Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article

Cork Independent, 22 December 2011

In the Footsteps of St. Finbarre (Part 280/280)

The Weir of Destiny

Gougane Barra epitomises many values and traditions of Ireland’s past. Many of these aspects echo throughout the Lee Valley to the beginning of the tidal area of the river at the weir at the Lee Fields. The Lee Fields are an important cross-roads where the River Lee’s natural wilderness and the urban wilderness of the City collide.  The contrasts are extensive. One view is of the River Lee and its part of large flood plain, shown regularly when the fields are waterlogged during Ireland’s rainy conditions or when the dam at Inniscarra is forced to release reservoir water.

Different species of flora overhang the river as well as playful bird life dive for fish. The slow current but heavy volume of river water spills over the weir to meet the tidal water. The other view is of Cork’s and Ireland’s most impressive buildings such as the Waterworks, now the Lifetime Lab), the former Our Lady’s Hospital and Cork County Hall. Sites such as the Kingsley Hotel (formerly the site of the Lee Baths) and the new student accommodation are all located within view on the Lee fields and these reveal further insights into the past, present and future pulses of the city.

The weir at the Lee Fields provides a boundary of the River’s fresh water and tidal water. It is here that during all months that the die-hards swim in the Lee, where people walk their dogs, where fitness fanatics jog and stretch to couples discussing the day’s challenges or those who watch the waters flow. It is here that the River Lee splits into two creating a north and south channel, both channels encompass the city centre islands.  One can see the northern channel as struggles to carve an initial path for itself whilst the south channel seems to flow on with ease. St. Finbarre’s Cathedral overlooks the southern channel and stands to recall a journey’s end and a beginning for Cork’s Patron Saint.

Standing at the weir and attempting to sum up six years in the Lee Valley is a difficult one. One aspect I feels shines through is that cultural heritage, encompassing history and geography, was not something abstract but was part of a way of life. It has been interesting to view how stories and values have been handed down and how each successive generation has taken it in turn to hold a torch for some element of the past in the present. One aspect for certain is that the more I researched the places within the region or the more doors I knocked on, the more information came to the fore. What is also apparent is that everybody’s view of the world is different. Each person encountered has a unique relationship to the past and present. One recurring aspect is how much the region’s cultural heritage runs metaphorically in “people’s blood”. There was a large amount of people who noted, “my father used to say to me” or “my mother used to say”. That sense of inheritance or the passing down of cultural heritage is important.

            From fieldwork and interviews, local people focused in on several aspects of their locality’s cultural heritage. Each person brought their own insights into their place and its roots, its identity and how it is perpetuated or lives in the present. Many of the themes talked about overlapped, signifying their importance to their lives and the community as a whole. It is difficult to place a weighting on the most important aspects. The River Lee column tried to dabble in the architecture of heritage and its interaction with life in the River Lee valley. It is interesting to see evidence of the past everywhere in tangible and visible monuments but also in people’s thoughts and how it is used everyday in cultural activities. Nevertheless, the Lee Valley is evolving with all its unusual uniquenesses and all the pressures of human existence firmly to be seen. The spirit of the valley’s people is very important to the past and to the rich, current and future geographies and histories of the modern valley.

However, it is not only the scenery but also the character of the place and its people that have become engrained in my own memories. The Lee Valley as a place has stopped me, impressed me, made me question, wonder, dream, remember, be disturbed, explore and not forget –a whole series of reactions. With all that in mind, the article attempted to capture my explorations, the many moods and colours of a section of the River Lee Valley, to contemplate news ways of seeing, to rediscover the characters who have interacted with it, the major events and the minor common happenings and to construct a rich and vivid mosaic of life by and on River Lee. Above all I would like to think that the work on the River Lee is not what we have lost but what we have yet to find…

My thanks to all who followed the River Lee column; if you missed out on a column, check out the index at www.corkheritage.ie. Happy Christmas to everyone!

Caption:

622a. Lee Fields in sunnier climes (picture: Kieran McCarthy)