Monthly Archives: February 2011

Kieran’s Comments on George Boole House, No.5 Grenville Place, Cork City Council Meeting, 28 February 2011

Cork History, Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized

I would like to welcome the Council’s interventions here and acknowledge the hard work of Pat Ruane and Jeremy Ward.

The building at no. 5 Grenville Place has been vacant for a period of at least ten years and suffered from neglect and then collapsed.

The same thing happened it seemed last week on Kyle Street and before that Castle Street.

Lord Mayor, I’m worried about the strength of our Building Control unit. Over the last year, three buildings have now collapsed within a short space of each other. I worried about health and safety with such structures collapsing. And that’s not scare-mongering that’s being realistic plus I’d like to call for a swot analysis from that unit on what is going on.

I suppose on the heritage and history front; on one level, old nineteenth century buildings are all over the place in Cork and the vast majority are protected structures. But I still worry in how we don’t market and harness some of the key buildings of Cork’s built heritage – on a bigger scale, I could talk on about places such as the old Butter Exchange, which I have not seen a decent plan yet to really make it a centre piece of tourism in the Shandon area and in the city; I also worry and could also talk about Elizabeth Fort and its surrounding heritage and the challenges facing that 400 year old fort.

But here is a house where George Boole and eminent Mathematician lived.

Born in Lincoln, Boole went on to be an English mathematician and philosopher.

As the inventor of Boolean logic—the basis of modern digital computer logic—Boole is regarded in hindsight as a founder of the field of computer science.

 

George Boole Portrait

Way back in 1849, he came to Cork to be  the first professor of mathematics of then Queen’s College, Cork in Ireland (now University College Cork, (where the library, underground lecture theatre complex and the Boole Centre for Research in Informatics  are named in his honour).

 Living on Grenville Place, his mathematical skills were fully realized.

Boole approached logic in a new way reducing it to a simple algebra, incorporating logic into mathematics. He also worked on differential equations, the calculus of finite differences and general methods in probability

.

The 8 year stretch from 1847 to 1854 possibility when he was living at Grenville Place starts and ends with Boole’s two books on mathematical logic. In addition Boole published 24 more papers on traditional mathematics during this period, while only one paper was written on logic,. He was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Dublin in 1851, and this was the title that he used beside his name in his 1854 book on logic- Mathematical Analysis of Logic and his 1854 book, Laws of Thought..

During the last 10 years of his career, from 1855 to 1864, Boole published 17 papers on mathematics and two mathematics books, one on differential equations and one on difference equations. Both books were considered state of the art and used for instruction at Cambridge. Also during this time significant honors came in:

1857 

Fellowship of the Royal Society

1858 

Honorary Member of the Cambridge Philosophical Society

1859 

Honorary Degree of DCL, honoris causa from Oxford

Unfortunately his keen sense of duty led to his walking through a rainstorm in late 1864, and then lecturing in wet clothes. Not long afterwards, on December 8, 1864 in Ballintemple, County Cork, Ireland, he died of pneumonia, at the age of 49. Another paper on mathematics and a revised book on differential equations, giving considerable attention to singular solutions, were published post mortem.

In time Boole’s work formed the basis of mechanisms and processes in the real world and that it is therefore highly relevant. The use of Booles Boolean algebra could optimize the design of systems of electromechanical relays,his basic ideas underly all modern electronic digital computers.

The crater Boole on the Moon is named in his honour.

So in terms of the history of Boole’s House, we are dealing with something richly steeped in research and pushing forward the discipline of maths.

The Grenville Site is another example of how this city is not good at engaging and harnessing its history, its built heritage and minding it.

To conclude

I would like to observe that this city needs to (a) review the effectiveness of our Building Control Unit and (b) invest more in the harnessing of the city’s history, otherwise, the memory of such people as George Boole will disappear from this city with others – we’ll have a city with no uniquenesses and we’ll have a generic looking city that looks like any other city in the world.

thanks

George Boole house

George Boole House, Grenville Place

 George Boole, reply from City Manager, 28 February 2011

Kieran’s Comments on Draft North Blackpool Local Area Plan, 28 February 2011

Cork History, Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized

North Blackpool Draft Local Area Plan

 

Lord Mayor,

At the outset, I’d like to thank the planning unit for their work on this document.

I would also like to compliment the North Central ward councillors for their active pursuit to get two local area plans for their central core area. And I look forward to the first draft of the Mahon Local Area Plan.

Lord Mayor, I stand here now after three local area plans have gone through this council’s hands in the last 18 months.  They have all varied in their design and I would argue in their approaches as well. The document before us has a very different style than the south Blackpool local area plan- from perspectives on the urban landscape to even the maps that were produced. I don’t think we’re getting a standard delivery of quality with regard to our local area plans.

I’m a big fan of the North Blackpool area especially from a historical perspective. From the train, I love the sweeping view of the City from Kilbarry and admiring how the houses were engineered into the steep hill of Farranree or Spangle Hill itself.

I remember in 2003 going out to Sunbeam and witnessing the building burning down and speaking with older people in the area as they looked on and how strong their respect for that place was. I remember afterwards going away and doing some research on the place.

Sunbeam, 19th century building

The main building, a five storey brick building, which was the first to be demolished after the fire was constructed between 1864 and 1866 and was the brainchild of William Shaw. Designed by Belfast architects, Boyd and Platt, it was the first industrial linen yarn-spinning mill outside of Ulster.

The Millfield Mill was operated by the Cork Spinning and Weaving Company whose directors chose the site outside the city’s municipal boundary. This was due to the fact, the company would not have to pay rates to Cork Corporation.

By the beginning of the twentieth century, the mill was one of the most important flax spinning mills outside of Ulster. As a symbol of local enterprise, the mill was also operating looms for weaving and by 1920 was employing upwards on 1,000 people.

The year 1924 marked the closure of the Cork Butter market adjacent Shandon and the opening of a knitwear factory on the site by William Dwyer. In 1928, William Dwyer transferred his factory from Shandon to the Millfield textile factory Blackpool in order to expand his business.

In the 1930s, Dwyer transferred his factory from Shandon to the Millfield textile factory Blackpool in order to expand his business. Three decades later, the Dwyer factory in the 1960s, the factory was witnessing much success and employed 1,100 people. It also attracted other smaller firms to the complex and was one of the city’s largest employers. The “House of Dwyer” also operated the Lee Hosiery Factory, Lee Shirt Factory and Lee Clothing Factory.

In the mid 1970s,the Millfield Factory was sold to UK firm, Courtaulds. Subsequently, in the 1980s, the factory employed over 3.500 people and in the early 1990s was taken over by Sunbeam Industries Limited, based in Westport. In 1995, Sunbeam Knitwear closed and the site became home to many local enterprises.

Talking to the people who watched the complex burn down, the Sunbeam complex had not only been a part of the twenty first century city but stood as a symbol of the city’s economic and social development, which many, many Corkonians are proud to be associated with. It was sadly missed and memories of it are still evoked. And I have no doubt if I said the word Sunbeam and asked some of the older members here to discuss; you’d talk on…  a place where friendships were formed, romances kindled and the long hours of hard work.

But thinking of all that nostalgic energy and then looking at the plan – there is a disconnection in how planners think about placemaking; Indeed there is no mention of Sunbeam or really any other iconic historic sites in the area.

In fact we now more or less have two plans for Blackpool, a place dripping in stories, memories, nostalgia and no plan to use any of it in creating or injecting the future of Blackpool with an identity.

In fact, l would like to observe especially in this plan that this plan is lacking imagination in how we can really inspire and create public spaces of meaning; When I was thinking of Sunbeam I was thinking, wouldn’t it be great to have a sunbeam square where once more friendships and dates could start from.

The two plans of Blackpool back to back, I feel are indirectly creating identityless places, a sense of placelessness, souless places, which you can see anywhere in the world

 Indeed with the two plans back to back there is no strategy to harness the energy of the area’s history and memories that make up the sense of place in Blackpool and why people living in that area and from that area are so, so proud of their roots and their identity.

Where this plan does go some way in making the connection better between spaces within the area together, this draft plan I feel lacks a certain quality that plugs into this areas uniqueness – the draft plan does lack depth and imagination in how public space and heritage could go hand in hand.

Sunbeam worker, mid 20th century from Cork Archives Collection

Sunbeam Factory Floor, 1950

Kieran’s Comments on ‘Docklands Gateway Innovation Fund’, Cork City Council Meeting, 28 February 2011

Enterprise, Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized, Ward Events

Gateway Innovation Fund and Cork Docklands Project

 

Lord Mayor, every now and again, we check the pulse of docklands and see how it’s doing.

This is indeed an interesting report that reveals what we all knew in our hearts all along- that there is no money there to kick-start the real development of docklands.

But in addition, there was no real attempt by the last government to really engage with the future potential of such as a site and to harness its opportunities for Ireland’s long term future. Much of the analysis of its potential has really only being pushed by ourselves and outside agencies in the region.

The national potential of Cork Docklands, I feel, was never really appreciated at National level over the last number of years and the idea of actually creating proper gateway cities was never really pursued by the last government either.

And even the proposed policies of the general election candidates never really bit into the actual potential of Docklands for this region and the country at large.

I would like to commend yourself Lord Mayor for taking the various party leaders to task on their perspectives and question their commitment to Docklands.

I fear for the nature and form of the current plan. There were comments by general election candidates on how is the city going to attract the bones of 22,000 people to live in that area over the space of 20 years. I also share those concerns. The last time the population of the city itself jumped that high was during the creation of the local authority houses in places such as Ballyphehane and Churchfield in the 1950s and 1960s. To build momentum, to attract such a population demands a City that is reaching out not in its own region but reaching out deeply into other regions as well.

I have to say as well I heard during the debates and which I agree with – that the current docklands plan is just about apartments and mixed business units. I feel that the plan in Ireland’s current economic problems does nothing to bring Cork forward or even Ireland forward, economically, socially and culturally. If Docklands was given money for the bridge in the morning, we would end up with vast quantities of empty apartments and business units. Sure there would be a short term benefit in terms of construction jobs and so on, which would be very welcome. But we should question what we want the future of Cork and its Docklands to be.

Map of Cork Docklands Master Plan Overview

The current plan is still bound up with the mythic prosperity of the Celtic Tiger at its heights especially in the property bubble. It is still bound up with a kind of invisible money that we are hoping will appear in today’s world out of mid air like something in a magic show.

Economic momentum, which was there in 2007, has completely dissipated- we are learning now that much of it was based on borrowing money from international bondholders – there is also the issue of a principal developer in the docklands, who is now in NAMA. Certainly we now have a large jigsaw piece of docklands missing and even if found, the piece probably won’t fit into Cork’s economic landscape.

Plus there is the burning question what is going to happen to all these properties that have been NAMA’d.

There needs to be a hard and deep rethink about the docklands plan- the plan was conceived in an economic boom –the current plan has not reacted in any way to the downturn – we will continue to go to the new government saying we need money but we have not factored in the enormous changes in outlook of Ireland’s economic fortunes and the future needs of Irish society; the Cork docklands should feed into the new international outlook and the realistic strategies that Ireland needs to move forward in the longterm.

Docklands has certainly brought Cork to an international way of thinking; it is a very positive project; but economically the docklands as a space is not creative enough to be a sustainable place that connects into the city centre and moves with the rest of the city’s economic momentum.

I reckon that the docklands plan will have to be reconfigured in line with the economic realities of the next 15-20 years, which won’t I hope be bound up with another property bubble – the future of Ireland is going to be all about rebuilding and rebranding Ireland and implementing new ideas for jobs that are not all construction based. The young generation coming up will demand jobs that compliment their technological worlds. 

 I have no doubt that new plans will have to be considered for the Docklands Project. I welcome the move in the business community to consider a new university in the docklands with an Asian  connection. That is about thinking outside of the box.

View from Centre Park Road, September 2007

Cork Docklands Map

Kieran’s Motions and Question to the City Manager, Cork City Council Meeting, 28 February 2011

Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized

Kieran’s Motions and Question to the City Manager, Cork City Council Meeting, 28 February 2011

Motions:

In order to stress the importance of their work to their respective communities that they work in, that the Community Wardens give a report on their work to the housing functional committee (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)

 

That capital money be put aside for the roof of the local studies section of Cork City Library (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)

 

Question to the City Manager:

To ask the manager will he contact all general election candidates to cut and take away as well their plastic ties that held posters on poles in the city area?

 

Cork City Hall

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 24 February 2011

Cork History, Uncategorized

579a. Portraits of J R Hainsworth and PJ Dolan

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town,

 

Cork Independent, 24 February 2011

 

In the Footsteps of St. Finbarre (Part 249)

A Disappearing Memory

Following the laying of the foundation stone of Cork City Hall on 9 July 1932 and the luncheon that followed, Eamonn DeValera travelled by motor car to the Irish Industrial and Agricultural Fair on the Straight Road. He was greeted by Mr. P.J. Dolan, manager of the Fair and Mr. J.R. Hainsworth, organising manager.

DeValera was eager to inspect the agricultural section. Here he spoke with Mr. D.J. Curran, Agricultural Instructor with Mr. C.F. Moloney, a like official of the County Cork Committee of Agriculture. Curran conducted his explanations of the various plots of seasonal crops entirely in Irish. The fruit and flower departments were equally well appreciated by DeValera who commented positively on its immense value as an educational exhibit for visiting agriculturalists. The brother of the architect Mr.  E. O’Flynn, who was responsible for the entire architectural at the exhibition, was presented to the President at the entrance to the Hall of Commerce. DeValera practically visited each stand in the different exhibition halls and was particularly interested in those promoting home manufactures, conversing with attendants and gaining detailed information about their products.

The summer and autumn of 1932 brought great national attention to the Fair. Certainly the amusements gave Cork people a place to be entertained. The impact of the various fair trade stands is unknown. Certainly during the four months of its existence, people came from over Ireland and the wider world to visit the exhibition. Whereas, one can, through local and national press, articulate that many people walked through the fair stands, how many people bought goods later is unknown. Certainly, the entire venture was a great example of what could be done to engage the general public in the opportunities available in the Irish Free State and framing the national ideals of such a title.

By October 2 1932, the last day of the Fair thousands had come through the gates of the Fair. The Evening Echo highlighted that hundreds of people took advantage of the last opportunity to see the Fair and the grounds were thronged throughout the last day. Buses plied between the city and the Fair and extra buses were put on. A big excursion arrived from Waterford to swell the crowds. During the day, a clay target shoot was held. It was the last shoot of several that were held during the Fair season at the site.

A carnival was arranged to make the closing night enjoyable. Any visitors who arrived in fancy dress were admitted free into the exhibition halls and on to all the amusements. A further attraction was the ‘popular’ Mystery Man, who was present in the amusement park, distributing cash presents to those lucky to attract his attention. Followers of music heard the Butter Exchange Band play a programme from 7pm until 10pm on the bandstand. The grounds were lit up by rows of tiny overhead lights of the national colours of green, white and orange.

There was an intention, as noted in the Cork Examiner and Irish Press that the Fair committee wanted to run the event gain in 1933. Hence in the winter months of 1932, they approached the government to secure a grant of £3,000 to run same. However, by that time, the committee seemed to be up against a number of difficulties. The ESB had dismantled their plant, which meant the committee would have to pay again to get one installed at the site. In December, the winding up of the fair also led to some investors wishing to be paid. These claims ended up in the High Court. I was unable to find out what was the eventual outcome. However the fair was not held in 1933 and probably the bad publicity affected the search for investors and the positive energy needed to push forward such a venture.

Another problem was that by the end of the fair season that a number of the fair’s exhibition buildings were the property of other institutions. In July 1932 according to the minutes of the Munster Agricultural society, their members attended an auction at the industrial fair grounds at the Carrigrohane Straight Road. They purchased the Industrial Hall for the sum of £220 and six kiosks at £6-10-each. The society was further contacted by city manager Philip Monahan who wanted to use the building in conjunction with a proposed new public park at Carrigrohane. He wished for the society to leave the building there till spring of the following year but the committee disagreed with proposal. The building was dismantled and brought to the Show grounds and erected. The steel framing left over was sold off in February 1934. A concrete pathway was created from the Cork showgrounds entrance to the grounds through the quadrangle to the new hall that became known as the Lee Hall.

In the years following the fair, a city dump or landfill was located on the site. This landfill remained in place for a number of decades before the Kinsale Road landfill came into being. That perhaps also added to the memory of the Irish Industrial and Agricultural Fair disappearing out of Cork’s public history. The site is now to become the city’s new park and ride venue.

To be continued…

Captions:

579a. Portraits of J.R. Hainsworth and P.J. Dolan from an official guide to the Fair (source: Cork Museum)

579b. Lee Hall of Cork Showgrounds, formerly the Industrial Hall of the 1932 Fair (picture: Kieran McCarthy)

579b. Lee Hall of Cork Showgrounds, formerly the Industrial Hall at the Irish Industrial and Agricultural Fair 1932, Carrigrohane Straight Road, Cork

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 17 February 2011

Cork History, Uncategorized

578a. Laying of the foundation stone of Cork City Hall, by Eamonn DeValera, President of the Executive Council, Irish Free State

 

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 

Cork Independent, 17 February 2011 

In the Footsteps of St. Finbarre (Part 248)

Irish Unity and City Hall 

 

“We are in the midst of ruins of various sorts, and it is time that the people-especially people with the capacity of the people of Cork had shown – to look ahead and take stock of the present needs and of the prospects that lie ahead for the people who will make use of them and take proper advantage of them” (Eamonn DeValera at the luncheon celebrating the laying of the foundation stone of City Hall, 9 July 1932).

 

Three weeks after the opening of the Savoy Cinema, another important Cork building began its life. On the 9 July 1932 the foundation stone of the new Cork City Hall was laid by Eamonn DeValera, newly elected President of the Executive Council or the Government of Ireland. The Cork Examiner gave ample coverage to the event. It was DeValera’s second visit to Cork in the space of a fortnight; he had also visited the Industrial Fair on the Straight Road. The ceremony for City Hall took place on the site of the former City Hall, which was demolished in 1929. It was burned out in December 1920 during the ‘Burning of Cork’ and for many years, the site was one of civic controversy. The Cork Examiner writes about how the compensation allowed by the British government for the destruction of the old premises was deviated to social housing schemes. This was driven by the then City Manager Philip Monahan who was appointed in 1924 when the elected councilors could not agree on issues and the Council was disbanded. In 1929, a new council was re-elected and they sought a new civic building.

 

When President DeValera arrived at the city hall site he was greeted by a large gathering of the citizens, who had not only thronged the large space within the hoardings and outside on the street. Catholic Boy scouts and Civic Garda were under pressure to maintain control over the enthusiastic crowds. On DeValera’s arrival, he was led onto the city hall site. The foundation stone was suspended from a pulley block and lowered into position, and with the aid of silver trowel, with an ivory handle (now in the Lord Mayor’s Chamber, City Hall), he performed the function of laying the stone on the foundation. Then in a few words in Irish, the President declared the stone laid. The band of the Greenmount Industrial Schools then played the national anthem.

 

Then followed the blessing of the stone by Rev. Monsignor Patrick Sexton, Dean of Cork who was representing the Bishop. In passing, the corkandross.org website reveals that Monsignor Sexton was Parish Priest of St. Patrick’s Church in 1932 and one of those who introduced the Catholic Boy Scout and Catholic Girl Guide movements to Cork.

 

As President DeValera was about to walk away from the foundation stone, a voice behind him shouted “Give us a word, Eamonn”. The President, addressing the gathering, said: “All I wish to say is that I hope that with this stone we are laying the foundation for renewed prosperity for your city”. The President subsequently motored to the Victoria Hotel where he was entertained to lunch, with the Lord Mayor, presiding. As the President passed into the hotel the no.2 Army Band played the National Anthem and a military guard of honour presented arms.

 

The Lord Mayor at the luncheon welcomed the President and company and referred to the deaths of Lord Mayor’s MacCurtain and McSweeney and the circumstances in which the old city hall was destroyed. He linked the laying of the foundation stone of the new building to both individuals and how they strived to lay moral foundations of unity in the Irish nation. DeValera in his speech referred to them as comrades in the Irish Republican Army. He was imprisoned with Terence McSweeney so he knew him well and appreciated “his wonderful strength of character he possessed throughout his life”. In coming to lay the foundation stone of the new City Hall in Cork, he hoped that it would be “symbolic of the prosperity and the future glory of the country, to come as a result of the sacrifices, which had been made by the men like those to whom the Lord Mayor had referred to”.

 

DeValera continued and referred to the future prospects for Ireland:

“There was great work for the Irish people to do not only at home but elsewhere for they were scattered throughout the world; The world needed the efforts of the Irish people who had already done wonderful work; and had reached high ideals in positions throughout the world. The Irish people today had a wonderful chance for a great spiritual leadership in a world which needed restoration from the ruin of social order to which it had fallen. If only they could push these efforts in the right way there was a big chance for the Irish people to set a great example to the rest of the world. The Irish people had a wonderful chance to experiment in bringing about the right social order in a world where it had fallen to pieces”. Following the luncheon, the entire party proceeded to a tour of the fair grounds.

 

To be continued…

 

 

Captions:

 

578a. Laying of the foundation stone of Cork City Hall (source: Cork Corporation diary, 1932; Cork City Library)

 

578b. Architectural drawing of Cork City Hall, 1932 (source: Cork Corporation diary, 1932; Cork City Library)

 

 578b. Architectural drawing of Cork City Hall, 1932

 

Kieran’s Motions and Question to the City Manager and, Cork City Council Meeting, 14 February 2011

Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized

Kieran’s Motions and Question to the City Manager and, Cork City Council Meeting, 14 February 2011

 Motions:

To get the potholes fixed on the hill down into Douglas Pool carpark?

In light of the fact of Cork’s success in last years Lonely Planet Guide, that Cork City Council establish a Tourism Functional Committee and a position of City Tourism Officer (Cllr K McCarthy, Cllr K.O’Flynn)

 

Question to the City Manager:

With regard to the George Boole house on Greville Place, can the manager outline:

(a)    What are the conservation works and long term plans for the building?

(b)   How much is this work costing?

(c)    Who is paying for it?

(d)   Are Cork City Council looking to eventually purchase the building? (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)

 

Laying of the foundation stone of Cork City Hall with President of the Excecutive Council Eamonn DeValera, 9 July 1932

Deputy Mayor- Engineer’s Ireland, Cork Region Annual Dinner, 11 February 2011

Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized

Last night  I had the pleasure and honour of deputising for the Lord Mayor attending at the Engineer’s Ireland, Cork Region annual dinner at the Maryborough Hotel, Cork (11 February 2011)

http://www.engineersirelandcork.ie/

Kieran’s Speech:

Engineering a New Ireland

Kieran deputising for the Lord Mayor and Kevin Smyth of the Royal Insitute of Architects of Ireland, Southern Region, at Engineer's Ireland, Cork Region annual dinner, 11 February 2011Deputy County Mayor, President of Engineers Ireland, Director General of Engineers Ireland, chairmen, ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the Lord Mayor, thanks very much for the invitation to speak here this evening. This is my second time in a short space of time being in a position to address you.

The last time I had my historian and geographers hat on in congratulating you on your milestone, 175 years a growing and giving the group an insight into Cork in 1835 (last April at the top of County Hall).

 With my councillor’s hat on this evening, I can’t speak with confidence about my grasp about the discipline and practice of engineering but would like to share some thoughts from a geographer’s perspective on it.

As a child, certainly the Irish education system gave me a great grounding in maths and learning my sums. But I was never any good at solving problem maths especially the complex algebra sums of this world- my young mind was not conditioned to see the steps required to resolve such sums.

However, because of an enthusiastic teacher, I pursued physics and applied maths at leaving cert level. He showed us that to resolve algebraic equations, you need not only have to have a grasp of formulae but also ability to see the answer as a series of steps to come up with it.  I developed huge interests in energy and inertia – grasped the knock on affects on objects – positive and negative – how new forces of energy could be made. I learned to approach mathematical problems step by step.

However, the courses like many school subjects did not show me the practical uses of physics, applies maths – the role of science in conceiving, developing and implementing new technologies in engineering and design.  I see in today’s world, there is a more active approach to understanding the impacts through ventures such as the annual Engineering Week coming up this week.

 

Thesis imaginations:

Recently, with my perusal of a thesis in geography and exploring ideas of landscape and memory and how people remember on the landscape through features such as ruins, memorials, pilgrimage-and whilst compiling my literature review once more my gaze on applied maths came into being as a I drew a memory system and its dynamics.  It was aimed to capture and unravel or unpack the quite complex processes – inputs, interactions and outcomes involved in the production of memory.

My ongoing work involves excavating concepts of collective memory and how collective memory is created on the landscape and how this legacy and heritage affects the quality of the natural and built environment.

 

Cork City Imaginations:

With that in mind, I have often marvelled in my research on how our city is built on a swamp – a fantastic piece of engineering in itself. I marvel at the city’s human built fabric – its higgely piggely architecture – how it sits in a basin crawling out as to grab its hilly suburbs as if to make sure it doesn’t completely sink. The concept of place-making in Cork also interests me and the multi dimensional perspectives that go with that and the effect on values, perceptions and beliefs on its people.

Cork City’s evolution can be narrated and conceived as an unfolding succession of stories; various people coming and going through the ages, leaving their own mark on the city and region. Cork’s urban landscape or textbook is throbbing with messages about the past, present and future. This throbbing or energy- with all its tensions, flows, complexities, even down to the look of the city’s architecture, cogwheels of traffic and people flows- all create the momentum to drive the city on –

The city’s poetic landscape of architectural monuments link to some form of celebration of the living past and present. Those links in turn combine to create a strong sense of place, emotional attachment and identity.   That place-making can be sometimes located in space, and at other times in the mind.

 

A Number of Views:

Walking around the city, researching and photographing I’m often taken by a number of things:

-the curvature in the cityscape, its colours and shapes that constantly seems to frustrate the eye anxious for symmetry or linear simplicity…every few metres Cork’s landscape changes; it always surprises, offering ever new vistas.

–I’m a big fan of the city’s 30 or so bridges…from the elegant Georgian stonework of bridges such as Parliament Bridge to the Victorian ironwork on bridges such as St. Vincent’s Bridge to Daly’s bridge –our Shaky bridge – all evoke a sense of time and are illustrated histories of a moment in history – many of which we know the basic history about but that’s it. Every time I stand on the Shaky Bridge, I always think about the firm who designed the bridge and ask, would they be proud that their suspension bridge became a structure that Cork people wanted to shake.

-I also like to stop on St. Patrick’s bridge to admire how the houses in Gurranabraher are set into the steep hillside of Cork’s northside- but this urban landscapes, since the first social housing unit opened in 1934, are re-interpreted by each generation of viewers –from a space of habitation to a space of sociability, performance and play.

 -I’m also a fan when a view is given of the brick work when an old building has to be taken down. The multiple bricks and limestone and sandstone used, laying neatly but almost randomly on top of each other give one access to the imagination and efforts of the people who drew up their design, the people who had sleepless nights thinking about their work and the people, the actual engineers and workers who strived hard and long to bring and weave the jigsaw pieces of an architect’s imagination together. These places present dense and disorganised `collages’ of memory and past human energies of the city.

-I’m also a fan of the City’s archaeology. The old maps of the city – showing how the city came into being – casting an eye on the maps, one can’t help but think about  past cultures, creativity, emotion, conflict, belief systems and community ideologies

 

Cork Shows Us:

Cork’s landscape is indeed something ancient, soulful and purposeful – something motivating and ambitious. It’s as if the human built world does provide the landscape with a voice. For the walker, explorer, geographer like me, the human built fabric creates a landscape of living encounters, experiences, connections, journeys, ideas and re-interpretations.

So there is a huge importance in acknowledging the processes of engineering – from the moments of revelation, to the sets of knowledge creation to the created energies and forms.

Perhaps what is also important and that really shines across in the engineering field is yes the need for a vision but also a real step by step plan.

But Cork’s architecture shows us much – talent, confidence, self pride, self belief and innovation. And ladies and gentlemen, in the Ireland of today, we need more of such confidence, pride and belief and innovation– we need to mass produce these qualities and step by step approaches to pursue them.

Ladies and gentlemen, now is our time to build our legacy and we must pursue this with energy and force in these uncertain economic times. The economic recovery road ahead is going to be long. We know that but perhaps what is not as apparent is that we need not only a vision but real, tangible, positive ideas and a step by step approach to make ideas a reality.

Now is our time to make a difference and not to shy away from it.

As I see is customary, The lord mayor is to propose a toast to engineer’s Ireland.

So I will call you wish to stand… and perhaps tonight as we propose engineers Ireland, we should all take away one thing that you will pursue to make Ireland a better place.

To Engineer’s Ireland.

Go raibh maith agaibh

 Engineers Ireland, Cork Region dinner, 11 February 2011

Engineers Ireland, Cork Region Annual Dinner, Kieran with Brendan Brice in the centre, 11 February 2011