Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 27 February 2025

Making an Irish Free State City – The Retirement of City Engineer Joseph Delaney

Spring 1925 coincided with the formal retirement of Cork Corporation City Engineer Joseph F Delaney who had amassed just over 21 years’ experience working for the Corporation. The aftermath of dealing with the Burning of Cork in 1920 and the long and complicated quest to commence reconstruction within the five acres of burnt out premises brought added stress and health complications for Joseph.

Arriving to Cork Corporation in 1903, Joseph had also overseen improving the water supply system and reducing the abnormally high rate of water wastage in the city. Joseph was also interested in Irish industrial and language movements, in the country’s national well-being, its educational advancement and in economic reform.

The Cork Examiner on 19 January 1925 describe that Joseph was entertained at a farewell presentation function and a concert at the Victoria Hotel by a very representative number of Cork citizens. Mr Barry Egan, former Councillor, who presided, in opening the proceedings said they were meeting that evening to show their appreciation of the work that Mr Delaney had pursued for the city. As a memento of his connection with the city, Barry presented Joseph with a silver cup and a set of special engineering and surveying instruments.

Barry Egan nodded to the unprecedented difficulties that Joseph had to face during the trying times of 1920 and 1921 ending up in the big conflagration in the St Patrick’s Street district. Barry described and shared the belief that that during that time Joseph did the work of ten people; “Mr Delaney kept his head and energies to carry them through the difficulties that presented themselves under circumstances that would break any man’s health and nerves. On the morning of the big fire I met Mr Delaney in St Patrick’s Street, and going around with him I was amazed at his energy knowing as he did that for weeks, before he did not have a night’s rest, and that his position was a nerve-wrecking one”.

Correspondence was read to the assembly from John Callaghan Foley, Managing Director of John Daly and Co Ltd who was away on business. John outlined that he had the pleasure of Joseph’s acquaintance ever since he came to Cork, some 21 years ago;  “It was with great regret we learned that the strain of 21 years’ arduous work, spent in the service of the citizens, and especially the trying period following the destruction of our city, proved too much for his constitution, and caused him to relinquish his post…At this juncture in our country’s history it is men of his status in the engineering world who will be of good account in the conception and development of the numerous schemes of reconstruction, which must be brought to fruition in the near future”.

Mr T F O’Leary, Cork Chamber of Commerce, noted that he had only a short acquaintance with Mr Delaney, but he was greatly impressed by him; “Joseph was an active member of our Chamber of Commerce and his suggestions were invaluable. I felt that wherever Mr Delaney went that particular place would be all the richer, and Cork would be all the poorer for losing him”.

Other speakers followed in equally praise worthy terms. In reply to the praise, Joseph detailed the significance of the occasion to him; “This of all occasions of a lifetime is one of special significance to me. The traveller in life’s highways sooner or later reaches the great divide. For one cause or another he has got to change his course. For health and other reasons, this change has come to me”.

Joseph relates that when he arrived to Cork from Dublin he was full of ambitions for its improvement and welfare in his initial speech possessed the spark of of high civic enthusiasm, and was inspired with a strong sense of duty; “I was full of youthful resolutions – I was 31 then – and professional verve for achievement in my sphere of work…In thanking the Council of the time for doing me the honour of appointing me to the position, which I have just vacated, I spoke as follows; “I hope I shall prove worthy of the trust of the Council has reposed in me. I thoroughly appreciate the importance of my position, and when I enter on my duties it will be our mutual interest – the Council and myself – to serve the citizens, and to help to advance the premier municipality of the south”.

Joseph further related in his speech that since his first speech he strove faithfully to practice the messages given in that first public and official appearance in the city. He was flattered to be entertained that evening by an entourage of friends who were present denoting that they all possessed interests in supporting Cork’s citizenry; “I know you all to be rich in good qualities of citizenship and public spirit and animated by high national ambition and sterling zeal for the moral and material progress of the city and country…I have been in association with you in various paths of endeavour – social, philanthropic, civic, and cultural, and knowing your qualities, I can say that in your hands the city’s welfare and progress is assured. I know of your work, I know of your ambitions, I know of your ideals, and I feel that it is only with the aid of such a coterie of citizens as you, who are inspired with a strong sense of public responsibility, fired by civic pride for local development and improvement that this city, with its fine traditions, its literature, history, and its exceptional opportunities for the future will it be properly piloted to its true destiny”.

Caption:

1293a. Joseph F Delaney, City Engineer, c.1911 in W.T. Pike’s “Contemporary Biographies”, published in Cork and County Cork in the Twentieth Century (1911) by Richard J Hodges.