Kieran’s Comments/ Speech

Council Chamber, 9 November 2009

Re: Medieval Town Wall, Kyrl’s Quay & Kieran’s Motion

I’d like to thank again the director for his report on my motion and his honesty in terms of the regrettable condition of this national monument. Way back in 1993, Cork City Council expended a substantial amount in the archaeological investigation of 60 metres of the town wall during the creation of Kyrl’s Quay multi-storey car-park. Back then there were huge discoveries on the building of the thirteenth century wall, the Medieval way of life and how North Main Street area came into being.

This project was also part of the Cork Historic Centre action, whereby other initiatives, living over the shop, street refurbishment, the Cork Vision Centre and Fenn’s Quay re-development came into being. Highly successful in the short-term but fast forward to the present day and the long term effects of the plan seem not to have been fully realised. North and South Main Streets, where Cork began are now subject to high levels of dereliction, missing buildings, historical plaques hanging off walls. Medieval laneways and graveyards such as that of St. Peter’s riddled with anti-social behaviour.

The poor state of the town wall for me represents, where the Cork Historic Centre Action is at.

Indeed when it comes to any of our archaeology, the policy also seems to be, lets put it under the ground so no one can see it – despite the large volumes of archaeological reports that the Council have published.

The new Cork City Walls Management Plan should be harnessed to build another cultural arrow in the Council’s quiver – let’s keep some of that we do find and properly show it to the general public. I’m reminded of Eyre Square in Galway whereby a section of the town wall is on open display.

I also see that the Council’s only archaeologist, a temporary officer, is about to lose her job next summer as the permanent officer retires. That being said, only this morning, she was on her hands and knees excavating the crypt in Christ Church and preparing to find Hopewell Castle, one of the town wall’s turrets in Christ Church Lane. I’m just wondering what will the City’s archaeology plan be if the Council don’t have any archaeologist at all.