on board were lost except the captain the chief engineer and three seamen who were landed at Queenstown. The captain was injured. The remaining 37 men who were on board went missing. The vessel sank within a very short time after being torpedoed and some of the ropes attached to one of the boats got entangled and the occupants were thrown into the water. One of the survivors succeeded in getting into a boat and was taken on board the submarine. Another reached a raft.
Captions:
914a. SS Inniscarra berthed at Penrose Quay, c.1915 (source: Cork City Library)
914b. Participants of the Irish Convention on board the SS Inniscarra, 1917 (source: Irish Life, 1917)
Upcoming Walking Tour: Saturday 30 September 2017, Blackrock Village, historical walking tour with Kieran, meet at Blackrock Castle, 12noon (free, duration: two hours, ends near the village)
The recent extensive finds of Viking age houses at the event centre site at the former Beamish and Crawford site has prompted local historian Cllr Kieran McCarthy to call for all remaining ground plans of such houses to be placed under a glass floor, and to be incorporated into the centre’s architectural plans.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “It is clear that the archaeologist and his team present have done a super job in excavating and recording the site but more thought needs to be done to showcase the finds. This is where the city began its life on the marshy islands. We saw in the 1970s what happened in Dublin on Wood Quay whereby material was excavated but ultimately buried over; and it is still a regret by the academic community in Dublin. Very successful models of incorporating Viking Ages timbers can be seen under glass floors in the Jorvik Viking centre in York in England and across Europe on other heritage centres”.
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has called for tighter controls to curb the recent spate of graffiti which has occurred across the city. In a question to the chief Executive at last Monday night’s Council meeting, Cllr McCarthy stressed that the Council needs to acknowledge more that this type of anti social behavior is very distressing and upsetting for both residents and business owners, and that much more needs to be done. Cllr McCarthy stressed; “Removing graffiti from their premises can be both costly and time consuming”.
Cllr McCarthy welcomed the prosecution recently by the Gardai of a graffiti tag artist. He also questioned, can the Probation Service be extended in its graffiti removal service to the Cork City Council. It was noted by the Executive that the Service has limited resources and focuses on public/unoccupied or problematic spaces.
Cork City Council has also in the past worked with other groups, e.g. Reimagine Cork, in relation to the removal of graffiti particularly in the City Centre area.
A provision has been made in the 2017 Anti- Litter and Anti-Graffiti Awareness Scheme Grant for further projects run in conjunction with key stakeholders. The trust of these projects will be that once will be that once an area has been cleared of graffiti that the local communities, both businesses and residents, would come together and actively maintain a graffiti free zone by tackling instances of graffiti as and when they arise.
Cllr McCarthy has called for the City Council to bring the ESB into the chamber to question them about the need for a painting maintenance programme for the ESB boxes; “much more commitment needs to be given in cleaning their boxes, which are often a regular source of graffiti attack; there is only so much work the Re Imagine Cork group can do; there needs to be a decent investment in cleaning their infrastructure”.
To ask the CE on the response to the increase to serious graffiti on dwellings and businesses across the City? What is the existing partnership with the external agencies especially the Probation Service to clean graffiti through the community service programme? (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)
Motions:
That the City Council work with the owners of the McCarthy Monument in an effort to get rid of the vegetation on and growing out of the stonework (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)
To erect signs on the old railway line walk at the Marina and at Skehard Road to alert users that pedestrians and cyclists need to be mindful of each other’s use of the line (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)
