Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 23 June 2011
New Publication
Munster Agricultural Society, The Story of the Cork Showgrounds
My new book, which was commissioned by the Munster Agricultural Society, explores the history of the Society and the evolution of the former Cork Showgrounds. With roots in the early nineteenth century, the Society has had a long history, being founded in 1806 under the name County of Cork Farming Society, changing to County of Cork Agricultural Society sometime in the 1830s and evolving in 1908 to its current name.
I remember the summer of 2007 sitting in the stands of the Cork Showgrounds and watching my friends show jumping. It was then that I was also struck by the architecture of the old timber, its style and texture; it had that eerie nostalgic feel that it was there for over one 100 years. In the ensuing months, I was given the opportunity to see the old 1920s photographs of the Cork Show. There, before my eyes, was the same stand but, unlike the current pictures with was filled with people. The picture grasped my imagination and pulled me into the story – a scene frozen in time of the crowds in the summer show, the capturing of a large scale public event – that celebration of life. Taken in the late 1920s, the photo captured fashions from a transitional time in Ireland’s development, circa eight years afer the Irish Civil War.
In 2008, the Munster Agricultural Society invited me to write this book. So began a long journey of discovery, which led me through the minutes of the Society finding out more about the context of my 80-year-old picture and also discovering the origins of the society and its contribution and continuing contribution to Cork’s way of life.
I also spent many days coming to grips with the showgrounds – walking around it, photographing it, exploring its architecture, its forms and textures and becoming familiar with the myriads of buildings and halls. As my familiarity of the place increased and through reading the minute books, my walkabouts became more meaningful. I began to think much more about the site. I loved looking at the ornate timber roofing, broken windows and the chestnut tree outside the secretary’s office that changed as the seasons changed from autumn to winter. Gradually, I discovered how much of the legacy of the Agricultural Society had been forgotten. Many of the figures, faces, settings and actions had not been revisited and illuminated in many decades.
In November 2008, I was fortunate to attend the last horse auction at the Shogrounds. There was a crowd sitting on benches in the Lee Hall. As with any auction, there was that air of expectation as owners vied to sell their animals. Horses were prepared in an adjacent hall. Grooming was completed and the leaders of the animals were instructed on what to do. People looked on, watching, ticking off the animals they had seen on the auction lists. Young and old were present. There was that air of inheritance. The father and son element was present. The auction like many that had gone before it was a learning curve; it was an art. The light filtered through the Lee Hall illuminating the action. The auctioneer spoke in a rapid-fire manner. All the actors looked on. There was an air of nostalgia as Gerard Murphy, Chairman, noted that the event was the last sale at the site. As the afternoon progressed, each horse represented for me a count-down of this important site. The exit sign took on new meaning as each horse left. There is a power in nostalgia.
The Munster Agricultural Society has evolved as the needs of its members changed over time to incorporate what they saw as relevant to the contemporary and future of agriculture in Ireland. Each successful season is immortalised in the society’s minute books, and on the society’s perpetual trophies. Some of the aspects mentioned in this book are familiar to all us Corkonians like the annual summer shows.
What one can say is that the Munster Agricultural Society has been a pioneer in attaining improvements in Irish agriculture and in agricultural education. Many of its activities were taken over later by the State and by the universities, all of which we are now inclined to take for granted. Early records of its activities are not preserved. From those at our disposal, it would appear that in addition to promoting annual exhibitions of live stock, they interested themselves in the general education of the rural community and especially of the younger generation. The society has contributed to technological change, broader cultural change and new areas of knowledge. But this book, through the story and pictures, is about so much more. It is about tradition, nostalgia, pride, change and continuity, promotion, inspiration, leadership, education, motivation and unfailing generosity on the part of the members of all the committees who worked tirelessly through time. This book, at its heart, is an exploration and celebration of all those ideas.
The book Munster Agricultural Society, The Story of the Cork Showgrounds is on sale in Liam Ruiseal’s on Oliver Plunkett Street or at the offices of the Society in the Marina Commercial Park, 021 4315772.
Captions:
596a. Front cover of new book, Munster Agricultural Society, The Story of the Cork Showgrounds
596b. Cork Showgrounds, 1929 (picture: Munster Agricultural Society Archives)
